Posts Tagged ‘Ministry Moments’
Pastor as Person
Posted by: revjmk on: January 23, 2012
The pastoral vocation is a way of life. Ministry is more than a job, it is an identity. I have never felt a keen distance between my personal and pastoral identity. My pastoral self is a natural outgrowth of who I am, and it does not feel like a role I pick up and put [...]
Book Review: Bless Her Heart
Posted by: revjmk on: January 9, 2012
Bless Her Heart: Life as a Young Clergy Woman, by Ashley-Anne Masters and Stacy Smith, Chalice Press, 2011, 123 pp. I wish this book had been around 10-15 years ago, when I was just starting seminary and entering ministry. I’m so glad it’s around now for new young clergy women making their way into pastoral [...]
A Preacher’s Temptations
Posted by: revjmk on: December 17, 2011
Nearly two years ago, one of the members of my church brought me an old book she found while cleaning out the church library in preparation for a major construction project. She gave it to me with a wry smile. “I thought you’d be amused by this,” she said, and handed me a copy of [...]
Holy Week, Ordination and Imagination
Posted by: revjmk on: April 22, 2011
Today is Good Friday. It is also the 10th anniversary of my ordination into Christian ministry. Every year during Holy Week, I give thanks with all my heart to be a part of this pastoral life. It was March of 1989, and I was 15 years old when I first got caught up in Holy [...]
Vocabulary Lesson: Pecans, Pee-cans and the Church
Posted by: revjmk on: April 11, 2011
Our family drove to Florida a few months ago. If you’ve ever made that journey, you know that the highways in Georgia and Florida are lined with billboards advertising pecans. Both J and I have mild allergies to nuts, but B loves them and seems unaffected. So, to pass the time, we were pointing out [...]
From Soccer Field to Funeral Home
Posted by: revjmk on: April 8, 2011
One of the great joys of serving as a pastor is bearing witness to so many intimate moments in people’s lives. When a baby is baptized, I get to stand right up there with the family and even hold the child. When young people give their lives to Christ at Confirmation, I get to place [...]
All in a Day’s Work
Posted by: revjmk on: January 27, 2011
This post could also be titled, “Things They Don’t Teach You in Seminary,” or “What Ministers Really Do.” We had a boiler pipe leak on Sunday at church. When I arrived first thing, steam was gushing out everywhere and there was a giant puddle of water on the floor. I turned off the boiler, and [...]
On Being Irritable
Posted by: revjmk on: January 15, 2011
I am just downright irritable this morning. And I hate being this way. Normally, I am a very chipper person. So much so that I am often accused of being annoying, pollyanna-ish and overly optimistic. But occasionally–like today–I am just downright grumpy. And I don’t like it. Or much of anything else at the moment. [...]
About Me
I am a full-time pastor in the United Church of Christ, mother of a preschooler (B.), married to an aspiring academic and curmudgeon (J.). I live by faith, intuition and intellect. I follow politics, football and the Boston Red Sox. I like to talk about progressive issues, theological concerns, church life, the impact of technology and media, pop culture and books.
- Aleada SIragusa: I am a member of United Church of Christ also. One of our pastors, Rev Victoria Long is also a woman. I am on the net searching for photographs I may
- Samantha R.: Hello, I work with a publication called The Traveler's Friend. We are a coupon book for hotels. I was wondering if I could get your permission to use
- Marilyn Holt: Thank you for your inspiring comments on the disaster in your neighborhood and the uplifting section from your sermon. This entry in your blog is maki
