The World's Okayist Pastor

Luke 17:5-10The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea', and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'" This section of Luke is part of a 4 part saying series of Jesus in the Gospel. This particular section is Jesus questioning the Disciples. Now as we’ve seen throughout several Gospel accounts the disciples are a group

This summer has been one for a lot of reflection; some good and others bad. Everyone has their own obstacles to overcome and I'm no stranger to this. This has been a summer full of people coming and going. Some have caused me tears and frustration while others have been a breath of fresh air and nourishing to my soul. To borrow a saying from Tyler Perry's movie/play "Madea Goes To Jail" people are like trees. Some people are like leaves, the wind blows they're over here and then the wind blows again and they're over there. At the end of the season they wither up and go away. Some people are like the branches, they may appear to be strong but once you go out there with them they break and you're left hanging or falling. But other people they're the trunk and the roots. They're grounded; they're looking out for you and your best interest. When something doesn't go so well between the two of you they at least find a way to say sorry. Not many

One of my favorite drinks is a Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic. And in thinking about why I love this drink so much it occurred to me that it could be used as a metaphor for God. So bear with me because here we go. The Route 44 is something that is known in one form in the beginning, like God the Creator. It is good just the way it is, perfect really. It doesn’t need to change but because this drink (God) is so good it does change. When you finish consuming your Route 44 Limeade you are then left with the ice, a lime wedge and a cherry in the bottom. The ice begins to melt and you get a bonus drink, a new way to experience the drink. You get flavored water (would be like God deciding to dwell on earth in Jesus Christ as a new way for creation to know God). And then when the water is finished you are left with a new way to experience the drink – the consumption of the cherry and sucking on the lime wedge. This drink gives us a third way to experience the goodness just like God

Communication has gotten easier some say with text messaging, cell phones and all of the stuff on the internet. I use them all and love them. Probably would go crazy (yes I know some are saying I already am crazy) without it. With all of this communication stuff around us, why does it seem like the Church and churches still can’t communicate? Once upon a time churches used letters, newsletters and calling trees and people seemed to know what they needed to know. Today we have even more means of contacting people and they still want to claim that “I never knew that.” Ironic. Another issue I see the Church having is that people want to take social media forums that are designed to help promote the churches using them and turn them into places to vent frustrations and their problems with the church. I was never marketing major but from what I understand don’t you want to put your best self image out there? What would attract someone to a church were the social media page is littered wit

I am an American; born here in the USA, lived here all of my life. I do like this country. I don’t always agree with the way it works or who’s running it but I’m here and I know that there are millions of people who are less fortunate in the world then me. I am thankful that I have the rights that I have and the access to so much. I know the “Star Spangled Banner” and I sing patriotic songs and like most of them. However, on July 4th Sunday (or the Sunday closest to the 4th of July), I find it hard to be in worship in congregations that structure the theme around God Bless the USA/America. I find it hard to sit there and look at church chancels that are adorned with the American flag and if people noticed where I sit it’s so it’s not in my eyesight while I worship. It bothers me that people get all festive, wearing red, white and blue to worship, but can’t remember the colors of the liturgical year. This bothers me because as Christians we are called to worship the God of all people

As I watch a congregation I’m very familiar with spiral out of control I’m forced to sit and reflect on what went so wrong? Why does it seem like the only options are to either fire the minister or close the doors? When I think back the problems began before this minister was even hired. This is a congregation that wants to and likes to say that it’s a welcoming and friendly place. But in reality it isn’t and hasn’t been for the 20 some years I’ve known it. Groups of people made sure that other people knew that they were below them. They were operating then on the mentality that we did this 50 years ago so we need to keep doing it. And as for being welcoming… well with you weren’t middle-class, preferably upper middle-class and white well don’t bother walking through the door. These are all issues that existed 20 years ago and were never addressed. And shockingly these are still issues in the congregation today. Clearly this church has decided to put its head in the sand and live in th

In conversations I’ve made in a variety of situations and places I tell people I’m a pastor. Then I get the response “oh you’re a nun.” So I’d like to take a few moments to clarify the two terms using my personal definitions. Nun = Catholic, Pastor = Protestant generally speaking. There are some Protestant nuns but they are rare in my experience. Nuns generally take 5 vows. Pastors generally vow to follow and teach the Christian faith but they’re not bound to a life of poverty and celibacy. Pastors are also not obligated to Rome. Pastors can have, if they choose, a “normal” life. They can marry and basically do the same things you do in every day life. Nuns can also look and act like you and me but they are married to God, not mortal humanity. Really the main difference between a female lawyer, doctor, etc is that a pastor is called and set aside by God and a community of faith as one to learn more about faith and God and then to help teach others. So in essence by this definition a nu

In a conversation with a more conservative Christian then me (take in mind I call myself a bed-wetting liberal and I’m also a big time Process Theologian) the person started rambling off scripture quotes (proof texting really) to make a point. I have never claimed to be a great memorizer of anything. And even though I have read the Bible many times and own many copies of the Bible, I am still not a person who can just pull out scripture references in mid conversation. I do have several verses that I turn to and love dearly but I can’t tell you word for word what John 2:5 or Ruth 1:4 says. This got me thinking, why do Christians really feel the need to qualify their faith based on the amount of scripture that they can recite from memory? While it may be very handy to be able to quote scripture in a variety of situations, I believe that this can be dangerous. Proof texting (pulling scripture, from any religion, to support an argument without careful and learned consideration for its cont

I can’t believe 2009 is over. It has truly been a busy year for me. I started it off by attending an immersion experience class that spent 15 days touring Kentucky’s Appalachia looking at the issues of faith, health and economics. Headed up by Pacific School of Religion this was a truly beautiful experience. I learned so much about an area that was only 2 hours away from where I was residing. I also meet many new people and am blessed to have been touched by the PSR community and faculty. In May I completed my last on site classes for Lexington Theological Seminary and in June started my Clinical Pastoral Education course at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lexington. It was a busy and challenging 11 weeks, but the 5 other classmates and I became a family. Although we may have wanted to kill each other at times, we pushed each other and I believe we’re all better people now because of the experience. I know that my ministry will be forever shaped by the people I meet and ministered with. After

These are some of my favorite quotes that I use in a variety of places. Enjoy! "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it." "Sometimes you have to make hamburger out of sacred cows." "I'm going to hold my hand out. Would you please just run into it? I'm too tired to smack you myself." "Wow! That was all kinds of dumb rolled into one." "Don't put a period where God puts a comma." - God is still Speaking Campaign UCC. "What do the Gospels say about homosexuality? _____" United Church of Christ "My momma didn't raise no fool!" 10 Things I Hate About You

Scripture Reading 1 Samuel 1:4-20 (New Revised Standard Version) 4On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; 5but to Hannah he gave a double portion, * because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7So it went on year after year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8Her husband Elkanah said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’ 9 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. * Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. 11She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the miser