This post was originally published at Revgalblogpals The Pastoral is Political. While the legislature has been in session in Idaho this winter, I’ve been more involved than I have been in the past. I’ve been frustrated by leadership in the Capitol who continue to refuse to allow Add the Words to have a hearing. Municipalities…
Here’s a Valentine’s Day guest post for you from my friend Michelle Bartel After my divorce a couple of years ago, I realized we had not developed rituals in our marriage over those decades, and that is an odd way to live. Rituals are markers that draw us deeper into the beauty and delights that…
There seems to be some confusion in our political and cultural discourse lately about what, exactly, constitutes “religious freedom”. Rep. Lynn Luker had a bill before the Idaho legislature a few years back that he said was intended to protect religious liberty. “Republican lawmakers on the panel said they favored the bill to expand an…
Silence is not really my thing. I talk. For a living. I get in a pulpit and speak. I use my voice all the time. But today I participated in a silent protest at the Idaho State Capitol for Add the Words. There has been a campaign going for many years now to add 4…
I blogged about gun control a few days ago. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when the comment section turned into a battle ground. No one to blame but myself, really. People who wouldn’t normally read my blog found it because of the topic. One of them wrote on his own blog that he searches…
A number of my friends shared an interesting article on Facebook this morning about gun violence. It is a good article. BUT It, like many others I have read, treats the issue of gun violence as if data and information were the missing piece. It offers helpful maps, statistics, and other information. But we don’t…
Five years ago, my first year at Southminster, we celebrated Baptism of Our Lord in worship. In the sermon, I mentioned that by being baptized, we join with Christ in his baptism. And God is, therefore, also speaking to us when God’s voice shreds the heavens apart to yell “This is my beloved child, in…
It sounds so decadent, to even write the title of this post. But the word I drew in worship on Sunday, the word I’m going to be praying with this coming year, is “pleasure”. True story. I had been sorting through the word stars last week, getting them ready for worship, and praying over each…
Here are some reflections from around the blogosphere from folks about their new star words. The Pudgy Parson wrote “Joyful and Triumphant” about her word “Triumph”. Whitney, at Glimpses of Grace wrote “Found in Translation” about her word, “Vision”. Mary Beth begins her ruminations on “Testimony” at “Watch This Space” over at Terrapin Station. The…
Today the church celebrates the Feast of Epiphany. But since we’re Presbyterian flavored Christians, we actually celebrated it yesterday in worship. (Mid-week worship for most Presbyterians I know is limited to Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, and maybe Maundy Thursday.) Anyhow, we received our new STARwords in worship yesterday and I’ve been drawing stars for blog…
Glass Overflowing 