Picture a pastor–chances are you didn’t picture someone like me…now picture church–nope that’s not how I do that either… 🙂
You keep saying that word, I don’t think it means what you think it isÂ
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“Just because y…
“Just because you believe in Jesus, doesn’t make you superhuman”
My husband on what congregant’s expect pastors to magically “know” without telling us…..I find this observation useful in so many situations
“I believe that…
“I believe that appreciation is a holy thing–that when we look for what’s best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something sacred.” ~Mr Rogers
Mr. Rogers
Everyday I’m a Pastorin……
Recently the Presbyterian Church tried to address the issue of health care. Basically, they wanted to start charging a higher percentage to families than to pastors without families. (Note a higher percentage, so the families were already paying more)….This is an issue because we try to do something we term “Call Neutrality” which is the idea that we pay everyone a living wage (so we have minimum’s) so pastors can be free to go to the church that best fits
People freaked out (including me)
This raised a whole lot of issues, which are really the issue.
1. Ministry jobs are hard to find. In PCUSA the stats are 3 pastors for every job out there.
2. Most ministry jobs aren’t fulltime anymore
3. Benefits aren’t that generous
4. The Economy is hard–and if your married your spouse needs a job
5. Most ministries are shorter–7 years is the reported average of a ministry, which is way different than the 30yrs that used to be expected
6. Pastors are younger and churches are older…I’m the youngest person at all of my churches by at least 12 years………talk about generational divide
7. The call process is long and hard
8. Call Neutrality is a myth. Young pastors go to small/poor/rural churches, women even moreso. Women get less paying jobs and are more often associates. Children “do” influence a church’s decision to get a pastor even though they are theoretically neutral
Ok, so here are the real issues, on the table
Now how does a call to ministry need to transform?
We talk about how churches need to change, maybe we need to start working on what a pastorate is
Can we be MORE supportive of part time ministries? 
Can we try other models of ministry (more part time ministries)?
Can we work more with all of those ministers who are called to specialized (i.e. untraditional ministries)?
Can the call process be more open or more streamlined?
Are there ways to support small churches doing searches in meaningful ways?
Can we work to get older pastors and young family pastors the stability they need?
Here are the real issues, lets get to it…
I believe there…
I believe there is a church out there for everyone, and that hunting for a church is a lot of work.
I wish we did more in church….
Things I wish I had time/space to do in church
paint stuff
cartwheels
color
pray using arts and crafts
do more stuff with flowing water (which is totally Biblical)
make a mess…without worrying about it….
read fantasy
leave the doors unlocked
encourage kids to dance… in the aisles
have a quiet place to pray
have a noisy place to pray
grow things in gardens
do theater on a very regular basis….
have an open toyroom for kids to play whenever they want
do real and interesting things on fb, twitter, etc.Â
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and that’s all I can think of for now
God and Gardens: Summer Series Prt 1
Then God looked around at the earth he created, and She had a thought….I need a garden and gardeners….one thought….
God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground (see below for full passage)
God the master creator, created life to be in relationship from the very beginning. From the first moment, God said, we need life. He planted us in a garden, to coexist with and work with plants.
God the gardener
We are at no more than co-gardeners
In reality we would probably do better to think of ourselves as plants.
With this is mind, lets begin our exploration of the Bible with plants…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM
Genesis 2:1-9 Â New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
4Â These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
In the day that the Lord[a] God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground,[b] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
la nOzma of Oz, Eon/Eona, Song of the Lionness and coming out of the closet
In honor of the Supreme Court Ruling, I am reblogging my Christian/Fantasy article!
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t read “The Wonderful Land of Oz,” I’m about to ruin it for you….
I think “The Wonderful Land of Oz” is the first cross gendered story I ever read..True I had read other tales of girls dressing as boys to escape whatever…but Ozma is the only “truly” transgendered character I can think of….She simply changes from a boy to a girl–turns out she’s been a girl all along. Kind of like the book “Boy Meets Boy” its almost too blase about the acceptance…but hey, I like to think this is how it will be in a perfect world!
PS its the total feminine empowerment story, every power-player is female!
“Eon/Eona” does the girl disguise thing plus a legit transgendered character who is lovely, as does “Song of the Lioness”, Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End hints at other kinds of love, even though sexuality isn’t really the…
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Stop Everything! Its a defining Moment!!
My new definitions of spirituality and church….”I think that belief is an individual thing and faith is a group thing…personally I like to have access to both”
Why do people god to church part 2 (you gotta love my defining moments ha!)
…and by the way we are 6 months in….
Things have been very precarious for my family. I thank God (almost) everyday (hey I’m human sometimes I forget)
that I have a fulltime job which I find fulfilling, with healthcare for my family.
However, my husband has been working tiny part time jobs for a while.
First it was a secretarial instructor, then it was that plus Borders (then Borders closed)
then it was secretarial school instructor, lego/robot/comp after school program instructor (which sort of went on hiatus)
Now its secretarial school instructor, lego/robot/comp program (occasionally) and part time library clerk. Oh, and a post-grad continuing ed. degree…
Did I mention my husband is the “stay-at-home” parent for my 3 children (all in preschool, eldest to attend kindergarten next fall)
I’m not complaining, its good he’s getting experience, and although the church is not at fault, money has been tight at times….. I’m just letting God know that the changing of our schedule every 8 weeks or so is something I can probably only handle for about 2 years tops…
…..oh and by the way (God) we are already 6 months in….
katyandtheword 