If you’ve been through an elder selection process recently, I suspect you heard one word more than any other: “No.”
The Daughter Divine and Proverbs' Woman Wisdom
The Spring 2018 issue of The Priscilla Papers (a journal committed to biblical gender-equity) includes my essay: "Daughter Divine: Proverbs’ Woman of Wisdom."
Now Hear This - Listen to Story Day!
You may now listen to each of the first five episodes of A Fire in My Bones: A Memoir of Life with CRPS as read by the author (me).
What Is Winning?
As pastors and preachers, are we regularly reminding our communities what winning looks like?
For Mothers
Beginning with Eve, you began a tradition of passing down motherhood for generations to come.
Hate the Sin (Insert "Eye Roll" Here) but Love the Sinner
It sounds good on the surface, but it's actually difficult to explain how it works in real life.
(Story Day) Land of the White Nights
The first half of the New Year (2007) came with the most exciting and demanding speaking schedule I had ever accepted.
Loving Your Fat Friend
I can't keep sending my clients out into the world where fat is a word we spell because we are too afraid to speak it.
A Prayer for Mother's Day
Lord, God of Sara, Rebekah, and Rachel;
and God of Hagar, Bilhah, and Zilpah.
Backwards: A Dangerous Reading of Matthew 6
The Time: Sunday Morning. The Scene: A buzz fills the room as people exchange pleasantries. The lead pastor/minister takes the stage.
Same-Sex Intimacy: Nine Reflections
Now that we’ve looked at all four texts with some detail, it seems appropriate to take a step or two back and reflect on the bigger picture that has developed in our study.
Squirming on Mother's Day
When Mother’s Day comes along, I start squirming, and I really just want to move on to Monday when no one is launching Proverbs 31 grenades at me.
(Story Day) The Year of the Stress Fracture
With my diagnosis from Dr. C— in hand, I picked up my useless left shoe, replaced by the big black walking boot.
Keep Calm and Carry On
Long before the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters were so popular and parodied, Charlie Siburt was teaching us the importance of the non-anxious presence.
Why the Church Needs Feminism (Part 4)
For the church to be effective in countering any kind of abuse, we must recognize commonalities and risk factors, and act swiftly and with purpose.
An Open Letter to Christians … from God
My love for you is inexpressible, incomprehensible, and profoundly exhaustive.
Without Vision, Ministry Perishes (Part 2)
When I think about what ministry is meant to be about, in my mind it has less to do with lessons and more to do with meeting people where they are.
The Cards in Your Pocket ... Not up Your Sleeve (Reading the Same-Sex Ban)
I’ve learned that reading is more than objectively assessing the cards lying face-up on the table.
7 Reasons Women Oppose Change
The Churches of Christ are in the midst of change. Many of our congregations are moving away from our legalistic, sectarian roots in the direction of grace and ecumenical partnership. But change is hard.
(Story Day) In the Beginning ... there was Pain
I’m convinced that God was the first to flinch, the first to feel pain, while it took some time before humans had a clue what they had done to themselves and their world.