Still in a state of shock trying to process the tragic loss of one of the most gifted men in the entertainment industry & his wife when the Embarrassment-in-Chief disgraces common human decency with this repulsive, deranged statement. #NoWords 🤮

Thank you for this, Dr Taylor. I'm gonna use this as the close to my sermon today. Wilderness into blossom, thanks be to God.

Some great pastoral wisdom from a dear friend: "Because it takes so much out of us, we forget sometimes that conflict itself isn’t a bad thing. Because without it, we don’t learn new things." And as someone who occasionally feels allergic to conflict, this is a good reminder for me.

Some of my favorite memes to celebrate a favorite saint of the Church. Side note: the story of St Nicholas punching Arius most likely did not happen, but it's a fun story nonetheless.

We got @dayslikepearls.bsky.social her very first REAL Christmas tree. I think she likes it.

Let's try a fun game (mostly to see if other people's brains do the same thing mine does): What two people do you confuse for each other, or think are the same person?

Maybe some of you are like me and need the reminder that holidays can be challenging for various reasons. Whether because of trauma, disappointment, or just wanting to prove yourself, may you give yourself permission to "try softer" these next few weeks. aundikolber.substack.com/p/you-can-st...

Annual reminder that the Holiday is better than Love Actually.

Thanksgiving is done, Black Friday has passed, and now the important question: What's the first Christmas movie you watch/watched?

A friend said in a chat today, "I don't trust anyone who doesn't deconstruct [regarding faith]". And if I'm being honest, same. Or at least it's not easy to trust anyone who has not deconstructed their faith.

An excellent read as we prepare to gather. "The first Thanksgiving was full of conflict. Ours will be too. That is not failure; that is family. Gratitude keeps us in the room long enough to remember why we came." www.christiancentury.org/features/tal...

Idk if this is common or not, just here's a thing that goes a LONG way: When someone asks for a letter of recommendation and the instructions are to send it directly to the job, send the person who asked a copy as well. Reminders like that are powerful.

Does anybody have some spare motivation lying around? Specifically for writing? I've got a sermon and some other things I'd REALLY like to get done by the end of today. Help?

My spiritual director and I spent the first 10 minutes of our session yesterday geeking out about a very niche theological interest we share. It's really great to have those people in your life.

I really think there’s a connection between being a pastor with trauma history and getting really good at writing benedictions & imprecatory prayers.

One of my seminary besties was telling me he wants to scratch the academic itch a bit. So we are planning to start up our weekly book club again AND thinking about going to a conference this spring. My little nerdy heart is pounding with excitement.

Visiting parents and Mom needed my help with a computer thing. So while running tests and updates, I was given access to her FB. I unfollowed LOADS of terrible things and followed a few good ones. Trying to do the Lord's work for boomer parents.

I was appreciated for Pastor Appreciation Month. I’m grateful for the reminders in card form and the financial gift that came with it. I got to use some of it to add to my ever-growing TBR list. Thank God for good churches that love pastors well, and thank God I’m blessed with a good church.

Some days ministry is: Sitting with a parishioner who has dementia (and going for a 20-minute walk at their insistence) so her husband can get cancer treatment at the hospital. Praise God for chaplain/hospice experiences that help prepare for these moments.

Elizabeth and I have gone here a few times for date night, and we enjoy them (because potatoes, amiright). We also love how this business has subtle yet sincere ways of stating that they are Christian, offering prayer and meals to those in need.

Every time someone accuses me and my denomination of being liberal because we support women's ordination, I both want to laugh and shake my head in disbelief. Tell me you have no idea what you're saying without telling me...

A Prayer for #AllSaintsDay We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints who ever worshiped you: Whether in brush arbors or cathedrals, Weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses Where your name was lifted and adored.

Halloween night is eventful with these puppies: Jane thinks every trick-or-treater is coming to visit her. Sophie thinks every trick-or-treater is coming to kill her. Never a dull moment. #JanieBear #SophieLillipup

Yes, Lord of the Rings is about how you must trust the “hard men.” Just as Narnia is about an evil lion. And the New Testament tells a tale of a wimp who wouldn’t fight back. Next week on “fascists read classics,” we’ll meet tech visionary George Orwell…

This is your annual reminder that Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve, aka the night before All Saints Day (the Christian feast day celebrating believers who have gone before us). It is rooted in church history and Christian tradition, not a pagan holiday or demonic/satanic practice.

Phyllis Trible, another giant in the world of biblical/theological scholarship, has died. So many this year alone.

I wonder if there's a litany for enduring disappointment after being so close to victory. Asking for my Mariners friends. Maybe next year? #ThoughtsAndPrayers

One of my current reads, in which a psychiatrist reflects on the work of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. Thankful for a spiritual director who knows me well enough to recommend helpful resources.

One of the little Jesus figures we handed out for Easter was found in the wild! This time at the Filer post office. A reminder that Jesus is (still) on the loose and shows up in the most unexpected places. #FilerNaz

#WorldMentalHealthDay reminders (particularly for the Church): 1. Having a mental illness is NOT a sin, a sign of moral failure, or to be equated with demonic activity/possession.

Let's have some fun #PastorAppreciationMonth

The lectionary texts for this Sunday do not mess around: Psalm 137 AND Lamentations 1?! Talk about rough reading.

Confessing Jesus Christ is Lord And pledging allegiance to America Are incompatible commitments Choose one Choose this day Choose whom you will serve

Almost to 25% of the goal!

A single mom, Nazarene pastor, and dear friend needs some help, if anyone is able and willing gofund.me/78e5c0d6c

My plan for the rapture tomorrow: have a nice cup of tea and wait for this whole thing to blow over. #iykyk

Once again, the Sunday Sads hit hard after a mediocre service (and nobody laughed at my sermon sillies). But tomorrow is the first official day of Autumn and Hobbit Day. So I’m celebrating with a fire and some reading. Jane also helps.

Tomorrow I'm preaching on Paul at Mars Hill, and the philosophy nerd in me is trying to work in references to Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and Princess Bride. Gotta make relatable connections and show everyone I'm a man of culture.

My former pastor asked how he could pray for me today. I said, “that I would love my people more than being right or changing them”. Consider this a confession. The struggle is so real.

Sharing for those who need this like I do

This is the best piece on Charlie Kirk I've read yet. A reminder to the complexity of being human and the danger of algorithms.

It’s finally cool in the mornings, so I FINALLY get to start using my @andreaholme.bsky.social blanket! Always a reminder of comfort and care in my chair where I do so much work.

A week ago, I had never heard of Charlie Kirk. When I looked into him, I was bothered by what I found. A day ago, I had never heard of Howard-John Wesley. When I looked into him, I was impressed by what I found. One of these things is not like the other. Let the reader understand.

I did something today I’ve never done before: deviated from the planned sermon text. This is not the sermon I intended to give, but it’s the one through great prayer and petition I was given. Whoever has ears, let them hear. nwcarpenter.substack.com/p/a-pastors-...

The greatness of kindness

Between the events of yesterday and 9/11 today, so much of me wants to react on Sunday and rant about all the brokenness. But that kind of reacting is most likely not helpful. So I’m working on how to respond to all this that it might be heard and received by my church.

Violence helps no one. Violence heals nothing. It only makes things worse. Whether children at mass or a political activist, violence is wrong. God help us be better.

#WorldSuicidePreventionDay Too many stories. Too many lives lost and others forever wounded. There is healing, dear friends. There is help. And there is always hope, even for those who cannot believe it or hold it for themselves. You are not alone. Not now, not ever.

People wonder why I’m so passionate about the study and discussion of theology. Here’s a few reasons why. What you believe about God matters a great deal, and for some it can be a matter of life and death.