This my confession of American, white privilege of a certain age: when I was in seminary, I took classes on race and ethnicity, but at the same time- I assumed that the biggest fights that would happen in my pastoral ministry would be around sex, sexuality, and gender and money. My social and class location,… Read More
RevGalBookPals: The Hate U Give
This is the book: The Hate U Give. The picture is linked. You can buy the book today. You can be finished with it by Saturday. At the latest. And when you’re finished, you will have read a powerful first-person fictional narrative about a 16-year-old named Starr who is in the car when a police officer… Read More
The Pastoral Is Political: A Call To Be UnPopular
I often wonder how the disciples had the courage to follow Jesus. I’m sure it would have been difficult for them to give up the things in their lives that they relied on for comfort and security. And I think it would have been very difficult for them to go out and proclaim Jesus’ good… Read More
RevGalBlogPals: Two Alternative Histories
The adult education group at the church I serve is studying Daniel. It is very interesting to talk about how the Bible is put together and used differently by different groups of people. Daniel is counted with the “major” prophets in Christian scriptures. The book is part of the writings in Jewish bibles. In talking… Read More
Friday Prayer: Feast Day of Mary Magdalene
Holy Mary of Magdala, Apostle to the Apostles, Friend of Jesus, Soul Freed from Seven Demons, pray for us. Brown-skinned prophetic sister, comfort those who are grieving and exhausted. Bring the consolation of company, rest, and return for their labor. Watcher at the foot of the cross, give us the strength to bear witness to… Read More
From the RevGalBlogPals leadership: Black Lives Matter
We are deeply grieved by the shooting deaths of the past week. The killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile reveal the urgent need to dismantle white supremacy in the United States. The deaths of the Dallas police officers and of Micah Xavier Johnson point toward that same urgent task, exposing the moral and physical… Read More
Friday Prayer: Nothing’s Good
The body count rises. Arms raised, voices sobbing, blood pours. Is there no balm in Gilead? The wailing magnifies. There are not enough garments to rend. The ditches are full, but there are not enough Samaritans. Grief is a monsoon, a typhoon, a deluge. There is no memory of an antediluvian time. The praying… Read More
RevGalBookPals: Just Mercy
You’re tired. I’m tired. Do you really need something else to read or to throw into your To-Be-Read list (TBR)? No, no you do not. Do you need a surefire recommendation for your church bookclub, social group, or adult book study? Something that will spark conversation and deep thoughts and push people to reflect on… Read More
Pastoral is Political: Strange Times
Today the political climate is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. The GOP is a three-ring circus and I’m pretty lukewarm about the other side too… Being in an election year drives me crazy, some people love it, they feed off the argument, the power, the ego. It makes me want to crawl in a… Read More
Friday Prayer: Manifestation
Eternal Openness- We are in a season in which our readings, our hymns, our liturgies point to your signs, your work, your presence, your physical being… We pore over these texts as though revelation will leap out from the microscopic spaces between black ink dots, which blend to form letters. We keep our heads down,… Read More
