Chicken Soup for.... Remember all those Chicken Soup for the Soul books? They started making them for different types of souls : the teenager, the woman, America. (seriously, Google it.) I’ll admit it. I read and enjoyed these when I was growing up. I love a feel good story that can lift the spirits… Continue reading 7 Ways to Approach the Holidays
Far from God There are days when I feel far from God. There have been weeks and even months - one after the other- when I have felt far from God. This sense of distance is draining. I long for safety and security in general, but with God I especially crave and long for a… Continue reading How to Bless the Space You’re In
Wrestling with a Call When I started college in the fall of 2002, I had no idea what God had in store for me. I had been wrestling with a call to ministry for five years at that point but was determined not to heed it. Instead, I focused on enjoying my college experience without… Continue reading Why Women Should Be Pastors
Not My Plan I love being a pastor. I never thought I would. This was not my plan. Being ordained as a minister was going to be one step in the process to becoming a licensed Christian counselor. But then — I fell in love with pastoring people in the local church. The church… Continue reading What It Is Really Like Being a Female Pastor
Clueless Beginnings I didn’t know the first thing about Pilgrimage. I didn’t know how to plan a foreign trip, let alone backpack. Not that either are required for pilgrimage as I now know. But I was determined. It was 2006. My grandmother had just died. I felt an unexpected sense that I must find a… Continue reading 7 Steps to Planning A Pilgrimage
Anxiety Strikes I was five years old the first time I experienced a panic attack. I had seen a fellow student choke at lunch and though all had turned out well, I was in absolute panic that it might happen to me. Then the thought of choking became a regular anxious thought. It would return… Continue reading 4 Strategies for Dealing with Anxiety
Burnt Buttermilk Biscuits I’m from the south. Where sweet tea and cheese grits are staples. And learning to make buttermilk biscuits is a top priority for any aspiring chef. At the ripe age of 6, I decided that I had wasted enough time. The parental units had yet to give into my pleas for biscuit-making… Continue reading How to Ask for Help
It’s been said that we were born to be real, not to be perfect. I find this thought to be a great comfort. I am far from perfect. My first few days as a full time pastor taught me this fact more acutely than any other experience in my life. I had grand ideas about… Continue reading The 10 Must Haves for the Pastor’s Office
The Images of Church What “Church” means has a multitude of definitions and expressions. All of these are variable to some degree based upon who you ask. The word alone conjures a plethora of images: cathedral, rock star preacher, organ, choir, robes, coffee,incense, hymnals, Bibles, pews, screens with projected images, hands folded in prayer, hands… Continue reading What is Church?
The Nightmare I woke up in a cold sweat. My hands were shaking. The nightmarish eyes began to fade as I rubbed my own. I tried to remember where I was but it took a few minutes more for the frightening sights in my dreams to drift away far enough for me to fully wake up. Nightmarish… Continue reading How to Interpret Scary Dreams
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