Feb 9, 2011 | Being the Church, Encouraging Words, Preaching
I was called to ministry during my junior year in college at a Baptist Student Union conference, and I said, “Yes!” The only problem was that I had no idea what a woman minister looked like. I had never seen a woman pastor, or even a woman deacon, and I certainly...
Jan 31, 2011 | Being the Church
The halls of the local women’s hospital often ring with banter. Banter is our human response to the intensity and immediacy of birth. It is how we sometimes respond to the mix of blood, sweat, tears, and laughter that hangs in the air anywhere life and death struggles...
Jan 25, 2011 | Being the Church, Community, Preaching
Sometimes, I am not sure we really want to experience ecumenicalism or diversity. We say we do, but maybe we are afraid of being changed. Most of the ecumenical events I see today seem to bring together persons who are like-minded from the start. They may belong to...
Jan 17, 2011 | Being the Church, Motherhood and Ministry
Weekly, I sit in worship service with my daughters, ages seven and four. Often, after worship, I slog to the car wondering, “Why did I bring them to church today?” Sometimes, the question is rhetorical. Other times it is not. A recent article in a parenting magazine...
Jan 7, 2011 | Being the Church, Encouraging Words
My daughters, ages four and seven, were playing quietly. Too quietly. As I peeked around the corner, I saw Audrey, my youngest, wearing her sparkly high heels while standing on her step stool. From a big book, she was ‘reading’, “Jesus was born. Mary was his mother....
Dec 16, 2010 | Being a Minister, Being the Church
So tonight was supposed to be our church’s Christmas party . . . a meal, games, and wrapping gifts for children in need. When the ice and sleet began around 4:00, we had to make a call, but dinner was pretty much prepared already. A few of us who had gathered...
