Monthly Archives: May 2006
Who would’ve thought that you could build a whole worship service around shoes? (What, the whole armor of God passage doesn’t make you think of shoes? If not, why not?) This is the kind of inspiration, creativity and, some might say, insanity that happens when you gather together a whole group of exciting (and fashion savvy, I might add) individuals who believe, strangely enough, that the sacred text still holds a message… Read More
I always thought summertime at church was a little slow . . . Wednesday night dinner cancelled because everyone is on vacation, adult Sunday School classes combined to give teachers a break . . . you know, that kind of thing.May I say emphatically that this is NOT the case at Calvary?Why it should surprise me that this church is out of the norm I have no idea. But every year around… Read More
I just noticed the big lavender bushes flanking the front walk of my house (here’s one of them).I’ve been walking past them for about six weeks not noticing at all, and it took last week’s gospel lesson, John 15:1-8, to make me stop and look. Well, maybe it was last week’s gospel lesson and maybe it was the fact that everything, everywhere, seems to be blooming. Fresh cut grass, heavy-hanging rose bushes,… Read More
I think it’s safe to say I never thought I’d be blogging about this topic. Actually, I think it’s safe to say it never crossed my mind . . . ever . . . that I would even be thinking about this topic in direct relation to my own life. It all started a few weeks ago. We were sitting around dinner one night and I thought to myself, “I wonder if… Read More
“Is there a prophet in the house?”My friend and classmate Jason Harvey, Associate Pastor at Broad Street United Methodist Church in Statesville, NC, asked that question in his sermon yesterday, the final day of my second intensive Doctor of Ministry class at Wesley Theological Seminary: Preaching With Prophetic Imagination (Jason is helpfully pictured here so you can imagine him calling us to task from the pulpit in Wesley’s chapel). I don’t know… Read More
I keep hearing the stories of rebuilding, but the devastation is still so horrible. I took this picture while in New Orleans in February . . . it seemed especially poignant to me to see a manger on a pile of trash near the curb. Frankly, I am still trying to make sense of what happened. Here’s a link that graphically depicts how the devastation happened. http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/continuous.swf
My Mom always sends me the nicest Mother’s Day cards. And for years I’ve been rather puzzled by this as she is, after all, my mother and not the other way around. (As my husband Mark would say: “Of course I didn’t get you a card! You’re not MY mother . . . .”) Every year my Mom usually writes something in her card thanking me for making her a mother (my… Read More
I’ve spent hours this week listening to sermons. This may not seem notable to all of you who have to suffer through that experience every single week, but let me remind you that it is a rare week I have to sit through even one sermon. Usually, as you know, I am giving the sermon. Standing.This week I’ve been in intensive Doctor of Ministry study in a class at Wesley Theological Seminary… Read More
I went back to school today.When I got up the courage to count I realized I have not been in a classroom as a student for over 11 years. That is a very long time, as 11 years ago would have been when I was in my 20s and some (namely my husband, a whole five months younger than I) would say that I am quickly sliding into 40 (gulp!).As I packed… Read More
Talk with the Preacher 