THE RESEARCH!!!

I’ve been working on a research project for 18 months and would now like to un-neglect my blog to share about it . . . For a year and a half (Jan 2022 – July 2023) I’ve been serving as a Conference Minister 3/4 time and the other 1/4 time I’ve been working on a

Let’s Not Neglect Mary, Full of Grace

MC USA published this article on their blog here. Ever since preaching during my first pregnancy, I’ve been especially drawn to Jesus’ motherMary:Her pioneering spirit as the first disciple, the first human to say, “Yes!” to inviting Christ’s life toweave into hers.Her ability to calmly ponder things in her heart, as opposed to what I

Mennonite Church USA delegates vote to become more LGBTQIA inclusive

Over Memorial Day weekend, a little over 500 delegates met in Kansas City to vote on three resolutions. The resolutions addressed making churches more accessible to those with disabilities and retiring the membership guidelines, a 20-year-old document that requires pastors’ credentials to be reviewed when they perform a same-sex marriage. But the most controversial was

Success! Faith & Life Forum educates, inspires

We learned about The Myth of the Perfect Victim: A Biblical Case for Taking Survivors Seriously at our virtual Faith & Life Forum on March 26, 2022. Our speaker was Rev. Dr. Susannah Larry, author of Leaving Silence: Sexualized Violence, the Bible, and Standing with Survivors. Here’s the edited-down version of the event on YouTube:

JOIN US! The Myth of the Perfect Victim: A Biblical Case for Taking Survivors Seriously

Click here to register. Author, professor, and ordained minister Rev. Dr. Susannah Larry has a contagious passion for the Hebrew Bible and a commitment to Christ’s Church that she brings to all of her work. You won’t want to miss hearing from her. Please click here to register. Registration closes Wednesday, March 23 at 5:00 pm.

Every Lament is a Love Song: Three Leaders Speak About Lament and Hope

In loving memory of my mother-in-law, who passed away February 20, 2022. Thank you, Carol Zimbelman a.k.a. Mama Z, for showing your family and community God’s love in how you listened, quilted, crafted, cooked, hugged, and spoke. You’ve given us plenty to lament until we meet again. The Stockdale Paradox has been in the back

A Future of Peace (Not Endless War)

Click here for the Gazette article. We made the front page of the Colorado Springs Gazette! At a community panel discussion on the future of warfare, a group of us sang, held signs, and engaged in conversations to bring attention to a future of active peacemaking/nonviolent resistance instead of endless war. So proud to be bringing

“Everything is Connected”: Confessions of a Recovering Gnostic

Gnostic (pronounced NAW-stick): a person who believes in the separation of the body and soul, usually privileging the soul. “Soul and body, body and soul—how mysterious they were!…Who could say where the fleshly impulse ceased, or the psychical impulse began? Was the soul a shadow seated in the house of sin? Or was the body

Blessed Unproductivity

I recently preached a sermon at Beth-El entitled Blessed Unproductivity (a.k.a. sacred downtime, holy rest, Sabbath). You can listen to the audio here. Some thoughts from the sermon: Why be blessedly unproductive? Because humility is hard to come by, and if the creator took a breather, then the world will almost assuredly not fall apart

Beyond Hallmark: Ideas for Honoring your Pastor

MennoMedia is publishing a series of resources entitled What now? Leading churches through Covid and they asked me to write a piece with ideas for honoring pastors during October, which is Pastor’s Appreciation Month. So here are 18 ideas for appreciating your pastor(s), organized via the five love languages. Hope it sparks some appreciation! For