Category Archives: Sermons

            Whenever she struggled to pray, a friend of mine several years ago confided that she instead of picturing God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, she instead pictured what she called, “The Ladies.” A self-identified questioning Catholic who wanted to have a vibrant faith, she often found the chasm between herself andContinue reading “The Vastness of God”

As you may or may not know, my first seminary was in Texas, and though I only spent four years there, it was a deeply transformational time in my life. It was the first time that I really lived outside of the Southeast and got to experience some engrained culture shock. And I would oftenContinue reading “A Wilderness Road”

       Periodically, I will open up my AP News app on my phone to check to see what the latest and current events are. Some days I know that chaos ensues in our country or around the world, so I do so with a bit of dread, and other times I know that some goodContinue reading “No Darkness at All”

            At a world religions conference several years ago, I chose to attend a meditation class, led by a Buddhist nun. After a brief introduction, she instructed us to hold out our hands, and each of us received a tiny wedge of a red apple. I still remember the way the cool, tender piece feltContinue reading “It’s Just the Beginning”

There are a few people in the Bible with whom I identify easily; it is not hard to see the “Martha” in me as she is described as working in the back on the endless tasks to do as her sister Mary sits at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn. It’s not hard for meContinue reading “Unrelenting Love”

As a quiet, shy introverted kid, I really struggled with get-to-know you icebreaker type of games. Whether it was “two truths and a lie” or “tell us something about interesting about yourself” it was always really difficult for me. One of the things that I found most troubling was the game where in which youContinue reading “Hoping Against Hope”

            There was always a certain buzz when I pulled out my flannel board to tell a well-known story in my pre-kindergarten classroom back when I was a teacher. I never could quite explain why the story of the three little pigs or of Goldilocks was just so much more exciting with small characters cutContinue reading “A Holy and Gentle Lent”

       There is a bit of a joke among clergy about ‘other duties as assigned’ which is often used as a catch all in job descriptions or even in ordination services. These are the things that might not directly tie to being a pastor, priest, and teacher, to which one pledges when they take theirContinue reading “Raised Up for a Life of Service”

            One of the tools that I have gained in therapy is something called a feelings wheel, and if you are looking for someone to point you to ways to connect with a therapist, I will gladly do so because many of us have never lived through times of traumatic national or global events whileContinue reading “Remembering Our Baptism”

       Traditionally, whether it’s Father Steve or me, the preacher doesn’t typically follow the children’s dramatic retelling of the Christmas story, but like almost every other aspect of this year, things are not quite as usual. I’m so grateful that I got to see our virtual Christmas pageant early so that I could know whatContinue reading “Joy Always Breaks Through”