I loved Rachel's brain, which was sharp and curious, bold and tender, all at the same time.
Born Again Again
Carol Howard Merritt on reclaiming faith
All posts licensed under Creative Commons, some rights reserved by Carol Howard Merritt.
On the good days, this is the best job in the world. Yet, as I wedge my foot into my heels, I must recognize the difficulties of our vocation.
Needing love as a pastor is a difficult thing to gauge. For while it is completely human to need love, we must also acknowledge this moment of rampant narcissism.
Our greed has brainwashed us into believing that we have no capacity, that we should never be satisfied, that we should always long for more.
What happens if our religious dialogue becomes an endless, insufferable holiday office party, where the mean drunk becomes the focal point of everyone’s energy?
I love pop psychology pieces that try to make sense of those Christmas-tree-colored splotches that appear on brain scans.
How can we look beyond the next thirty days and focus on our whole lives?
As religious leaders, we cannot ignore what the events surrounding the confirmation hearings are doing, especially to our bodies.
Maya Angelou says that we develop courage by doing small things. "You wouldn't want to pick up a 100-pound weight without preparing yourself."
My understanding of God has become a welcome object of gravity, as it moved from heady abstractions to my gut.
While women have historically been bound by family obligations, household chores, or desperate poverty, there have been monasteries throughout history that allowed some to focus on their vocation without those typical pressures.
There’s something amazing about holding your own book in your hands. Like magic, all of those stories and thoughts have moved from fleeting, drifting notions in your mind into the stark reality of paper and ink.
We were no longer strong women facing messy situations. We became the mess.
Sometimes we need a place where we are told, “You did nothing wrong.” Can our communities provide that space?
That anger might make people feel uncomfortable, but listen to it. Use your emotions as fuel to work as hard as you can. That emotional energy indicates love for your church and your calling. It will sustain you.
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