When a friend encouraged me to see the movie Her a few weeks ago, my obligatory “What’s it about?” was met with “Huh?” when I learned it was about a romance between a human being and an operating system. “You will love it,” was the confident response. I did. The film is stunning on many levels with […]
Reviewing #Her (the new movie by Spike Jonze) Read More »
Reprinted from the church newsletter. Enjoy (if you can get past the giant run-on sentences!) When I was interviewing for the position as pastor at Northwood, I was very pregnant with Samuel, and it was a phone interview. I was full of nerves when I considered what would happen when I got to the stage
Some thoughts on being a pastor and a mother — a reverend mother? Read More »
It’s probably not surprising that ministers and funeral directors cross paths a lot. I guess it’s probably like produce growers and chefs, or teachers and crossing guards. We’re often in the same place at the same time. Though I’m admittedly painting with a very broad brush here, in my experience, funeral directors are often deeply compassionate,
Sermon Remix: Grief Read More »
This week my friend, colleague, and mentor Rev. Kelly Allen pointed me to a New York Times opinion piece about leadership. The piece is worth reading in its entirety (link at the end) but I found this portion to be particularly compelling: “close off your options. People in public life live in a beckoning world. They
Masters of Renunciation Read More »
Psssst. Lean in. I’m talking to you, mother or father or guardian of small children. You’re doing a great job. I know you’re really, really tired sometimes, and part of the reason is that it’s exhausting to do a bunch of little mundane but very important things like cut the grapes in half I mean quarters so your kids
On Kids Making Their Own Valentines and 5 Underachieving Valentines Ideas Read More »
I’ve been thinking a lot about creativity recently as my book inches (and simultaneously sprints) toward the finish line. The whole process of coming up with ideas, letting them take root in my mind, writing them down, spiffing them up and sending them out into the world (with a team of people) has been hard
6 thoughts on plagiarism, creative expression, and sermon writing Read More »
Recently an old post (from 2010) called “Top Ten Mistakes Christian Parents of Teens Make” started making the rounds on Facebook again. While I don’t know much about the author, I’m deeply interested in the subject matter. Encouraging parents as they raise faithful children is a passion, and I wrote the book on it. (Ok, a book.
Ten Things Parents of Teens are Doing Right Read More »
Three words were the heart of today’s sermon. Each word is a word that is not easily rendered back in to English with just one word. Today’s sermon felt very personal to me and I shared a lot of thoughts in a different way than I normally do. Hope you enjoy reflecting on these three
Sankofa, 눈 웃음, and Ubuntu Read More »
The Sunday after Christmas is a Sunday I used to call “Associate Pastor Appreciation Sunday” when I was an associate pastor. It’s a Sunday when many, many associates are preaching. There’s all kinds of beauty on Christmas Eve… a sanctuary full of folks singing carols and lighting candles. There’s music and joy and shiny patent
Sometimes Pastors Want to Go Back to Sleep, too… Read More »
I’ve not been much in to Christmas music this year. I don’t know why. It’s been a busy season, so maybe that’s it. I’m also adjusting to San Antonio Christmas. San Antonio has its own beautiful traditions that happen around Christmastime including the lights on the Riverwalk and tamales on Christmas Eve, but I’ve lived
