Blog Masonry With Right Sidebar

As 2023 comes to a close and 2024 peaks it’s head around the corner, we find ourselves in a place of reflection, remembrance, and resolution. We reflect on all that the year have gifted to us and we remember all the lessons learned. The phase of resolution can be a bit more complicated as it takes into account the phases of reflection and remembrance and attempts to make ‘All things different...

Henri Nouwen once wrote, “…to pray is to change” and then he asked, “Why would you want todo that?” Nouwen named what we all know: change is hard. Even when we are instigatingchange in our own lives, under our own direction, change is difficult and complicated. I wonderif we might consider this same axiom and question about change in our Advent journey. Inother words, to enter Advent is to...

The Christmas tree glows in the corner complete with a tree topper star that projectssnowflakes onto the ceiling. Meanwhile the electric wreath hangs in the window shining its LEDblessing onto the outside world. Another Christmas tree, the small plastic one with the built-inlights, sits in another room of the house serving as a kind of seasonal night light. Lighteverywhere! Come, Lord Jesus....

The Christmas season has always been a mixed bag for me. Even as a young child and the child of a female pastor in the 1980’s, I felt both the joy and struggle of the season. I believe it was as if the pressures of the holidays and the hustle and bustle were simply too much for my little body to take in. I vaguely remember many Christmas Ev’s feeling as if the Church took precedence over...

If I’m honest I really only look at two gauges on the dashboard of my truck. I watch myspeedometer and I check my gas gauge. I know that there are other gauges in my informationcluster: tachometer, battery charge, oil temperature, and maintenance. But the truth is that Ionly notice this information when something goes wrong or when it beeps or flashes. Most ofthe time I just trust that...

One of the issues that can exist for pastors is the blurring of the delicate line between faith in God and loyalty to the church.  We hear the story often at Chrysalis Counseling for Clergy.  A person experiences the grace of God in a profound way, they have a sense of calling to serve God, and they find a way to live out that calling in the church.  In one sense this is the...

At Chrysalis Counseling for Clergy we acknowledge how difficult ministry can be.  The demands placed upon pastors and ministry leaders today are complex and varied in ways heretofore not experienced.  Not only is the sheer practice of ministry more and more complicated, but the effects of this stressful environment on the overall health of ministry leaders are profound as...

July 4, 2023 Happy Independence Day!  Perhaps no word resonates with the American democratic experiment than freedom.  Our history books and national mythology teach us that freedom was the driving force of what became the United States of America.  And yet, we know that despite the promises of the Declaration of Independence not everyone is treated equally even if they are...

I am a big fan of coffee – church coffee, boutique coffee, Starbucks. It does not completely matter to me if my coffee originates from an espresso maker crafted ever so carefully with beautiful artwork showing through the foam from the local coffee shop, or straight from the verismo tucked in the corner of my office. I just enjoy my coffee. I am also a fan of sharing sacred conversations...

Moving through the Lenten season draws us near to Easter and the story of the resurrection.  On one level, this is joyful and exciting.  On another level, especially for pastors, the nearing of Easter can bring pressure and anxiety.  Holy Week is often filled with extra services.  Easter Sunday can come with a higher level of expectation.  What can we do in this midst...