Seven Years Later

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Two years later and I still hate the word widow. Two years later and the grief, although much different than it once was, is still there. Two years have brought with it a lot of new firsts that you weren’t here for and that makes me sad. Two years later, I’m still angry at you for leaving me like you did.

Two years later, there is hope for a new tomorrow. Two years later, my faith in God is stronger than its ever been. Two years have brought with it countless times that I’ve been able to share my story and, along with it, hope. Two years later, I have someone in my life who wants to help me remember the good times with you and also makes me realize I will be able to love again.

Two years later, you are missed and loved by all who knew you.

I wrote this five years ago.

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In Times of Crisis

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Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

It is undeniable.  We are in a time of crisis.  I pastor a small church of about 90 and seminary never prepared me for anything like COVID-19.  I don’t know the first thing about mobilizing volunteers to check in on church members to see how their health is and if they need anything like food, medications, or the seemingly non-existent toilet paper.

I’ll be the first one to admit I have little idea of what I’m doing.

Yet… Continue reading “In Times of Crisis” →

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Words Matter

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Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash

When I write, I understand that words matter.  Sometimes I struggle to find the perfect word to convey what I am feeling or thinking.

I come from the corporate world where words also matter.  But it’s a little different there.  No matter what company you work for, there will be a special vocabulary.  Buzzwords and phrases.  Taking things offline, one-off, piggybacking on something, push-back, if I’m hearing you correctly.  The list is almost endless.  Often, using these buzzwords show that you’re a good fit for your team.  You’re seen as part of the “in” crowd.  But use them too much and you may find yourself the target of a buzzword bingo sheet.

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Pastoral Care in Unexpected Places: Queer Eye

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Photo by Harry Quan on Unsplash

Here we go.  Article 1 of Pastoral Care in Unexpected Places.  Queer Eye.  Are you excited?  You should be.  Go ahead.  Get excited!

One of the reasons I wanted to do this is not only to call out and celebrate the moments in which pastoral care is practiced but to also show you that even if you aren’t a pastor, you can be pastoral to those around you.

Let’s review what my current and somewhat clunky definition of pastoral care.

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New Series: Pastoral Care in Unexpected Places

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Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

Last year, I accepted that God was calling me to be a pastor.  It was sudden and it was unexpected.  Well, at least to me it was.  And since then, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things as far as pastoring goes.  My recent exploration of church size is one of those things.

But another big topic on my mind is pastoral care.  If you don’t know what that means, you’re not alone.  I didn’t until about two years ago.  And as I prepare to take Introduction to Pastoral Care this semester, I’m willing to bet that even my definition of pastoral care will be refined.

When you think of a pastor, what comes to mind?  Preaching.  Weddings.  Funerals.  Hospital Visits.  Yes to all of those things.  Which of those is considered to be pastoral care?  My answer?

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Read Harder Challenge Update: The Books

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Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash

I am participating in Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge for 2019.  In past years, I would set a goal that was just a random number of books I wanted to read for the year.  This challenge is meant to stretch you and push you out of your genre comfort zones in an effort to expand your horizons.  I don’t think I understood just how much it would stretch me and how specific the book categories would get.  Thankfully, there’s a Goodreads discussion group that helped out tremendously with suggestions.

My only stipulations were that I had to already own it or it had to be available at the library.  If there were multiple books within a category that were available, I mostly chose the shortest ebook.  With two classes this semseter, I don’t really have time to read a 600-page book.

Behold, my list!  Note: Struckthrough items are already read (Go me!)

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