Mistress of Divinity

Category: Uncategorized

  • What does Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care Look Like

    What does Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care Look like? It looks like changing a staff member’s life by teaching them how to fold a fitted sheet. Seriously and also humorously, it was an oddly meaningful moment. It fit into her bag and saved her space. It looked like helping another…

  • Finding peace in the middle of chaos

    Surrounded by people every day, with very long days, it can be hard to find a sense of peace, let alone solitude. The Red Cross is a mostly volunteer organization. They give up time away from work, often using their vacation time that is meant to renew the soul. Instead…

  • Perspective hurts

    I don’t have encouraging words tonight. I saw devastation from the hurricane and the level of work to do is overwhelming but all of that is so small because a friend died today. My heart is broken. I thought it hurt before as I began to hear and see the…

  • I’m confused… Why does she keep going to other places?

    As I write, it is well past midnight and I am just now crawling into bed for the night. I began the day with new orders for Savannah, GA and by noon I had another set to Orlando. This is crisis response:constant change and adjustment. Part of that is because…

  • Wait… Isn’t this dangerous? How safe is she?

    As you well know by now, a mistress is a woman in charge or power. Well I had no power last night or most of yesterday while Tropical Storm Irma rolled throughout South Georgia. But I was safe! The Red Cross has guidelines for safety first so that we do…

  • Wait… What is she doing?

    As usual, I am up to my elbows in activities that most are unfamiliar with. I am deployed with the Red Cross as a Spiritual Care Responder. That means I have a background in a particular faith but do not use it to care for others. Instead, I help them…

  • 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)…

  • When hospitality stops working

    How do we respond when our core identity and its function is suddenly the cause of pain and loss? Hospitality is very important to me.  As one who moves often and relies upon the  welcome and hospitality of others, the ability to offer it forward and in return is a large part of…

  • The problem with Job and the prosperity gospel

    I will admit it, until I was in seminary, I never made it through the book of Job in the Bible.  It seemed like a repetitive marital argument and I didn’t want to hear either side complain.  It still seems like that in some places, but my appreciation has grown.…

  • joes journey

    Forgive me from the beginning; some facts might be a little off as memory or limited conversation may have altered them- where there are corrections I will come back (if I can) and make them or comment on them below. Joe Iverson used to be our youth pastor in Tomah,…