The Purple Pen

  Everyone loves the mokumentary sitcom, The Office , right? I have to admit I haven’t watched it. But I was intrigued when Rainn Wilson who played Dwight, wrote a book called Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution . In his book, Wilson leads the reader on a journey of why he believes that the healing from the chaos and pain of the world is found on a spiritual path that all of us must be on together.   Within four weeks of finishing the book, while I’m sitting at a Cubs vs. Brewers game, the people behind me started having a conversation about the state of our country and the need for people to get back to church. They had no idea that I was intently listening to what they had to say.   Putting details of both the book and the conversation aside, the point I’m trying to make is people are thinking and talking about Faith. As a pastor I am concerned about the decline in church attendance in the United States. Though it weighs heavy on my heart that the largest ...

  As I transition back to full time ministry after a three month Sabbatical, I am concerned with how individuals and families spend their time. The first three weeks of my Sabbatical, all I wanted to do was sleep. At first I was surprised at how tired I was. And then I realized that I had been going non-stop for seven-and-a-half years (three years of seminary and five-and-a-half years of full time ministry).   I was literally running on fumes.   I hadn’t realized how desperately I needed rest.   The days and weeks I spent at home opened my eyes to how badly my teenaged sons needed rest too. This nonstop lifestyle was exhausting us all. Daily we plugged in, attending work and school, participating in sports and other activities, constantly checking our snap chats messages and watching tick tock videos. We have filled every second of our lives with in person and online connections, but less so with connecting to the divine. We wonder why there are so many struggles...

  The cardinal chirps calling my name Is it you? Is this home? I am ready to listen to receive to let go I am called to revisit  the beginning Walk the halls again grieve hope rebuild

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. And I’m scared. I’m scared for all of the women and girls who will die in desperation. I am scared of all of the fear and shame that will live in more women and girls. I am scared that this is just the opening of a door that will lead to the ripping away of rights and protections of people in this country. And I’m scared that I am too exhausted to fight. As people in a country that declares liberty and justice for all we are extremely disconnected. We’ve lost our way. We’ve come to find pleasure in the pain and misfortune of our fellow Americans. We’ve decided that our neighbor is now our enemy. Those who are celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade say that there are choices between sex and no sex, as if we are not created to be sexual human beings who have sex for pleasure, as if rape, incest, human trafficking, etc. doesn’t exist. As an ordained clergywoman in the United Church of Christ, I am afraid that there is nothing new that I can say th...

  Hypocrites and Christians are often found in the same sentence.  We preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but don’t follow it. Even more, we criticize and attack others for doing what we ourselves do. As a young girl, I spent a lot of time alone. I was the baby of five children, but I was the surprise and the years between me and my four siblings were 11, 17, 19 and 21 years.  One of the skills that I developed as a child in the many moments I spent alone playing outside, in my room or riding my bike was connecting with God through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I was young, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the presence of the Holy Spirit with me in almost every moment of my life.  I’m not sure I could have described it to you in words other than saying that I knew I wasn’t alone. As an ordained Christian pastor, I repeatedly talk about the practice of discernment. If you’ve looked at my reading list you’ll see I’ve been reading a lot about this practice. D...

Hey Friends, Welcome to the Purple Pen. I hope to use this platform to connect with others who have a desire to learn to love more. My call is rooted in God’s compassion, love and acceptance as well as the command to do justice. Too often clergy with amplified voices are ones who align with partisan and societal agendas. Through the Purple Pen, I hope to amplify Christ’s voice of radical, inclusive love.    The denomination in which I am ordained is the United Church of Christ and I am currently serving my fifth year as a pastor of a church. I am a Gen Xer that grew up in the denomination and one of the things I continually grieve is the lack of Gen Xers involved in our churches. Though I grieve their absence, I know it is because our churches have not used their voice enough. They have allowed other voices of judgment from other denominations to shape the perceptions of churches as a whole. And often our churches themselves do not want to make bold statements of faith in...