Clik here to view.
I’m Not Throwing away My Shot
“Do you have kids?” the paramedic administering my vaccine asked. Taken after receiving the 1st dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine (with appreciation for Virtua Health’s clever sense of humor). “Yes. Two...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Winter Reading Suggestions from Young Clergywomen
Do you love curling up under blankets with a pile of books in the winter? Have you found more time to read – or needed to make time for your survival – in this pandemic? Young clergywomen (YCW) shared...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Book Review: Blessed Union
It is the season of love. The stores are filled with candy hearts, blossoms are starting to appear on trees (at least here in Texas!), and marriage is on the minds of many. Into this landscape bursts...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Video Chat Life
Shannon and her child try to connect with loved ones through video chatting I let my breath out slowly through my teeth as my baby kept screaming. I took out my phone and sent a friend a video chat of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Virtual Worship, One Year Later
My daughter preparing communion at home, while we watched together on the TV. March 1, 2020 was the last time my family attended worship in person. The congregation I pastor held in-person worship on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Zoom
This prayer marks the transition from online back to in-person worship. You are welcome to adapt to your context. A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Zoom Holy God, we give you thanks that we can worship you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cracking the Closet Door
I recently preached a sermon about Nicodemus. As a refresher, he came to see Jesus under the cover of night to talk with him about God. In the Gospel of John, right before Nicodemus’ nighttime visit,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So You Want To Be An Ally: Showing Up Well for Pride
So, you want to be an ally? Wonderful! To start, let’s clear up a couple of things. First, ally is not a term we get to give ourselves. It is one given to us by communities to whom we are proximate,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Boss Up
Daughter of the original post’s author, Joanna D’Agostino One of the reasons Young Clergy Women International exists is to offer a space for young clergy women to seek support, share ideas, and build...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When the World Is Fighting: Talking about War (and Peace) at Home
Excerpted from When Kids Ask Hard Questions, Volume 2: More Faith-Filled Responses for Tough Topics (Coming soon from Chalice Press)* I have a vivid memory of sitting on the carpeted floor of my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Emergence of Fandom Church
Beginning in 2012 and through 2013, while waiting for my first call, I worked for the missional outreach face of my seminary’s website. I edited a collection of essays from a class on church...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Maundy Thursdays
Physical touch is not my love language – but Maundy Thursday is my favorite day of the liturgical calendar. I grew up in a denomination that did not place much value in high liturgical experiences...
View ArticleClik here to view.
We Need Eastertide This Year
Eastertide is the liturgical season spanning fifty days after Easter morning that leads to Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is a time in the church calendar to celebrate the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Not Enough is Enough
It seems to me that the greatest lesson from God that we must strive to keep reminding ourselves of is that while we can’t do everything, we can do something. That is our call as Christians and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Personal Grief and Public Ministry Collide
I was sitting at one end of my church’s Fellowship Hall, surrounded by a pile of opened gifts and resting a plate laden with cake on my swollen, pregnant belly. I looked out upon the faces of fifty or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blessed Are the Meal Makers
As my husband and I celebrate our daughter Jo (Josephine) coming into the world this week, I’m reminded and grateful for the ways love surrounds us and literally feeds and sustains us. This blessing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Holy No
For Christmas last year, my husband gave me a “NO” button. It’s big, it’s red, and when you push it, a loud voice says (in one of eight ways), “No!” It was a silly stocking stuffer, meant to make me...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Whole Story
I was in third grade, nestled next to my family in some discount theater in Salem, Massachusetts. The seats had a sheen where greasy popcorn hands had been wiped on the burgundy upholstery. In the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Receiving Line
My heart finally slowed down as the organist began the postlude. I had made it through another Sunday of trying to offer Good News in the midst of so much terrible news. As I processed out down the...
View ArticleWhen does a pastor have the “period” talk with her parishioners?
When does a pastor have the “period” talk with her parishioners? Second Timothy 1:7 proclaims, “God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” But I’ve still...
View Article
