Born Again Again
Carol Howard Merritt on reclaiming faith
Remembering Rachel
I loved Rachel's brain, which was sharp and curious, bold and tender, all at the same time.
We are more than our jobs
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.
The Quest for Love from the World
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.
Satisfaction in the age of greed
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.
Internet addiction
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?
Mystic traditions and modern psychology
I love pop psychology pieces that try to make sense of those Christmas-tree-colored splotches that appear on brain scans.
Beyond winning to living well
How can we look beyond the next thirty days and focus on our whole lives?
Responding to trauma
As religious leaders, we cannot ignore what the events surrounding the confirmation hearings are doing, especially to our bodies.
Courage through small things
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."
In praise of gravity
My understanding of God has become a welcome object of gravity, as it moved from heady abstractions to my gut.
Engaging the mystics
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.
On forming clay and chipping marble
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.
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, can you save us from being hot messes?
We were no longer strong women facing messy situations. We became the mess.
Sorry, not sorry
Sometimes we need a place where we are told, “You did nothing wrong.” Can our communities provide that space?
Yearning for God's reign, especially in our discomfort
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.
The troubling theology that condones Roy Moore
The idea of a father God is extremely important in evangelical thought. They grasp that metaphor for God above all others. As a result, the evangelical understanding of the family is intimately connected to their understanding of God.