It's an interesting crossroads of life I find myself at today. In a couple of hours I will walk out of my office and begin Spiritual Renewal Leave. Tomorrow, I won't be back. I won't sit in the desk chair and open up my laptop and dig into the inbox or prepare for the next … Continue reading What’s Next?

It's hard to believe that Ash Wednesday has rolled around again. Add this to the list of things COVID has altered in significant ways.  Tonight we should be gathering for worship and as part of our worship I should be brushing your hair out of the way so I can impose the sign of the cross … Continue reading Repent and Believe!

As I reflect on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., while watching it snow I never cease to be amazed at what a brilliant wordsmith he was. Part of the power and influence he had in moving a nation forward towards racial equality came from his masterful use of words to convey powerful ideas. … Continue reading Soul Force on MLK, Jr. Day

It's long past midnight and the baby has been born. As I settle into Christmas Day during the quiet of the night, I am watching it snow outside my living room window. I know. A white Christmas has nothing to do with welcoming the Christ child. But for this southern girl, I can only remember … Continue reading Dreaming of a White Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving Eve.  As we enter into the Holiday season and make our adjustments for how we will be celebrating with family this year, I know this comes with it some grieving at not being able to gather or do the things we long to do.  My family will not be gathering together in one place this … Continue reading Stories to Warm Your Heart

What’s Happening With Worship at Boone UMC? Happy Saturday, friends.  I hope that you have a chance to enjoy the spectacular show God is putting on for us this Fall with the leaves this year.  I wanted to update you on what is happening with worship at Boone UMC over the next couple of months.  This is based … Continue reading What’s Happening With Worship at Boone UMC?

It's taken me three weeks to write this blog.  And it is my latest example of living day after day and week after week at our limit.  I am reminded of the story of Esther when she has learned that her people, the Jewish people, are in big trouble.  They are a breath or two away from … Continue reading At Our Limits

No dressing up in your best jeans and hiking shirt or your suit or dress and rushing the family out the door on Sunday mornings.  No catching up with your friends over coffee or breakfast snacks.  No sitting in the pew and staring at the stained glass windows as folks gather for worship.  No hugging and shaking hands … Continue reading Reimagining Church in the Midst of COVID-19

It's a weird kind of day. The kind of day that you check the mailbox and you find a handful of birthday cards which bring joy and smiles and then (queue dramatic music) hiding behind the cards is the invitation to become a member of AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons). The gut check … Continue reading On Turning 50

Yesterday was Juneteenth. I will confess that I did not fully understand why that was on my calendar and what it signified until I researched it. And that embarrasses me to admit. It commemorates the end of slavery in the US. On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, TX and … Continue reading Juneteenth and the Parable of the Sower