Jun 11, 2014 | Being a Minister
Some conversations stick with you. At a recent social event I was making small talk when a lady asked, “What do you do?” I told her that I was an ordained minister. She asked what denomination, and when I told her Baptist, she breathed, “Oh” with the sub-context of...
May 19, 2014 | Being a Minister, Challenges in Calling
After more than forty years as a Baptist pastor, the well-known and beloved John Claypool left the Baptist world to become an Episcopal priest. When quizzed as to why he would do such a thing, he responded, “I am just moving to another room in God’s house.” While in...
May 14, 2014 | Being a Minister
Nervously, I sat with the other parents at middle school orientation. Most of us could not grasp that our gangly, half child, half adult fifth graders would be allowed to roam free in such a large school, and would be expected to locate classrooms and show up on time,...
Apr 16, 2014 | Being a Minister, Finding God in the Everyday
I currently am serving a year-long pastoral residency at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as a student chaplain. A chaplain residency is a one-year position designed to give student chaplains a taste of full-time hospital chaplaincy with patients and families,...
Mar 12, 2014 | Being a Minister, Encouraging Words, Motherhood and Ministry
It was the fall of 1984. If the building were still standing, I could show you the exact place. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was home from college for the weekend. I was having lunch at a local restaurant with my dad after church. For some reason, that was the time...
Feb 28, 2014 | Being a Minister, Challenges in Calling
In preparation for leading a student disciple now weekend that dealt with how our faith sees us through the hard times, I sat down with some of my old journals for a little trip down memory lane. Yes, some of it made me cringe, some entries elicited giggles, and some...
