Tag Archives: church

5 Stories in 5 Minutes

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It turns out that graduate schools have not yet received the gospel of the Common App, that holiest of 21st century technology that made my undergraduate application process seem like a sacramental experience – at least in comparison to this toenail-ripping tedium that is sucking every creative life force from my fingertips.  In other words, I am sorry for not updating the blog recently, but all of my writing has been devoted to crafting responses to about twenty different essay prompts on divinity school applications.

As such, I thought we could play a little game of catch-up, rapid fire style.  Here are the disjointed and mangled thoughts that have crept into my head over the past week and a half of experiences at my UM church in Birmingham:

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Sweet Potato Pie and I Shut My Mouth

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It started when the Appalachian Mountains began to fade into more gently rolling hills.  Next came the brutal jolting of abrasive roads that apparently have not received DOT attention since 1986.  The final indication was the heat wave that blasted me as I stepped out of my car, despite the clock saying 8:00PM.  Yes, I had finally arrived.

Alabama. Continue reading →

Sermon Numero Uno: Romans 12:9-21

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I thought since I am currently delivering my first sermon ever, I would schedule the written form to go out over my blog simultaneously.  Ah, the wonders of technology.  Anyways, it is based in the text Romans 12:9-21, which might help to read first here.  Also, I apologize for editing mistakes, grammar, and the like.  I wrote it like I would speak it, so if it doesn’t sound right, just imagine Martin Luther King Jr. orating it, and it should sound better…

Good morning!  Paul says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints; Extend hospitality to strangers.”  As a stranger to ________, you have extended much more than your fair share of hospitality to me.  From the time Harold jumped up to greet me on my first Sunday here, through Vacation Bible School where the ladies welcomed me with so much excitement each day – I even arrived late to the Swiss Steak Dinner, and you still let me eat!  The church’s and Pastor ___’s willingness to include me in the work of the church for this month was an offering of acceptance that I think embodies the essence of hospitality.  From my experience, I would say that you all have set a pretty good example of the way Paul instructs us to be hospitable.

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As I Lay Dying

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That was an awful book, wasn’t it?  I still do not understand why the Tennessee Board of Education saw fit to make it required reading for 11th grade English.  I mean, I am sure the societal commentary was piercing and the style paved the way for a uniquely American genre of literature and all that jazz, but it just drones on and on and on.  And on.

That’s beside the point, though, and it marks the last attempt at humor for the rest of a post dedicated to a decidedly unhumorous topic:  Death.  It happens, we don’t want it to, now what are you going to do about it? Continue reading →

Livin’ On a Prayer

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What does prayer mean to you?

Do you pray?

If so, to whom?

Do you offer gratitude, praises, apologies, supplications?

Do you get a response?

Do you think it causes tangible results or does it just make us feel better? Continue reading →

Real Life Beautitudes

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“Mint Ting-a-Ling.”  “Piece of Cake.”  “Bittersweet Symphony.”  “White Lightning.”

No, those aren’t brands of moonshine – those are the different ice cream flavors that I have tried so far from The Ice Cream Shack.  Much like Wegman’s grocery story, I have become enamored with this local lactose staple.  I’ll keep you updated on the newest flavors… Continue reading →

It’s Alright to Be Little Bitty

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It’s time to tackle the pint-sized elephant in the room:  This church I am working with for the month of August is tiny.  In fact, it’s so small that on July 1st it entered into a “cooperative parish” with another nearby church.  Basically, that just means that two small churches share one ordained elder who splits her time between the two congregations.  In theory, the churches should have joint committees and merged ministries and the like.  In practice, the two churches have yet to really integrate their organizational structure, leaving my pastor with twice as many meetings to attend, twice as many budget issues to deal with, and half as much sleep. Continue reading →