Shawnthea Monroe is senior minister of Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights, Ohio. She is coauthor (with Shannon Craigo-Snell) of Living Christianity: A Pastoral Theology for Today.
"What's with the collar?” asked a UCC colleague. “Did you lose a bet?” I smiled and explained that this was my Lenten discipline: wearing a collar for 40 days.
The lectionary reading from Matthew's Gospel is the story of
Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. In a couple of
decades, anyone will be able to cross the Sea of Galilee on foot because of
climate change.
The worst haircut I ever received was a $7 special at a local salon. I was in my thirties and my hair was thick and curly, the kind of hair that could hide a multitude of styling sins—but not after the $7 special. It was short in back and uneven in front, with tufts sticking out in random places. I looked like I had mange.
Recently, I learned that a young couple I know had filed for
divorce after 18 months of marriage. By my calculations, they spent more time
planning the wedding than being married.
