I’m excited to be featured over at Chronically Whole today, with a post on the uniqueness of grief. Thanks to Stacey Philpot for hosting me! Your Grief Journey, as Unique as Your Loss At the ripe old age of 34, I’ve been to more funerals than most people my age. Some I’ve attended as a friend or … More Your Grief, as Unique as Your Loss
(First and foremost, to my current congregants: Have no fear – I am not leaving! This is a post from last year about my former church in Wisconsin. K, on with the post…) If you’ve been going to church for any length of time, odds are you’ve had a pastor leave. Sometimes it’s for another … More When a Pastor Moves On
UCC Pastor Lillian Daniel, co-author of An Odd and Wondrous Calling, wrote a Huffington Post piece that went viral a few years ago. In it she vented about her irritation with those who claim to be “spiritual but not religious.” Daniels writes: Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn’t interest me. There is nothing challenging about having … More Personal, not Private * 10 Minute Devotional
My childhood pastor once told our congregation the story of a man walking down a beach tossing starfish back into the water. If they stayed washed up on the beach they would dry out and die, so he tossed them back as he strolled along the ocean’s edge. The problem was that there were thousands of … More It Matters to This One * 10 Minute Devotional
As told with a little help from the brilliant 1996 movie That Thing You Do… When you first announce you’re headed to seminary, your friends are like, “Well, if you want to make a lot of money, you probably shouldn’t be a pastor.” 2. You spend your seminary years in a library and you’re all: 3. Then … More 10 Gifs That Perfectly Sum Up Being a Pastor
Because waiting is hard. … More An Introduction to Advent
Because sometimes we miss what’s right in front of our noses. … More Learning to See *10 Minute Devotional
You guys, there are only seven more weeks until Christmas. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [That’s crazy, hysterical laughter because: OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS NOT MUCH TIME.] Working in ministry, the pre-Christmas season takes on many additional layers. There’s the early November “I don’t have time to prep for my family’s Christmas because there are a bajillion church … More 5 Ways to Celebrate Advent as a Family
How would your life change if God promised you enough for today? … More Exactly Enough * 10 Minute Devotional
To the Pastor’s Husband, Thank you for undertaking this journey – a journey that is fraught with both blessing and difficulty. Pastoring is an odd and wondrous calling, and the pastor’s husband is along for a wild ride indeed. Thank you for all the long hours you supported us during seminary. Thank you for listening … More To the Pastor’s Husband on Father’s Day
Courtney Ellis 