A pastoral search is an exercise in mutual vulnerability as pastor-to-be and her potential new congregation get to know one another. How much will each reveal to the other about the difficult things as they discern God’s call? Dear Matriarchs: I am in the search process (PCUSA), and anticipating interviews. I know that search committees… Read More
Monday Prayer
In the midst of all things–where alpha ends and omega begins, and the swirl of yesterdays give birth to this day–we seek the voice of your blessed Spirit. Ah, there it is, in the tempering breeze against the heat, and the cry of the hungry belly. It is there in the groan of our task… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Romans 13
In the midst of the current immigration debacle in the United States, I have seen an uptick in quoting Romans 13:1-2: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed,… Read More
Friday Festival: Relationships Reconsidered
With honesty and tenderness, our bloggers are considering relationships this week – with God, with Jesus, with our stuff and with a lamented mother, who has just died. The hard work of stopping the rush of her life has Sally Coleman thinking about where God is inviting her to sing a new song. “I have… Read More
Friday Prayer: This Bouquet Called Life
O Holy One, I did not expect this mixed bag of feelings in my grief: joy, peace, bitterness, denial, hope, sadness, anger and dark humor swirl around me. Like a bunch of wildflowers, they each have a place in my understanding and coping. I hop between them like a bumblebee, afraid that, in my feelings,… Read More
RevGalBookPals: Bless This Mess
Do you need a book that gently and effectively melds progressive Christian theology with the (non-Pinterest) realities of parenting? Are you trying to locate your own parenting practice somewhere between books that advocate spanking and books that suggest wine pairings with your overnight oats? May I suggest Bless This Mess: A Modern Guide to Faith and… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Encouragement
We thank you, O God, for encouragement: for friends who strengthen our hearts by showing up to cheer us on, for friends who send gifs and thumbs up who wish us well. We thank you that this encouragement builds us up, makes us braver, makes us stronger, draws us on. We thank you and praise… Read More
Monday Prayer
Cool breath of shade and delight of all creation, we crave the respite of your holy way. Whether the path is wide or narrow, dotted with blooms or bumpy with stones, we discover the gifts that await us in each nook and cranny; the carefully crafted petal and leaf, fragrances sweet and pungent, silence punctuated… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Sure as the Sunrise
Every week, sure as the sunrise, Sunday rolls around and the sermon needs to be prepared. And it’s that time again. If you’re a Revised Common Lectionary preacher, the Tuesday RevGals post may provide some food for thought. Or maybe you’ve jumped off lectionary temporarily, or you’re doing a sermon series, or the Spirit has… Read More
Friday Festival
There are changes afoot. Here within RevGals over the next half year things will change, people will change. Life moves on… some things will remain constant of course, but things are moving. There are changes afoot. Here in Earlston, in the Scottish Borders, on Sunday I will tell my congregation that after more than eight… Read More
