One of the Sabbath practices at our home is listening to a sermon. It’s one of our ways of worshiping as members of God’s great congregation in a way we don’t get to do when we are leading worship on Sundays. One blogger I know describes leading worship as being “on, like Beyoncé at a concert on.” … More Top 10 Sermons Winter 2015/Spring 2016
When my husband Daryl and I first started dating, one of our pastors asked us to be his newborn daughter’s godparents. We were honored, but also a bit miffed. “We’re not…married,” I said to Pastor K. “I’m aware,” he said. “Then how can we…?” asked Daryl. “You’re both wonderful people,” K said, “and even if you … More Appearance and Truth
My husband and I had a grumpy friend in seminary who always wore a scowl. Yet on Easter morning, Daryl walked by him and the man was beaming from ear to ear. “You okay?” Daryl asked. He’d actually never seen the guy smile before. “It’s Easter!” the man exclaimed. “It is just the BEST day!” … More Easter’s YES
(My husband and son, enjoying our church’s Palm Sunday worship.) I missed Palm Sunday this year. I wasn’t at church on Palm Sunday for I what I truly think was the first time ever. From my days of little girl jelly shoes to high school years in the church’s youth group trailer (yeah, we kept it classy) to college … More On Missing Palm Sunday
I’m a generally happy person. The only ministry job I’ve ever resigned from was hospice chaplain. I love end-of-life care, but nine hours of hospice a day almost did me in. I used to come home and cry for hours. Daryl would talk about a difficult test he took at school, and I’d respond, “Really? … More Sitting in the Sad
At our birth conference a couple of weeks ago, our midwife* asked Daryl if he wanted to help catch the baby when it’s born. His face went white. “Well, I… I mean… I would love to… It’d be really amazing, but what if… what if I…” “Drop it?” she asked. “Um, yeah,” he said, sheepishly. “I’m not … More Our Helper
There’s a line in Jhumpa Lahiri’s (quite good) newest novel, The Lowland, that resonates with me lately. “The child was beginning to overwhelm her.” Lahiri writes about Gauri, a pregnant Indian woman newly arrived in America who struggles with the bodily nature of carrying a baby. The way her unborn daughter takes ownership of her womb-space, … More When Mind Over Matter Doesn’t Matter
Lent always feels odd to me now that I live in California. Lent feels more Lent-y when there’s snow on the ground and a chill in the air. When everyone is desperate for a warm beam of sun and the promise of spring. When I’ve put a toddler into a snowsuit for the 4,872nd time … More Open to the Sun
Courtney Ellis 