I spent this weekend quilting with a friend. Sometimes the only sign of hope is the people you can be with and do ordinary things. I working on series on how to deal with immigration, and care for immigrants. If your church is working on this, I'd love to hear what you are doing. From the tiny to the dramatic, what's going on? Just reply to this email to let me know. Come to the Waters with Hope Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!...
1 day ago • 3 min read
I can't stand to listen to the news these days. I read Letters from an American, and a few news articles that come to my email, but in the car I've started listening to podcasts. My work is about an hour a way, so I get to hear a wide variety of things! It was an episode of Hidden Brain that got me thinking about today's blog. (Link to Hidden Brain is below.) Pivot Point Is your church at a pivot point? This is when the world is clearly different than it was, and you choose to change your...
4 days ago • 4 min read
I serve two congregations that have resolved their financial issues, but still need to ask how much energy they have to be church. With the money, you either have enough, or you don't. With energy, it is hard to say. Maybe I don't want to lead, but I'm willing to follow. And yet, is there someone to lead? Sometimes church is done because we just have enough energy to keep going. Heading to Jerusalem I wrote an article for Congregations Magazine (Alban Institute) called Journey to Jerusalem....
6 days ago • 3 min read
One thing weird about scheduling newsletters is that I'm writing on Sunday but need to act like it's a week later Monday morning. It's exactly the opposite of "being in the moment". Pastors struggle with this all the time! We plan Lent in January, and in March, before Easter even happens, I'll need a plan for May and June. But still it's important to think about being in the present--in this place and at this time. Be Here Now Small church ministry is very much a ministry of place. We are...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Today's story is written by The Rev. Cn. Meg Wagner, Canon to the Ordinary, The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. She graduated Episcopal Divinity School in 2015. Churches can be slow to act (and that slow pace is one of our strengths). And in this time, we also need a group that is able to act quickly. They didn't end the legislation, but they were present for a group of God's children who are under attack. Iowa Gender Identity Erasure Act Through our diocesan partnerships with Interfaith Alliance...
11 days ago • 3 min read
We have three options for Ashes at my churches today, in the afternoon each church has a set time to show up, and then in the evening we'll go together to worship with a nearby third congregation. I cooked for my community last night--not exactly Mardi Gras--but a rich risotto full of fat cheeses, cream, shrimp, and mushrooms. As I've gotten older, and the world more chaotic, these rituals that seemed so arbitrary to me are now important in their simplicity. Good dinner followed by a day of...
13 days ago • 2 min read
I rarely focus on Jesus when preaching on the Transfiguration. I focus on the bumbling disciples, probably because I feel like a bumbling disciple. I'm also anxious about making Jesus too God-like. Because of this I've missed the connection between the arrival of Moses and Elijah and Jesus. They are prophets who come to set us free from oppression! This story sets Jesus firmly into the prophetic tradition. Transfiguration The Lukan version of the transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) is unique among...
18 days ago • 2 min read
The day is bright and shining; the snow is gorgeous. The news is not either of those things. And yet here I am in two tiny congregations that are caring for one another. Checking on each other. Sometimes, I think, what we must do is care for each other. Do! A Little! One important point is that the best reaction to the chaos is to take a deep breath and figure out how to do well things that churches do well. The name Act! Be Church Now is something I thought of in terms of the current crisis...
20 days ago • 3 min read
Well! Here is number 3 on Anger. Most of you will have noticed that I sent #2 (titled Monday) on Thursday, and #1 on Friday, so here we are at #3, which is sent on Monday. What should I title it???? It makes me so MAD when I make mistakes like that. Grrr. And to top it off, making mistakes makes me angry which makes me sloppy, and then I make even MORE mistakes. You know how that is, right? Protesting as Church I’m so angry I want to protest what is happening. Protests are a tough subject....
22 days ago • 3 min read