Contemplaying Yes. I just made up a new word. Wrote it by accident last week. I’ve decided it’s a keeper. I was trying to write contemplating, as you might imagine, and my fingers tapped out contemplaying instead.* Lovely! Think of…
Read MoreOrdinary Time XXI
Esperanza* Hope in Spanish. This young prodigy of a bass player and vocalist, Esperanza Spalding entered my horizon almost a year ago. Two friends mentioned her at nearly the same time. I started looking around for what she was singing…
Read MoreOrdinary Time XV
Friends Finding a friend who is a really good listener is one of the best gifts life can offer. Making a circle of friends who can listen with each other into the deep places is still more. This afternoon I…
Read MoreOrdinary Time XIV
Taking the Path of Prayer In all my time at seminary I don’t recall anyone saying to me, “To learn how to be a minister, you should pray.” Nor do I recall anyone saying, “You will need to attend to…
Read MoreOrdinary Time X
Practical tips for young women (and others) exploring a call to ministry I’m not asked outright for advice every day. And generally even when I am, I try to blink a few times before giving any. But this week I…
Read MoreEaster III
Advocacy +++++++++++++++ “One of the hardest things women in ministry have to do is advocate for themselves.” Monday. I’m sitting in on a monthly meeting of the “Heightening the Role of Women in Baptist Life.” It is a conversation hosted…
Read MoreEpiphany II
A Tale of Two Hawks Sitting on the cool concrete floor of a chapel in west Tennessee, I am stunned by the blue of the morning sky. Cold gray branches point their gnarling fingers skyward. An elegant soar of wingspan…
Read MoreOrdinary Time X
While I was away from blogging a lot happened. Life has a way of carrying on, whether I write something down about it or not. Of course. (Smile.) A few moments from the past six weeks seem worth revisiting . . . for what I learned from them. There were some important personal discoveries, not all of which need air time on a blog. Other moments keep sending sending their messages along. So here is one. I fell. I fell down and I can’t believe I didn’t break anything.
Read MorePentecost I
Three days in a row I found myself sitting with three different circles of women. We gathered around food, friendship, stories, laughter, tears, outrage, and promise. The occasion and purpose for each circle was different, yet they shared some things in common. Conversations took turns through work, love, grief, friendship and gratitude.
Read MoreEpiphany III
Storytelling . . .
In 2001, as I was working my way through doctoral courses in Religion, Psychology and Culture at Vanderbilt, I read pastoral theologian, Andy Lester’s book, Hope in Pastoral Care and Counseling. In that book he articulates several important ideas including the notion of “future stories.” The stories we tell ourselves about the future can have as much impact on us in the present as do all the stories we tell about our pasts.
For instance right now I’m carrying around a host of future stories about everything from what time I’ll turn out the lights tonight to what movie I might see this weekend, to where I’ll be teaching and what I will be researching 20 years from now. The power of future stories seems obvious when you try it on. But it is a significant challenge to the psychological traditions which mostly focus on the past as the main or only key to understanding personal identity or behavior in the present.
Read MoreChristmas III
one tiny nest
perched high against a cold december sky
what comfort?
soaking up the gray morning
Advent IV
I’ve fallen for a rock band. Shocking, I know. Well, when you hear this song, I think you’ll understand my attraction. The group, Switchfoot released their latest album in November. “Hello Hurricane” has some fabulous tracks, and I’ve been filling myself up with them this Advent season.
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