Yesterday, I recounted the question that had been pinballing in my mind since I was interviewed about the SC Primaries. The reporter I was talking to was from a European publication and was trying to understand the evangelical conservative movement, especially in SC. As I was explaining to the best of my ability what it […]
That Sounds Like Islam Read More »
I write and share because I care deeply about the future of the church. I write and share to start a conversation and that’s just what happened after yesterday’s post. I had several people who asked whether I universally support same-sex marriage. I responded that I won’t comment universally on same-sex marriage as I won’t
People-Based vs. Issue-Based Religion Read More »
One of the after effects of having a c-section that I wasn’t prepared for was the numbness that has lasted weeks after surgery. I’ve read that some women actually never regain feeling in parts abdomen post-c-section because of nerve damage. It’s a strange sensation to know that you literally can’t feel pain or any sensation, but
Fighting Off Numbness Read More »
We were on the playground as part of our Fall Break celebrations when another 5-year-old merged into playing with our girls. I stepped back to let them play, but inevitably was called to “Watch this!” on the monkey bars. When I came over, the other 5-year-old looked hard at me and paused for a minute,
“Do you have a baby in your belly?” Read More »
Yesterday, I met the Fernwood Baptist van driven by its pastor, Bailey Nelson, at Victorian Lakes Mobile Home Community, community we have been working in and among for a little more than a year. Our plan was to distribute half of the supplies they had brought to this community and had been our plan since
The Others of the #SCFlood Read More »
This song is based on a true story, not the story of the Midlands area this week, but it could have easily been based on what we have experienced. It was unbelievable to watch as our grocery store and the restaurants we frequent were submerged under water. Even more devastating were the stories we have
How high’s the water? Read More »
I’ve been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things, which has made me fall in love with her writing and her ability to tell a story all over again. As I talking to Elisabeth this week on our weekly podcast, she told me that Gilbert had done several Ted Talks, which of
This summer, we got the opportunity to walk in Washington, DC with our girls. When I say we walked, we walked over 10 miles in a day as we went to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum and the National Museum of American History, toured the capital, and saw the
Walking in Washington Read More »
I went to the library today expecting to fess up to the fact that I had turned in an overdue book because it was a new release, and I just wasn’t quite finished with it. I knew what I had done and even if I had forgotten the email notice addressed Merianna Louise Neely Harrelson
When I came to Emmanuel as the Interim Pastor, I didn’t know that this was a congregation who was breaking stereotypes and setting the stage for what it means to be an open and affirming congregation. What I did know was that they were brave enough to ask a non-ordained student to be their Interim
On Pastoring an Open and Affirming Congregation Read More »
