Merianna Harrelson

I am the Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, SC and the Director of Consulting at Harrelson.Co. I am always looking for a good cup of coffee and a great book.

On being exhausted

There’s something extremely fulfilling about being exhausted after giving yourself to service for a week. Whether that service is in giving yourself to hard work digging ditches or painting or moving for someone else, the fatigue of straining your physical body and mental capacity results in an tiredness that you just can’t get any other …

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On being covered in dirt

There came a point as we were digging the ditch for the power line to go in that there really was no better way to get dirt out unless you got on your stomach and dug with your hands. The red clay earth covered you as you dug deeper. It wasn’t until after the day’s …

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On being in a ditch

I spent most of today in a 21 inch ditch running the length of a camp where we are working on a mission trip. The purpose of the ditch is to run a power line to a chapel that hasn’t had power in 40 years. As I looked at my clay-covered hands and the crew …

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Summer Reading

Having been released from the demands of 5 classes of reading, I’ve enjoyed the freedom to read from the long to read list that I’ve been building since January! Here are a couple that I’ve read that I’d highly recommend: Ender’s Game: I have to admit that I’ve never been into Sci-Fi, but I think …

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Empowered Decision Makers

Actually as teachers, you do have a choice. I know that there are so many curricular and classroom management decisions that are out of your hands, but you do have a voice and you do have a choice. When you concede and say there is nothing you can do, you are conceding your power as …

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Why a Bar Isn’t Church

It’s fascinating to me to find the number of people who are shocked by the movement of churches to meet in different locations like movie theaters, schools and bars. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of two unlike places intersecting or negative personal experiences in the new location. I can’t say that I’m totally convinced that this …

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