Author Archives: Pastor Catharine

May 8, 2022 Mother’s Day can be a very difficult time for many who have less than Hallmark moment ‘mom’ experiences in their own lives.   I know women who avoid church on ‘the day’ because it’s too painful: they either feel left out of the celebration or find it all to be a glorified sham,Continue reading ”   So Many Mothers!”

April 17, 2022 What happens when you know you need to say something…..but you don’t?   I mean, you have your reasons, right?   You don’t want to be judgey … or be judged.  What will people think?  What will people say? Sometimes speaking truth is a fearful thing… So, sometimes we say nothing… This is where the women in Mark’s gospelContinue reading “Co-opting Christ”

April 2, 2022 The struggle to fit in seems to be common to the human condition. No matter our physical, racial, sexual, relational, economic, social, employment, zip code or any other ‘fitting in’ criteria that might be out there, ‘fitting in’ is a struggle for everyone. The ’fat’ struggle to be skinny. The ‘skinny’ andContinue reading “Relax – You Fit!”

March 12, 2022 Wilderness.    A harsh place. An abandoned place. An uninhabited place. A neglected place. Throughout history, people have gone into the wilderness to ‘find themselves,’ to spend undistracted time examining their thoughts, testing their character, attending to those neglected parts of themselves in need of care.   Wilderness is the place where the ‘who’Continue reading “What the Wilderness Reveals”

February 26, 2022 Ecclesiastes 4:4-12; Isaiah 49:15-16 I have written about villages before.  Perhaps we’re familiar with the African proverb of Igbo and Yoruba origin that states:  it takes a village to raise a child.  The expression conjures up visions of family, friends, those and in our immediate relational community whose ‘assumed job’ it is to care.  TheyContinue reading “The Unexpected Pop-Up Village”

February 15, 2022 Ever looked in the mirror and decided you didn’t like what you see and wonder ‘how did this happen?’   Me, too.   Trust me. I know about these things…  I don’t eat tons of junk food like ‘some folks,’ but something’s going on…I don’t look like I use to….. It’s time to identifyContinue reading “Spiritual Weight Loss”

January 30, 2022 A few years ago, a congregant came up to me after worship and shared his struggle: “When we say the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, I can’t say all the words because I struggle to have faith in what those words say.” Recently, a friend shared that she “wants to have a deepContinue reading “The Worthy Struggle”

January 16, 2022 I recently watched an interesting piece on ’60 Minutes’ about an organization, StoryCorps, which travels the country recording responses to the question: “What would you say to people you love if you knew you only had 40 minutes left to live?” The purpose? To reorient priorities.  Recently, the group began a new project: OneContinue reading “A Question of Location – It’s a Game Changer”

January 8, 2022 Happy New Year!  2022 is here with or without a Jetsons’ space car in our garages!  Disappointing…but maybe next year! Still, with or without the Jetsons, for most of us the new year means new hope, new opportunities, a fresh start with new resolutions to do better, be better, eat better, exercise…on and on.  It’sContinue reading “Purposely Created for…..?”

January 3, 2022 Christmas is a season of family, love, peace, and joy. Even in the midst of the pandemic – the wonder of the season endures.   You may have made the Advent journey with me this year as we reflected on the responses of those first witnesses to the divine activity in that firstContinue reading “A Last Thought about Responses This Christmas Season”