At each stage of this journey of pregnancy and preaching, there have been physical adjustments that have altered my sermon preparation. First trimester: How much ginger ale can I consumer before 9 am? Will four or five saltines be the winning number for keeping something on my stomach, but not too much. Second trimester: Is …
The past week the majority of my time has been spent checking on members and making sure that they and their loved ones were safe in the midst of the #SCFlood. Then, there were follow up calls and conversations each time there was news of a new dam that had been breeched or another area of …
I was sitting in the pew of the Dover Chapel at Gardner-Webb. It was a session for our preaching class, but there was something different about today’s class. My preaching professor had invited a female preacher to share her story about her call to ministry. As I listened to her story, realizing it was my …
In a recent interview, Paige Patterson said: Patterson said by 1979, the year the conservative resurgence was launched, “the bridle was off the horse, and Southern Baptist Convention was destined to look like the United Methodist Church with female pastors everywhere.” “Quite a number of churches who disaffiliated from the denomination have now installed women …
As I let the dogs out this morning, my bare feet encountered cold kitchen tiles. I knew even before I opened the door that the weather outside was going to smell different and fell different. It was going to feel like fall. I smiled as I opened the door and was met with the cool breeze …
We just started the third trimester of this crazy journey called pregnancy, and I feel like someone has pressed the fast forward button. After days and days of thinking and feeling like 9 months would take forever, now it seems like the days are speeding by so quickly. Of course getting back into the school …
One of my favorite parts of being the Editor-in-Chief at Harrelson Press is conferecing. I know that many authors and have worked with many authors for whom this is not try. They would much rather be huddled at their computer making stories and characters come alive, but for me, the one who gets to edit …
I look at this picture from a year ago and wonder if I knew what I was getting into in accepting a call to pastor. I wonder if my family knew what they were getting into in supporting and encouraging me to pursue my call to minister. A year later, we are all looking at the …
As I sat around the table with other women in ministry sharing stories about pregnant ministry, I realized being in my first trimester during Lent and Holy Week weren’t nearly as tough as some of my colleagues. It was comforting to hear the stories and their dedication to their call to serve others even in …
This post is the second in a series on conflict. Read the first On Ending Up in the Middle of Conflict. It took me a long time to realize I was the source of theological conflict for friends and family when I answered a call to preach. It took me as long to realize that this …
