The World's Okayest Pastor

I want to begin this post by saying that I greatly respect both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, their programming, their structures, their leadership, and goals and values. Those things are not up for debate to me, because I and my family have benefited from both systems. I’m a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts with 25 years in the organization,  both as a girl and now as an adult volunteer in multiple capacities across two councils. My twin brother was a Cub Scout and then a Boy Scout, my father helped in all levels from den meetings all the way up to pack meetings and trips, and both of my parents helped lead Explorer Scouts, now Venture Scouts.  Even as girls, my sister and I both participated in several Ventur Scout activities.  I have seen many changes in both organizations over the last 25+ years and believe both programs have a lot to offer.  This past week, the board of Boy Scouts of America voted to allow girls to join their program at all age levels, not...

It's that time of year where every weekend, as you go out, you will hear the phrase "would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" Girl Scout cookie season, loved by those of us who need our yearly "fix" and yet it is also one of the most despised times of the year by some Christian groups who want to protest the sales of Girl Scout cookies. Here's are two reasons for protesting Girl Scout cookies: Girl Scouts, along with many other non profit organizations, receive grant money from the United Way. Planned Parenthood also happens to receive money from United Way. Because of the this, groups who are anti-abortion believe that by buying Girl Scout cookies, it is money going to support Planned Parenthood. Second arguement is that we have lost our "Christian way" and we need to come back to being more faith based. So as a lifetime member of Girl Scouts (I'm celebrating 25 years of girl and adult membership - gee I'm old now), active leade...

  Every Sunday I greet my congregation with these words: "Good morning beautiful people of God." It is a habit but I say it for a few reasons. 1) always greet people when you interact with them. 2) these are words that need to be heard by everyone, and often. Why these words? Let me break this greeting down for you.   "Beautiful people" - Who gets to define beauty today? Generally the media and those in the fashion industry. As a woman in the plus sized part of society, all too often I don't see the message that I'm beautiful, if anything I told exactly the opposite and that I need a lot of things to "fix" myself. In my work with youth and in particular girls, it is more clear to me than ever that being exactly the way they are is not okay and they won't be beautiful unless they have the right things to make them so. So I call everyone a beautiful person because guess what you are. We need (myself included) need to hear these words often so th...

Ferguson, MO is a hot bed of conversation right now. Last week, a youth was shot by police. The investigation into the situation is currently underway. Society is now polarized as being for the youth or for the police. Here is what I know - an investigation is still underway. Society and the media don't know every thing that happened. Patience and non-violence need to be demonstrated as we look for the truth and try to understand this situation before judgement is waged. My heart breaks for this situation. But I have to believe that we can look at the bigger picture. The fact is that the police in this community have a long history of being excessive in their force in dealing with the community. Many folks in this community have felt that the are lesser than others in the community. The fact is that police are trained to shoot at a critical mass (chest and head) area when forced to shoot at a suspect. Other countries train their police to shot when they feel their lives are endan...

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                  ...

(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...