September 1, 2022
Everything is hard. That is my mantra these days. I acknowledge that, perhaps, it is not the best mantra. But I am not known among family and friends for being the perpetual ray of sunshine. Instead, I am known for my commitment to speaking the…
February 12, 2022
I recently led a workshop on rethinking rituals at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While planning out the class, I asked my colleague and friend, Professor Allie Utley, what she thought those attending might want to hear. Without hesitation,…
January 21, 2022
I have spent the past few weeks laser-focused on rituals – what they are, why we have them, the whole nine yards. Why? Well, I am teaching a workshop on “non-churchy” rituals for colleagues at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa next week, and I sure want…
September 30, 2021
In the midst of this seemingly never-ending global pandemic, I’ll admit there have been some moments of laughter, lightness, and happiness. I’ll admit to some silver linings and insights. I’ll acknowledge that the slower pace of life has…
September 16, 2021
My friend, who happens to be the brainchild behind my blog, recently asked me to blog about life 18 months into a global pandemic. As I sat across from her, I told her I likely wasn’t the best person for that blog post. I don’t have much to say, to be…
July 1, 2021
One of my favorite books in the Christian Bible is Ecclesiastes (Hebrew: Qoheleth). Most people are familiar with the lines “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die . . .” Hey,…
June 27, 2021
Even before the pandemic, loneliness and isolation were huge issues in our country. The digital divide is more than just an economic issue. These phones and computers that seemingly connect us, also separate us. In April of 2020, as the global…
September 4, 2020
I had no blog. Again. Every week my job is to post a blog on Thursdays. I have an editorial calendar. I should have blogs “in the can.” Easy enough. But it hasn’t been lately. The muse has left the building. What a surreal time….
August 21, 2020
This month (and maybe next), we are writing about weddings and marriage during Covid-19. Back in April (remember April?), Sam officiated at Taylor and Michelle’s Pecan Spring Ranch wedding. They were among the very first couples to…
August 6, 2020
So many articles and posts and conversations about the global pandemic. Frankly, I asked my PR Director, René, if we could find something else to write about. Maybe merely as an escape hatch for myself. But, true to her expert form, René insisted,…