church – thetravellingtheologian

Divorce Casserole, revisited.

There’s a great article I’ve shared before: “The Casserole Rules”. Back in 2019, I wrote a piece on this topic and shared a decent attempt at some Cracker Barrel Hashbrowns. I’ve even give a sermon in 2020 about divorce casseroles. And I probably will again at some point. Recently, I was reminded of this topic…

Stop hiding.

Earlier I read a report from Buzzfeed News about a teacher who was fired from his job because he repeatedly and intentionally mis-gendered a student. He hid behind the claim that his “religious beliefs” prevented him from lying, and by calling a student (who had transitioned from female to male) by the male pronouns that…

Divorce casserole.

Recently someone on the great book of faces posted this article called “The Casserole Rules.” Written by Jill English, her entry takes notice of how churches make casseroles for days if you are sick or there’s been a death in your family. But not when a marriage falls apart. No, there’s no casserole when one…

Church doesn’t work. Well, not in its current version.

Maybe it once did, but not anymore. Atleast not in its current version. Ans yes, as a pastor of a church, I see the irony of all this. It’s possible this is just my cynical side coming out after getting a long weekend with friends and family and wishing I was back at home drinking…

Calling All Youth Pastors: Stop Wasting Food in the Name of Fun!

Last night I picked up a random book I had gotten a year or so ago. It was a book of youth ministry fails that had been collected from a Facebook group I’m a member of for youth workers. For the most part, it’s hilarious. You name it, it’s happened. And so many of the…

the task at hand.

The other night I retweeted the following tweet by @KaitlinCurtice, “Pastors: In 2019, do you think you could quote 52 non-white-dudes in your sermons, especially if you’re a white dude?” I love this request. Out of 365 days of the year, what if we lifted up all those other theologians on 52 of those days?!…

changing times.

I’m not really a Bob Dylan fan. I’ve never kept this secret, but I’ve also never just put it out there. It’s not that I don’t like him, I just don’t think his voice is anything to write home about. Now, his songwriting: that’s another thing. His songwriting is where it’s at. In fact, there…

our words vs. their words

Ever since my ordination in July, I get asked all the time, “Do you feel any different now?” It’s the same question we like to ask those who have recently been married, or when someone graduates with a degree. It’s distinct in situations like these because for a lot of people, the answer is “no.”…

Asking the Question.

Two weeks ago, I was finally ordained into the church of my family, the PC(USA). I was surrounded by my family and friends, and stood at the table with 5 fabulous, badass women. Rev. Julie Emery and Rev. Sean Miller gave fabulous charges to myself and the church, Rev. Dr. Jan Edmiston preached a sermon…

call me by my name.

What’s in a name? A lot. I’ve often times told a story of a pastor who, years ago, could never remember my name. This pastor called me the wrong name for years; and it wasn’t just that I was called the wrong name, it was that it was really similar to my name, just not…

it’s time to move on. aka: be the church.

Well, if you haven’t heard yet, Tara and I are moving. We’re heading to the Northeast coast for my work (I know, it’s cold there too). I’ve accepted a new position, but because of our Presbyterian process, I can’t tell you where until after the congregation of my new church votes on me. So, is…