last week we hosted a small gathering of co-pastors from 5 different communities/4 different states. it was a lovely, simple time centered on sharing the ups and downs of shared leadership and pastoring these kinds of nutty churches. i have a lot of respect for people who co-pastor because it is a very unpopular & rare […]
Read Moremissional pastoring head rattles
* i love my friend phil shepherd, aka, the whiskey preacher. he and his wife stephanie know the cost and beauty of nutty-in-the-trenches-with-people church planting. whenever we are together it feels like a gift; i always leave feeling a little less crazy, a little less alone. a few months ago he asked me to […]
Read Morepower is not like pie.
friday night my amazing & wise & passionate friend pam hogeweide was at the refuge for a really fun event centered on her book unladylike: resisting the injustice of inequality in the church. a listening party, it was a chance for women & men to share stories and process some of these tough issues of […]
Read Morewell-behaved women won't change the church
* most all of you have already read this post. it was part of ed cyzewski’s women in ministry series and got a lot of love. there are some really great comments over there. i had so much fun writing it and had no idea it would strike such a chord. it’s so encouraging! i […]
Read Morealongside
the refuge turns 6 years old this month! it’s so hard to believe. some days it seems like yesterday and other days it feels like decades ago. there are many things to celebrate about the past 6 years. i continue to learn more than i ever bargained for about God, life, love, friendship, and leadership. […]
Read Morekings.
yesterday was palm sunday. i love the easter story; in fact, this week is my very favorite week of the entire year. like advent & the anticipation of Jesus’ birth, i love the upside-downness of it all. Jesus, the promised king, the messiah, all grown up, enters into jerusalem to a roar of “hosannas!” and […]
Read Moreout of the mouths of co-pastors, final post
this is the final post in this series on co-pastoring, some thoughts from some friends who are doing the work in their own contexts. to me, co-pastoring reflects different parts working together the way it’s supposed to be–one’s weakness is another’s strength. it can come in all different shapes & forms, but the most important […]
Read Moreout of the mouths of co-pastors, part 1 of 2
one thing i am notorious for is starting projects and taking forever to finish them! if i have a deadline, i do. but if i don’t (and when it’s your own blog you can do whatever you want to do), i’m toast. finally, i’d like to finish the co-pastoring series i started last year. you […]
Read Morethere are a lot of ways to pastor
“in his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. so if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. if your gift is serving others, serve them well. if you are a teacher, teach well. if your gift is […]
Read Moreseeds matter.
i have a black thumb. like if anything green enters my house–plants, flowers, yes even cactuses, within a week or two they are completely dead. it is funny to me that i ended up with this imagery from my post 2 weeks ago–plant new trees. i was amazed by how so many resonated with it […]
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