We’re one, but we’re not the same

by Maria Bergius Krämer Today, I was approached by two of our oldest ladies in church. They are 93 and 97 years old, and regulars at laudes (morning prayer), Monday soup, Sunday Mass and just about everything else that their frail legs can carry them to. They called me over to their table, and asked […]

NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul

NaNoWriMo is eating my soul. This is how it happened: On the first day of this month, I saw a Facebook post about NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. I had not intended to do this. I had not premeditated my plan of attack. I hadn’t even heard of it. But something about this challenge […]

The Rev. and Mr.

by Kedron Jarvis (Nicholson) We are engaged. Usually it comes out like this: “We're engaged!!!” Admittedly, I have been smiling for five months almost non-stop. Wedding planning is in full swing. Save-the-dates have been mailed, the reception and rehearsal dinner sites are secured, and china is selected. My father, the florist, has a zillion ideas […]

Lessons and Carols… and Poetry?

by Bromleigh McCleneghan While it may well be true of ministers in many settings, I found that as a solo pastor just starting out, the Advent and Christmas seasons were just the slightest bit daunting, particularly in a small church. Raised in larger congregations, I have long felt that church preparation for and celebration of […]

A Day in the Life

by Sandhya Jha A day (election day, that is) in the life of a bi-vocational local church pastor trying to strike a balance in the intersection of faith and public life. 5:30:    Woke up in time to open up the church for the arriving poll workers. 5:45:    Enthusiastically invited the poll workers in, thanking them […]

Sabbath for the Single Rev

by Leah Grundset When I threw my coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome in February 2009, I never imagined the first wish  would come true. For years, Romans and visitors to Rome alike have tossed coins into the great fountain and made wishes. I turned my back to the fountain as is the custom and tossed […]

Who Are We Going To Be?

by Cara Cavanaugh Gilger Nearly two years to the day of our launch into multisite ministry, my husband and I found ourselves with heads bowed, peering over a small four-by-three-inch black and white printout of our 8-week ultrasound. As we peered at this little bean-shaped person in a black box, looking quite unremarkably like every […]

It Gets Better

by Audrey Connor Editor’s Note: Audrey was recently featured in an article in The New York Times discussing various Christian responses to the rash of suicides among GLBTQI teens this fall.  We asked her to write about the experience of responding to those suicides as part of her ministry, and to offer some thoughts about […]