In seminary I took many pastoral care classes. One of the things that has really stuck with me is about grief. We not only grieve what was, but we also grieve what we hoped would be, our future story. Ending a relationship often requires grieving all that you had imagined your future together would beContinue reading “Loss of Future Story and Anticipatory Grief”
Author Archives: Rev. Tiffany McDonald
In the Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37:11 “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” You can read Ezekiel 37:1-14 here. Reading about the valley of dry bones feels close to home. As we have passed the year anniversary of being at home in quarantine, many of us may feel that we areContinue reading “In the Valley of Dry Bones”
Article Link
I wrote an article for Luther Seminary’s faith + lead for pastors officiating memorial services for their loved ones. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful.
On Not Celebrating a Cancer-versary
November 5, 2020 was my five year cancer-versary. I thought that it would feel like a huge celebration if I made it to that benchmark without a recurrence. I believed I would feel relieved. However, that is not how I experienced it at all. Celebrating is something I am not good at, in general. EverythingContinue reading “On Not Celebrating a Cancer-versary”
Lent 2021
Do You Want to Be Made Well? That question hits me differently this year, in the midst of a pandemic, when I am concerned with the health of my family, friends, and neighbors I have not even met. We all want this quarantine way of life to be over, yet we also have pandemic fatigue.Continue reading “Lent 2021”
Christian Nationalism and Civic Religion
I am not one of “those” Christians. I do not want to be associated with a racist, patriarchal institution that spouts a theology of white supremacy and exclusivism. However, I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus, and an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church (UMC). Christian nationalism is a blending of Christian andContinue reading “Christian Nationalism and Civic Religion”
New Year, New Word
One of my friends inspired me to choose a word for each year. 2020 word was health. I did indeed do a lot of work on my physical, mental, and emotional health. I started last year strong with yoga, tennis, and strength class. The pandemic knocked tennis out, but home school also afforded me moreContinue reading “New Year, New Word”
Sundays
For the second time in my ministry, I am appointed to family leave. The first time was when my older daughter was one. As she grew and became more aware and fun, I struggled with the competing roles of mother and pastor, not unlike many working parents. It hurt when I picked her up fromContinue reading “Sundays”
Pastor Mother
As I leave the school office to walk to my younger daughter’s classroom, I wonder who else I will get to see. This school, the closest elementary to my church, is filled with “my” kids. Not just the two I birthed, but many more from my congregation. The hallway is crowded, and I see Eleanor. Continue reading “Pastor Mother”
Embodied
I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Lee Ann M. Pomrenke’s forthcoming book Embodied: Clergy Women and the Solidarity of a Mothering God. Each day of the blog tour, a different clergy woman will share a story of being clergy and mother. I invite you to check them out eachContinue reading “Embodied”
