The World's Okayest Pastor

So what is the minister suppose to look like? That's a much debated topic. 15 years ago when I encountered my first female pastor and said that I wanted to become a minister myself I was advised that for at least for the first year that I should never let anyone in my congregation see me without a skirt/dress on. A congregation was upset because I generally wear flip flops, not knowing or understanding that my feet are a very odd size and finding shoes that are comfortable to wear is very difficult and frustrating. The pastor of my current congregation has had numerous members come up to him and tell him that he does not look much like a minister because he's wearing a t-shirt and jeans when preaching. So what does or is a minister suppose to look like? Are ministers expected to be always in dress casual clothing? Should I always have a skirt hidden in my desk drawer/car trunk in case someone comes through the door? Should I be spending quality time every week making sure that...

Had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the need some clergy folks have to look like clergy. they shared a story about a guy who thought about becoming a priest, decided not too but had already bought a collard shirt and then decided to wear it when he took a class on exorcisms. He wore the collar so he would blend in and no one knew that he wasn't an actual priest. Interesting that someone choose to wear a collar - if you've never worn a full collar I say it's like being reminded that you could be choked at any second and is not that comfy - and I decide to not wear a collar to be a pastor. I own two collar shirts - just the tab ones. They're folded up nicely in a storage tote currently. I've worn them a total of 5 times. 1 was for Halloween, 1 was for my adopted grandmother's funeral I preached, 1 was an experiment in the hospital I worked at and 1 was so I could actually see a person in a VA hospital. I'm not very original when it comes to cost...

I think that one of the issues why people today are becoming more suspicious of the institution of the Church is that there seems to be a problem with communication. Last time I checked I don't recall Jesus saying anything about the need to give people messages through third parties instead of talking directly to a person. We leave messages to be delivered on our behalf's by other people and then wonder why people are frustrated when they don't understand where or why there is this message. Example - this set of papers sounds too much of one thing and not another and that maybe causing you a problem is the message I received lately from a third party. The third party person couldn't tell me what sounded wrong or why. So now I have to track down the author of such comments and try to get them to explain. Why not take the middle person out? Why not just be direct? Don't want to use the phone there's email, letters, social media, etc. Messages and memos get lost in...

Dating and being a minister. Have to say that those two words don’t seem to be blending very well. Telling someone what you do is not easy. You don’t want to lie but saying the actual words “I’m a minister” usually gets me 1 of 3 responses. 1 – oh you’re a minister, followed by the sounds of pitter patter as the person runs away. This response often comes from people who don’t believe that females have any roll in the church. Sometimes these people try to save me from my sins too. 2 – oh you’re a minister, followed by the person wanting confession or pastoral advice followed by the words I can’t date a pastor and some reason. While I’m all about helping others when I can, that’s not the reason why I’m dating. In all honesty I help people all day long (or I’d like to think that I do) and I don’t want that in a date. Us ministers would like to have a nice dinner and movie date too. 3 – the people who think that they can corrupt a minister. It starts out with trying to figure out if a fem...

I Like People Who Have everyone grab a chair and form a circle. Stand in the middle to explain the game (you will also be the first “it”). Explain that the person in the middle will say the phrase “I like People Who ______ but I really like people who.” The person in the middle will fill in the blanks (example: I like people who have blonde hair but I really like people who have brown hair). After the person in the middle finishes the sentence everyone who has brown hair must get up and move across the circle to find a new chair. The person in the middle will also try to get a seat. The person left without a chair is the new “it”. Remind all of the players that we are suppose to be positive and say things that won’t single out people or embarrass others. Suggestions for will in the blanks: I like people who wear red but I really like people who are wearing blue . Have dogs                  ...

Someone sent me a message regarding the picture I posted on Facebook. (I added it here for your viewing enjoyment.) The email was basically asking me why, as a Christian and a pastor, would I 1) have something that was clearly from a "pagan religion" and 2) why would I make fun of someone's religion by buying a doll? So after I did my best to not go into a rage emailing attack here's my response to those questions. Regarding the pagan religion comment - I don't believe that Hinduism is a pagan religion. The pantheon of gods in Hinduism is a reflection of who individuals relate to their Higher Being/Creator/the Divine. I'd consider it the same as there are how many different names there are in Christianity for God but it's all about knowing God. I also am a Universalist. Just because I choose to align myself with Christianity that does not mean that I do not study and learn about other faith traditions. I can become a better person because of the writings...

(Please remember that Barbasol is a registered trademark.) I remember growning up and my dad and then my brother having Barbasol in the bathroom. It's been around forever and I'm sure you've seen it on the store shelves. It's the cheap stuff but it still works great for shaving. I'll even admit to using it on my legs. But I have discovered that Barbasol has many different uses besides just shaving. So here they are. (Please note that just because these uses are listen below I do not necessarily condone these uses.) 1) "Pie in the Face" - If you've ever been to camp and tried to "pie" someone in the face and used whip topping you'll find that heat and whip topping do not mix. It melts and leaves behind a rancid, hot dairy smell. It's not fun for anyone after the initial "pieing." So it was determined that Barbasol shave foam still gives you that white, fluffy appearance and does not smell hot spoiled dairy no matter how lo...

One day as I was driving I got stopped at a red light. A truck next to me was full of four guys. The guy closest to my window started waving at me and asked me to roll down my window. Now generally I don't do this but decided to humor the guy. The guy was in need of directions to a gentlemen's club. I leaned out my window to inform him that he had just asked a minister (female minister at that) for directions to a gentlemen's club. He immediately went red in the face and started to say that they weren't going to go watch. His friends had been there last night and had left his wallet (like that's really any better). I was nice and gave them directions to the other side of town and then said I'd pray for them. It's not like I hide the fact that I'm clergy, there's a big clergy sticker on the back window. When you're asking for directions to the gentlemen's club please consider who you're asking. What an interesting encounter with those i...