I’m not great at keeping a daily gratitude practice—or a daily anything practice, really. But I do enjoy putting together a little Thanksgiving gratitude list once in awhile. (Like here and here.) It allows me to reflect on the blessings in my life and also to have a humor column when my brain is not… Read More
Saturday Prayer: For All Saints Weekend
God of eternity, We have gathered our saints around us. All saints. All souls. We have gathered them for comfort And for wisdom And for strength. We have gathered them as a reminder Of your presence. Because we can see how you were with them, And so maybe those coming after Will look back on… Read More
Wits-Ends-Day: Talking to Myself
You know those cartoons where a person has a little angel sitting on one shoulder trying to get them to do the right thing while a horned-but-cute devil sits on the other shoulder giving them bad advice? I know it doesn’t really work like that, but it sure feels like it some weeks when I’m… Read More
Saturday Prayer: For Brokenness
God, whose peace passes understanding, For broken spirits and broken bodies, we pray. For broken hearts and broken minds, we pray. For broken procedures and broken systems, we pray. Hear our prayers. Absorb our grief. Inhabit our anger. Let our path be lit by the fire of your love. Amen. Rev. Joanna Harader serves as… Read More
Saturday Prayer: An Offering
God, I have some offerings for you today. You probably don’t particularly want them, but I know you don’t want me to have them. So, I offer my resentments for the things I have to do for others for the things no one is doing for me for how early I have to get up,… Read More
Wits-Ends-Day: Early Warning Signs
Many seminaries and denominations require some level of psychological testing and evaluation for people who want to become pastors. I’m on board with the concept—the last thing we want is a bunch of narcissists in charge of churches. But I do question the effectiveness of some of these evaluations. The two things I remember from… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Beautiful Feet
How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of the messenger who brings good news. How beautiful upon the plains; How beautiful upon the sidewalks and the roads, the hallways and the aisles, are the feet of your messengers, God, who bring good news. The bad news comes at us from all sides– from the… Read More
Saturday Prayer: This is the Day
This is the day, God, that you have made. This day when I am up too early, when my to-do list is too long, when I’m still dealing with fallout from the day you made yesterday. This is the day, God, that you have made. This day with the glowing sunrise, with time to spend… Read More
Wit’s Ends Day: Is it Work?
As pastors, it’s not always easy to know when we are “on the clock.” What counts as work and what doesn’t? If I’m counseling someone about their marital difficulties in my office, that is work. But what if that person starts in on the same sensitive and private conversation in the middle of the grocery… Read More
Saturday Prayer: The Struggle is Real
Dear God, This work you call us to is hard: this work of prayer and study and preaching; this work of organizing and coordinating and administrating; this work of phone calls and emails and Facebook posts. I struggle to maintain compassion and grace with those closest to me who aren’t doing all I’d like them… Read More
