Vulnerability The COVID-19 pandemic that will not end is getting to me and everybody I know. I want to tell you about a few ways it is hitting me hard in the last few weeks. I’m feeling the isolation. I…
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Vulnerability The COVID-19 pandemic that will not end is getting to me and everybody I know. I want to tell you about a few ways it is hitting me hard in the last few weeks. I’m feeling the isolation. I…
Read MoreWe are continuing to celebrate clergy this month. And we have five ways to inspire you to do the same. As I was thinking about Clergy Appreciation Month recently, I posted this question on Facebook. It seemed to resonate. A…
Read MoreChallenge. Question. Conflict. Change. How do you practice ministry in a no-win situation? Last week I talked with more than two dozen pastors, ministers, and chaplains. I also talked with ministry mentors and my seminary colleagues. And in my weekly…
Read MorePreach It is the best of preaching times. It is the worst of preaching times. Headlines are full of natural and human disaster. People’s lives full of uncertainty and grief and lament. We all could use a word. But which…
Read MoreFor over a month, school has been beginning. From kindergarten to college, from preschool to grad school, students are returning. In spite of the world’s tragedies, the disruptions of weather, fires, and a global pandemic, learners of all ages are…
Read MoreHow are you cultivating pastoral imagination? This week, Three Minute Ministry Mentor Host, Eileen Campbell-Reed is away on vacation with her family. However, recently Eileen shared a conversation with Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Today we…
Read MoreLast week Chris Scharen and I conducted another interview with ministers and pastors out of seminary for 10+ years. I adore this beautiful work with the Learning Pastoral Imagination Project. I really cannot overstate how powerful it is to accompany…
Read MoreJust returning from the beach. Time away at a place that nourishes my soul. Walking by the sea always reminds me of my size and place in a very large world. And it also puts me in touch with sacredness…
Read MoreContemplative prayer This weekend I shared the “Contemplative Prayer” video with some of my new chaplain friends who serve hospitals and prisons in Cuba. I was glad to share this video in particular because it has new Spanish closed captioning.…
Read MoreRecently, Kyndall Rae Rothaus shared a story on Instagram TV about pronouns for God. As I listened, she shared about a time when someone read scripture in a worship service and used the gender-inclusive pronoun Ze/Zer for God in the…
Read MoreThis week I am so excited to welcome my friend and colleague in pastoral theology from Union Theological Seminary, Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White as our featured author! In this episode Dr. Cooper-White, Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Dean, and the…
Read MoreEric Barreto is someone I have been joyfully collaborating with in different ways for about ten years. We share interests in seminary teaching, learning the practice of ministry, and working for justice. Last year Eric was our first guest in…
Read MoreReflecting on our lives. Sounds easy, right? How about reflecting on your spiritual practices? And what about reflecting on losses and griefs? Or self reflection about the ways you care for people? Each of these forms of self reflection asks…
Read MoreIn this second episode of Season Three of 3MMM, we are excited to hear from from guest author, Christian Scharen. He and I are co-directors of the Learning Pastoral Imagination Project. And we just learned in recent weeks that we…
Read MoreLearning in Practice Just when we thought the world could not get any stranger… it did. Last week we witnessed a number of unprecedented events.** On Wednesday, January 6, Epiphany, the state of Georgia elected its first African American senator,…
Read MoreLearning in practice We started this year with grand plans of sharing interviews with professors, pastors, activists and mentors in ministry. Then by March the whole world was upside down. We pivoted many times as the year unfolded. And we…
Read MoreOn Friday, we shared a “Love Letter to the Black Church” from Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock. This week we have another love letter. This one is addressed to white Christians and churches from Rev. Dr. Judy Cummings. We have been…
Read MoreThe first time I met Pete Ward in person we had a theological argument. We also had drinks and some laughs in a mutual friend’s living room. As I recall, Mary McClintock Fulkerson and I might have teamed up against…
Read MoreThis week we are going deeper into our conversation with Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock. She is helping us see how multiple factors are impacting the community of North Nashville. Back in March 2020, Nashville was hit hard by tornados that…
Read MoreThis summer has been one of the hardest on record. What a gift to have the wisdom, insights, and pastoral presence of Rev. Dr. Stephanie Crumpton to guide and inspire us! This week, Dr. Crumpton, who is associate professor at …
Read MoreThis week we continue our conversation with Dr. Stephanie Crumpton about caring for girls and women who have experienced violence. Earlier we talked about the complexity and intentionality of care, particularly for Black women and girls. Our focus today is…
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