Upon my departure from Mississippi, a lovely friend/clergy sister/colleague, Rev. Barbara (isn’t it interesting how one person can play many roles in our lives!) gave me a gift bag with a coffee mug displaying Rosie the Riveter. Rosie’s arm is bent with muscle flexed, declaring, “We Can Do It!”
Stories
An Encouragement for February
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
~ Hebrews 13:8 (NRSVue)
In the early 2000s, I served as pastor to a church of about 80 members. One of the favorite hymns of the congregation was “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” and we sang it often. The hymn has this lovely refrain…
An Encouragement for January
I’ve spent the past few years diving deep into the institution of the Church through the way of the local church as I support passionate (and skeptical) brothers and sisters as they embark (or consider a journey) on a path towards racial justice; truth; liberation; transformation; reconciliation. One of the most common questions I receive from my clients is, “I’ve attended all the book studies and workshops, but I still don’t know what to DO. What action am I to take, as a White person, without messing it all up?”
An Encouragement for December
Last week, I asked my 7-year-old daughter when she wanted to go to her afterschool coding class, a class that she enjoys, and she responded that she didn’t want to go at all. I asked her why she no longer wanted to do this activity that she had been enjoying, and she responded, “it’s too much.”
She was right. We had been doing too much. At this age, I was trying to pack in all the magical holiday activities while they still seemed magical to her.
An Encouragement for November
As I learned the names and genders of the newly elected bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction, oh what joy that filled my soul when I realized that two of the three were our sisters in Christ. Not that we don’t have some amazing male bishops, but this was definitely a blessing for us as women in ministry.
An Encouragement for October
It seems there is so much tension in the air. Disagreements are at every turn…on the news, on talk shows, on social media, in our churches, and sometimes within our own families. Disagreements over things big and small, from theology to politics to the most heated debate of them all, “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” Of course, pineapple has no place on pizza, but still, we argue about it.