Stuck in the Middle with You, Part Two

As I considered where I might go on vacation this summer, I knew it had to be somewhere tropical. Having visited some beautiful beaches before, I knew deep within me that this would be the most relaxing, rejuvenating and restful experience that summer vacation had to offer. Right about when I was dreaming up this […]

Illness and Identity

My identity as a clergy gal has changed substantially over the years. I’ve been the reluctant seminarian, the slightly-less-reluctant-but-still-unsure new minister, the energetic still-single-and-happy-that-way rev, the newly-married-second-time-seminarian youth minister, the youngish-married-associate minister. Each phase of this calling has had its ups and downs, and each change in identity has had its awkward adjustments – but […]

Harry Potter 7.2: Thoughts on a journey

I first met Harry Potter while I was in seminary, after my teacher-sister recommended this great book one summer while I was visiting home. She couldn’t stop reading it. Or listening was more like it, as the first few books we each passed around were the brilliantly produced audio books. There were days that my […]

The Learning Curve

When I accepted my first (and current) call, I was intentional in looking for congregation that had time and space carved out for children during the week. To put it bluntly, I was look for on-site childcare for the future, hopefully at a reduced (if not free) price for future dream fulfillment. Four months into […]

Pastor/Poet

Collection Deep purple, nearly black splotches Mottle her arms and hands: She laughs and tells me it took the nurses Nine tries before getting the needle Right in her small, wobbly veins. She remembers when her doctor took two samples from her husband instead of trying to get one from her. She’s amused by her […]

Christmas in July

During this year’s Advent Lessons and Carols service, most of the readings will be straightforward. I’m working with a couple of readers on some choral readings of the scripture. I wrote these a few years ago.

On Removing the “Y” From “YCW”

A couple of years ago, I applied to be a commissioner to our denomination’s General Assembly. After glancing at the essay questions, I went back to the top of the form to fill out the easy stuff: Name… Address… Phone… Email… Gender… Ethnicity… Age… The “Age” line had several ranges to choose from. I began […]

Stuck in the Middle with You

I am a single rev. At least I think am. At least for now. And for a while to come. I think. I am falling into that “liminal space” (thank you seminary vocabulary) that comes between single-but-dating and single-but-engaged. For some couples, this space is short, maybe only a minute or two, but for my […]

The Discipline of Living Sacramentally

Sometime during college I came across Richard Foster’s Devotional Classics – a neat collection of writings that focus on various spiritual disciplines. It was a welcome change in pace from the Max Lucado and Phillip Yancey books I had devoured during this time as I sought to articulate some kind of theology for myself. The different […]

“Always Say ‘Yes'” and Other Truths from Bossypants

Full disclosure: When Tina Fey was hosting Weekend Update in the early oughts, I rocked a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, mostly because my boyfriend at the time had a giant crush on her. But also because here was a woman so funny and relatable that I both idolized her and was pretty convinced if she […]