Father’s Day is coming up, and I’ve been thinking about the particular person who is the father of my particular children. I realize that many of you are not married to people who are dads—some of you are single, some of you do not have children, some of you are married to other moms. Still,… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: The Missed Joys of Being DONE
In my former life I taught college. There are a lot of similarities between the pastoral work I do now and the teaching I did back when. I study and prepare. I speak in front of groups of people. We all know that a pastor does a lot of teaching. And it’s also true that… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: Pilate Tweets Holy Week
Joanna Harader serves as pastor of Peace Mennonite Church in Lawrence, KS. As of the posting of this piece, she has written more fake tweets than real ones. She blogs at SpaciousFaith.com. RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles… Read More
Biblical Investments
I recently heard about “Biblically Responsible Investing.” My partner, who is not a pastor, and therefore not as cynical as I am, thought that such investment portfolios might be concerned with basic biblical principles like immigrant justice, anti-racism, alleviating poverty, and protecting the environment. “Nope,” I said. “I bet its all about being against abortion… Read More
Blog Stats and Mixed Blessings
It’s happening again. I got the little notice on my blog: “Your stats are booming!” That can only mean one thing—Ash Wednesday is approaching. In 2011 I posted the liturgy I had put together for Peace Mennonite Church that year. And now, every year about a month before Ash Wednesday, worship planners flock to my… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: Week’s To-Do List
I love to-do lists. Preferably ones with little boxes next to each item so I can CHECK them off. Check. Check. Check. Sometimes I write things I’ve already done on my list just for the satisfaction of checking them off. As we begin what promises to be a full year with many checklists on the… Read More
Wits End Day: Mad Lib Post-Election Prayer
I find myself still reeling from the election results. Still processing with God. Still looking for words. So, since I do not have all of the words I need right now, I decided you all could help supply them. First, make a list of words that fit the categories listed here: positive adjective; Divine name/title;… Read More
(Wits’ Ends Days) First Church Newsletter Exclusive: WikiLeaks Releases Pastor’s Hacked Emails
A new batch of private emails from Pastor Hannah Clement was released by WikiLeaks on October 19. You can search the email archive on the organization’s web site by key terms such as: Jesus, God, communion, theology, eschatology, and plumbing emergency. Below are some highlights of what the emails reveal about the disturbing inner workings… Read More
Wits-Ends-Day: Pastoral Job Descriptions
I am currently experiencing a settled stage of my life—which I find slightly unnerving but mostly good. I do, however, have several friends discerning a call. (In case you don’t speak church-ese, that means they are looking for a new pastor gig.) So I’ve been hearing about interviews and looking at pastoral job descriptions. I… Read More
Wits-Ends Day: Mid-May Twinges
Most days I don’t miss my former life as a college English instructor. The cramped office, the bizarre hours, the condescending male colleagues, the meager pay—I still have all of those perks as a pastor. Plus, in the church, I don’t have to assign grades. Grades are what I hated most about teaching, because no… Read More
