Feeling frustrated and confused, I went for a walk last week. I had spent the morning trying to imagine the next gathering in this adventure in consulting. The last time we were together, we focused on the numbers. They had gone on Neighborhood Walks and then we looked at the numbers. We looked at the statisticsContinue reading “The Concept of Mu”
Category Archives: Cooking up Interim Ministry
What I’m Up to Now
Holy threads are hard to see. They are as invisible and hidden as God. Even when we can see threads stitched through the fabric of our existence, they are often jumbled and knotted. We try to pick up those threads but we cannot untangle them from all of the rest. The poet William Stafford observes, there is a thread.Continue reading “What I’m Up to Now”
The Rise of the Consultant
I can’t remember when I first heard the term. I do remember how I felt about it when I heard that there was such a thing as a church consultant. It was not pleasant. I was of the impression that it wasn’t anything that a pastor couldn’t do and I was a pastor. I knewContinue reading “The Rise of the Consultant “
What is the Meaning of Life?
I’m working on my first chapter. Or I’m trying to work on this first chapter. I’m trying to stick with it. I’m trying to actually finish it rather than jumping ahead to some other chapter that is not quite so hard. For this is the chapter that frames the entire thing. It’s the bit that explainsContinue reading “What is the Meaning of Life?”
The Only Hope for America
Most everything I know about democracy I’ve learned in church. It is in my particular tradition of being church that I’ve had the chance to practice all of the values and ideals that democracy claims. Mine is the tradition that birthed democracy. They were not perfect people but they came seeking freedom. They came looking forContinue reading “The Only Hope for America”
Recipe for the Worrying Church
Sometimes it is the Lectionary that sparks an idea or sometimes it is a story that you have held close over these many years. This recipe is a little bit of both. On Sunday, we will hear the story of Martha who is very worried and distracted. She’s rushing about and keeping busy. She’s doingContinue reading “Recipe for the Worrying Church”
Until Sunday
Last month, when this video appeared on Facebook, I was amused. I laughed out loud but it didn’t feel like my story. Not anymore. There was a time in my ministry when I heard these comments said every single day. There was a time when I felt like I needed to fight for the rightsContinue reading “Until Sunday”
Talking in Church
After my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, she dragged us to church. It felt like she was pulling us by our ears with one hand and spitting in the palm of the other to smooth out my brother’s hair. That’s not how it happened, of course. It is simply what remains from those first few yearsContinue reading “Talking in Church”
Jesus is…
In the midst of another holy season, my pastor invited us to ponder who Jesus is. The question stuck with me and inspired a whole preaching series on christological terms. It’s what has led us in the church I’m serving as interim pastor through Lent. Every week, as worship began, we’ve asked ourselves: who areContinue reading “Jesus is…”
Lessons from the Past
After worship was over, in the middle of the Annual Meeting of this tiny church I’m serving as interim pastor, we shared in the work of memory. Earlier that week, I had taped a blue line upon the wall of the church hall with my trusty painter’s tape and chartered those significant events that IContinue reading “Lessons from the Past”
Cooking with Elsa 