When I moved from Chicago to San Antonio, there were a number of wonderful reasons to make the move… great church, great San Antonio weather and culture, bilingual environments for the boys. There was one horrifying reason to not make the move: serious distance from grandma and grandpa.  Though it was a heartbreaking and difficult decision […]
Note to readers: This is a slightly edited version of what I posted in the Northwood Presbyterian Newsletter The Breezeway for the month of March. Have you ever heard someone speak with absolute certainty about who God is, based on a verse or two from the Bible? I have to admit, whenever I hear someone says
I think children’s messages are best when they are very, very simple. Rather than a sermon or an object lesson, I think it’s a great moment for children to connect with their pastor or children’s leaders, and practice faith together. Here are five “emergency” (read: last minute. It happens. I know) sermons that you might
Emergency Children’s Sermons – Volume II Read More »
Everyone is loving the Family Practices Calendar for Lent, but many people want to track their own Lenten goals — yoga every day, or a certain study. Pastors need them to record all of the many activities going on during lent. Feel free to download and distribute. PDF HERE
Blank Lenten Calendar Read More »
Valentine’s Day… sometimes I feel like it’s a commercial creation designed to sucker boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives into buying a box of chocolates or roses or some other trinket so as not to be guilty of the unforgettable sin of forgetting Valentine’s Day. Truth be told, my husband and I pretty much ignore
50 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day as a Family Read More »
** NOTE: This is the lenten practices calendar for 2015. The 2016 version is available for $2.00 HERE. So excited to share this family Lenten Practices calendar! (PDF HERE)  Each day there is either a prayer [P], service/almsgiving [S] or fasting [F] activity. The activities aren’t terribly time consuming and can be adapted for a
Family Lenten Practices Calendar Read More »
It’s with great joy that I’m hosting this Q&A with my friend Kyndall (pronounced like Kindle. In fact, we call her Kindle Fire in our house.) Rothaus. Â Kyndall is a preacher-poet. Ever met one? Me neither. Let me say this: everybody needs a preacher-poet in their life. Kyndall recently published a book all my preacher
Q&A with Kyndall Rothaus, Author of Preacher Breath Read More »
Jesus was just born, and now we’re on the way to his death and resurrection. Lent is just around the corner. I’m not the only pastor who is exhausted and overwhelmed by this every. single. year… Right? But here we are, lent is upon is. Maybe the lesson is, ready or not, Jesus grows up,
Doesn’t Jesus Ever Get to Be a Toddler?! Lent and Fellowship of Prayer Devotional Read More »
Well, the PCUSA has done it again in terms of missing the mark (big time) and branding/marketing only this time, instead of a relatively cute dog in a pink sweater, it’s a campaign that makes plays on stereotypes of race and gender and portrays the recipients of mission not as vital members of the body
#notmyOGHS — The @PCUSA_SO ‘s spectacular ad failure #presbyterian Read More »
Traci’s Note: One of the things that always seems strange to me in the protestant tradition is that of confirmation. If done right, I think confirmation can be a rich time where young people grow to understand their faith and their role in it. Many times, though, students report confirmation as a time where they are
