Category: personal growth
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A rainy day grave and a call to ministry.
It has been twenty years exactly. Twenty years since Pastor David Stoner surprised me in Bible study and started a chain of events I never expected to end up here. As we sat in study, someone asked him about seminary (not me) and he was sharing information about it. At…
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Where in the World is Pastor Julie Kelly?
A brief on how I ended up in Syracuse. What a journey! In April I submitted my paperwork to be open to call (that means “job” in churchy language). I released it to the ENTIRE ELCA, including global service. I had no idea what to expect. The story follows. I…
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Under the Altar Cloth:
Our job as a pastor is to lead by living as well as speaking and teaching. If we live a life so out of balance, what are we teaching? We must attend to this carefully and not stray- the consequences are too dear.
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Under the Altar Cloth: Volunteers and turf wars
Not all volunteers in the church (or anywhere for that fact) are ready to let go of their control and perfected skills.
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Under the Altar Cloth (UtAC)
My friend Suzannah once said, “I am so angry that we don’t get told ANY of this as a congregation member! We don’t want to be ignorant about these things!”
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What Does Folk Christianity Mean?
In those moments alone, we can experience the “nous” as the Gospel of Mary explains, the sweet spot between spirit and soul where God resides.
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The stillness of Holy Week
Sometimes we rush through life so much we forget to be still. The idea of stillness in Holy Week almost seems wrong….
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Is she there yet? Where did she go?
The mistress is on the run! Hurricane Irma is set to begin impacting the U.S. mainland tomorrow by lunchtime. I have deployed to help with the American Red Cross as a Disaster Spritual Care Responder. As I write, I am bunked up (finally after a very long day of travel)…
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Cussing Christians
Exegesis. I was told in seminary first day not to use that word in public. It is the research and understanding of scripture but a no no in many ways to use those big words from seminary because they distance us. And today it brought me to a nifty if slightly…
Mistress of Divinity 