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Merianna Neely Harrelson
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As You Go Ministry

July 30, 2016 / community, millennials, ministerlocally, thisischurch

If you haven’t heard or experience a pop up consignment shop, restaurant, or community meal, then you are missing a big part of the current economy. Maybe the idea came from the flash mob phenomenon that made you feel like you were part of a musical. Maybe it came from the millennial movement patterns. Maybe […]

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On Pastoring a Transient Congregation

July 28, 2016 / life of a minister, thisischurch

Yesterday at ministrieslab, we popped up at Transitions homeless shelter. It would be easy to think if you have been following the journey of ministrieslab that we have created a predictable time and space to worship. And we have. It would be easy to think we have developed a community of faith with regular participants.

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Ministry is Disruption

July 27, 2016 / community, life of a minister, ministerlocally, thisischurch

If somehow in the midst of your journey to answer a call to ministry, you’ve thought that ministry is a stable, secure profession, it’s not. Ministry disrupts your life and your plans. Ministry puts you in the middle of shootings, in the middle of assembling bleach kits for a needle exchange program, and in the

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When Ministry Is Hard

July 26, 2016 / bi-vocational ministry, church life, future of the church, LGBT, life of a minister, ministry

  Ministry is hard when you have to stand beside and pray on behalf of a mom who has lost her 7 and a half week old reminding her that she still has to take care of her postpartum body that hasn’t even healed yet. Ministry is hard in a political climate that is divisive,

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Don’t Change the Channel, Create Instead

July 22, 2016 / change, community, privilege, thisischurch

Last night I sat down after picking up donations at Panera Bread for our service with ministrieslab and St. Andrews youth to watch the end of the RNC. As I did, I watched Twitter and Facebook only to see more and more people say they were changing the channel because they couldn’t take more of

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Spiritual Abuse and Purity Culture

July 20, 2016 / purity culture, sexism, spiritual abuse

I grew up in a faith community that strongly emphasized a purity culture. That emphasis resulted in a lot of shaming that still lingers in my heart and mind. Shame for wanting to express my innate sexuality that isn’t about just a physical act, but rather about stepping wholly and fully into who I was created

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On Pastoring a Church in Which I Am the Minority

July 15, 2016 / #blacklivesmatter, baptist, life of a minister, thisischurch

For eight weeks, Sam and I have been co-pastoring ministrieslab,a church popping up in the midst of need. This week, as we gathered for our weekly service at Transitions, I was struck by the overwhelming task of preaching on the Good Samaritan as a white woman in community of faith in which I am a

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Words Floating Overhead

July 12, 2016 / future of the church, spiritual abuse, thisischurch

For as long as I can remember, I had words floating overhead and in my head and around my head. But for a long time I didn’t have many words to share. I was an incredibly shy child. For a long time the words floating overhead were overwhelming, intimidating, and unreachable. I knew they were there.

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Spiritual Abuse and Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

July 7, 2016 / #blacklivesmatter, spiritual abuse

Two men were killed by police authorities this week. Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. If you are like me, you want to know how and why this happened because you can’t sit in the truth that this is the way the world is and this is the way the world will be because #blacklivesmatter. In

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On Needing Each Other

July 5, 2016 / baptist, Being a woman, ministry, privilege

Whether I like to admit it or not, I need help. I need help as I learn to be a stepmother. I need help as I learn to be a mother. I need help as I continue to learn how to pastor. I need help as I continue to encounter the disappointment and discouragement that

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About Me

Merianna Neely Harrelson

I am a teacher, spiritual director, and author of Morning Light: A 30-Day Devotion and Toast the Day: A 30 Day Prayer Journey.

Email: merianna@merianna.net

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