500 Words or Less

It’s rainy and I’m a bit grouchy (or “grunchy” as the kids say) so today’s a good day to let my inner grinch shine and get some of these pet peeves off my chest. I only have 500 words, so you can bet there will be a part two and part three at some point.  […]

Some of my favorite mentors are gardeners. Gardeners know what it means to have vision, to be patient, and to labor over something for a long time. They also know how to roll with the punches, improvise, and leave some things up to nature.  I listened with great care recently as a gardener told me

First, let’s be clear about the basics and process. The toast starts with good sourdough bread toasted for exactly five minutes, while you make the coffee.  Coming in strong at number five we have cheese toast. A solid contender, but this one is really only in the running if I have a serious craving for

Every year on his birthday, I tell Samuel how he came shooting out like a rocket. I don’t know exactly how many minutes after we left home Samuel was born, but it was well under thirty. We left for the hospital around 9 pm and his birth certificate says he was born at 9:17.  There

Years ago, a professor picked up a piece of chalk — Yes, chalk. You can Google it kids — and he drew a sharp, straight line across the entire width of the board. To the left of the line he scribbled: “past.” Somewhere on the middle of the line was a sloppy x, above which

Who is Jennifer Knapp? Well, as Daneen said, she’s a “proper rock star.”   According to this verbatim text from my mom, “I googled her and she has two Grammy nominations!!”  She is also, according to a member of my congregation “My new favorite musical artist.”  Jennifer Knapp is all of those things. She’s also an

Your mission — should you choose to accept it — is to write and deliver a fifteen-minute inspirational speech this week. The speech must be well-researched and written, and it should be relevant to the people you are speaking to. The goal of the speech is to inspire the listener to become a better human

I don’t want to sell my life for money.  This was the line in the poem that stood out to me the most. I got the poem by text from a friend who was meditating on it too. A form of Lectio Divina, I suppose. Marina came running out of the house with a toy

492 Words About Being Not Famous  A couple of years ago my husband came marching in the house and sat me down. “I need to talk to you!” he said.  Geez! I thought. Seems serious! “Are you famous?” He asked.   I laughed.  “I’m serious!” he said. “Tell the truth!”  “No!” I said “Defnitely not! At

I don’t know which solo pastors or head of staff pastors need to hear this but… if your administrative assistant is not doing any assisting or administrating you need to get a new one.  The person/people who is/are assigned to do all of the things that need doing in service of making the church run