Question the First: If you know of a church website that does its thing really well, please let me know, either in comments or via e-mail. I am looking for sites that are attractive, with a simplicity of design, are welcoming to visitors, and also useful to long-time members.
Question the Second: C has heard us […]

My latest article for the National Crankypants Monthly:
As imperfect as [Jeremiah Wright] may be, he has been like family to me… He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years. I can no more disown him than I can […]

We’ll see if sweet baby j stays asleep long enough for me to finish this meme which originated here. Ruth’s answers are so great, it’ll be hard to come up with something different…
1. What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Presbyterian?
I only became a Presbyterian as an adult, but I would say it was […]

Still here. Had a mostly wonderful day with the divine miss M and sweet baby J, punctuated with brief toddler flare ups. They also napped at the same time again!
Easter was good but exhausting—Christ is risen, and so did SBJ several times the night before. Last night was better. I really hope whatever this is […]

My latest article for the National Crankpants Newsletter:
Perhaps like me you received an attractive flyer in the mail for Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor and published by Westminster John Knox Press. The twelve-volume series is a massive undertaking. Each individual lectionary passage will […]

Works of Heart: Building Village Through the Arts by Lynne Elizabeth and Suzanne Young
I saw this book some months back in my hippie catalog and finally got around to reading it. What a fun book about different ways that artists have used their art to bring people together for the betterment of their communities. There […]

Last night at a good-natured but truly marathon meeting (honestly; people should have brought sleeping bags), the session of Suburban Pres approved my plans to move to half-time ministry following my maternity leave, including a proposal for two parish associates to each work 10 hours a week to cover my current responsibilities. Everything passed unanimously […]

I wrote here some months ago about “Ruth,” a member of the church who died. Ruth was a confirmation sponsor for a young woman, Marcie, who is now a young adult. Marcie was very upset at Ruth’s death and responded by writing Ruth a long letter, putting the letter inside a ceramic rabbit with one […]

My latest article for the National Crankypants Newsletter:
I am reading a love and fascinating book called The Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka, an architect who has worked with families to make their homes more livable. What she has noticed over the years is that people often buy the largest house they can afford, even when […]

Went to a stimulating day of training sponsored by the National Crankypants transformation team. Heard Emergent Guy (remember him?) and Emergent Gal talk about the church in the 21st century and such.
A few notes:
EGuy said that the emergent churches began not as some hip attempt to reach out to young adults, but to “save […]

“I am a spiritual practitioner rather than a religious one.”
Someone I know told me this recently, a person who grew up in the church but who has been away for many years.
That comment always rankles me.
(It’s also a cliche that is really beneath the person who said it, but that’s a topic for another time.)
To […]

This would be my week to be “on” for the Friday Five. In solidarity with my able replacement:
1. What is your earliest memory of encountering a biblical text?
There are probably earlier events, but I remember most vividly sword drills in the Baptist Church. Someone calls out a verse and the kids all look it up […]

Marshmallow Pinwheels are really yummy cookies.
So the Viggo dream occurred Saturday night, which was also the night I slept almost 12 hours. Saturday was (supposed to be) our Sabbath day but we remembered the Green Festival was going on downtown, which we’d wanted to do. I agreed, knowing it was a three-day weekend and there […]

So I receive a weekly e-mail from an organization that provides downloadable Sunday School curriculum. The e-mails include “what’s new this week.” Here’s what this week’s said:
Sex trafficking is available for pre-order now!

Wow. And they call themselves The Thoughtful Christian…

I wanted to respond to Saying Grace’s comment about yesterday’s presbytery meeting, but decided to do it separately since the response got long, and that post was all, like, idealistic and nice and stuff. Rant ahead, proceed with caution.
(Non-Presbyterians, I’m sorry for the inside baseball, but it’s hard to explain and be concise)
So we have […]

Here’s a hot button issue for you…
I haven’t thought all this through completely. I’ve pulled it out of the oven, but I’m not sure the toothpick comes out clean yet. So bear with me.
Tonight was my second to last presbytery Uber-Committee meeting. Of course, I finally located the optimum route to the church in which […]

I had lunch with a friend last week who was kind enough to offer to hear the whole story of my Iona trip, having been there herself.
The next day she sent me two photos from her trip to Edinburgh.
The first is of Thomas Riddell’s grave. Fans of Harry Potter will recognize the name immediately. […]