Posts Categorized: Vocation

My Faith at Work

My ministry? Eating school lunches Becoming a school chaplain By Delaine Zody When I retired from teaching in an inner city high school in Fresno California, I thought I was done with being involved with the local school district. Twenty one years as a teacher was enough for me. My retirement plan was to move… Read more »

Sightings

Waiting is hard Living the in between times By Ken Rummer It’s not like I’ve never waited before. I’ve waited for the cereal box-top prize to come in the mail. I’ve waited in the wings to go on stage. I’ve waited for summer vacation and for Christmas morning and for spaghetti water to boil. But… Read more »

Sightings

Retirement? Facing Retirement Wrestling With The Ghost of Samuel By Ken Rummer                             I’ve had trouble envisioning my life in retirement, and I suspect a ghost is involved, the ghost of Samuel. Years ago, when I told my parents about my decision to go… Read more »

PresbyHonest

Relevant truth telling with a queer twist An equal measure of graceIt’s hard to be vulnerable when you “represent” a whole sexual identity, race, or gender. by Layton E. Williams Last winter, I had an unexpected conversation with a new friend. We had known each other only casually through our common Presbyterian circles, but she… Read more »

Living In Between

Adventures of a Presbyterian pastor on a Jesuit campus How I found resurrection in the Holy LandLessons from a trip to Israel and Palestine by Abby King-Kaiser When an olive tree reaches a certain age, it develops a weathered and gnarly bark full of wrinkles that I hope my face will carry some day, wrinkles… Read more »

Not Quite Right

One slightly unhinged pastor’s attempt to love (and laugh with) a slightly unhinged church, from the inside out. Why (and how) to kill a church programWant a healthier church in 2016? Prune the tree! by Joshua Bower Here’s a typical week for my family, on top of school and work: Monday is my daughter’s gymnastics… Read more »

Ponderings

Things that make you go hmm . . .   Saying ‘no’ to say ‘yes’A poem about all the things the world tells us we “should” be doing by Shanell T. Smith Any ministry is good.If it’s what God is calling you to do.But if that’s not the case,It’s simply busy-work, my dude.God calls us… Read more »

PresbyHonest

Relevant truth telling with a queer twist   My coming out helped me realize my white privilegeUniting women’s, LGBTQ, and racial justice movements by Layton E. Williams Five years ago, at Christmas, I went home for the holidays and announced to my family that I was planning on going to seminary. For the most part,… Read more »

Rough Drafts

Towards vulnerability and transformation in the church   The parable of the 1 percent churchWhat might Jesus say about our churches’ process of selecting a pastor? by Mihee Kim-Kort And the disciples came to Jesus each asking: “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told them another parable: “There was a church that sought a pastor to… Read more »

Scribbling Outside the Lines

Playing beyond the boundaries in hopes of finding God and inspiration   The calling(s) of multipotentialitesWe have not one, but many, vocations in this life. by Adam Walker Cleaveland “So, what is your calling?” As well-intentioned as that common question is, it does a disservice to many people, I think. If I were to suggest… Read more »