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Psalm 130

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord hear my voice! I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.” Verses 1-2a, 5-6. I feltContinue reading “Psalm 130”

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”

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”

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”

Friends

We need each other. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is how much human connection really matters. I have always had wonderful friends. In every stage of life, women (and men, but this post is for the women) from all ages have surrounded me with love. During this pandemic, I have been ableContinue reading “Friends”

Grief

Grief is something we are all experiencing right now, to different degrees. Some are grieving seeing friends or family, cancelled trips, cancelled wedding plans, concerts, plays, and other events. Some are grieving the loss of a loved one, complicated by the fact that they cannot gather with family. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages of grief: Continue reading “Grief”