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”
Author Archives: Rev. Tiffany McDonald
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”
You are Good
You are good. The goodness of God is inside you, and the Holy Spirit prompts you to act out of that goodness. The fruit of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5: 22-23 is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The Greek word ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) means intrinsic goodness, theContinue reading “You are Good”
Cast all your anxiety on God
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on God because God cares for you. Are you anxious? I know many of you are anxious about schools opening or not. Many of you are waiting to hear how you will be needed to care for family members based on school decisions. Some of you are anxious awaitingContinue reading “Cast all your anxiety on God”
faith+lead
The faith + leader at Luther Seminary published an article I wrote about my cancer journey. Click on the link above to read it.
Rest for the Weary: A sermon
We keep hearing that we are in unprecedented times. Our lives have totally changed in the last few months. We have watched horrific murders and arson, and we have also seen our communities join together in love and care. We have seen people who refuse to wear masks, and also the way so many ofContinue reading “Rest for the Weary: A sermon”
Iona Worship
The words of the liturgy and music speak to my heart. I long to return to Iona. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000kfwv
Peonies
My paternal grandparents’ farm has one long driveway that is a semicircle. The main driveway was gravel, but there was another part of the driveway, dirt, that went behind the house back to the highway. Along that dirt driveway, my grandpa planted peonies. Every spring when they bloomed was exciting. When Marty and I wereContinue reading “Peonies”
Hefted
Before we left for our Celtic pilgrimage, Rev. Mike Miller warned us that we might feel “hefted” to Iona. Hefting is a common practice among shepherds, where sheep are allowed to graze without fences. The ewes teach their lambs where to graze, and therefore feel a sense of belonging to a certain area. As predicted,Continue reading “Hefted”
