I need you to hear something. You, the parents of the college student about to flunk out. Who know he’s drinking too much and going to class way too little and wonder: if he fails, what will happen to him? Who monitor his assignments, his whereabouts and his bank account electronically, texting to make sure… Continue Reading
It’s the Fourth of July 2009, a day that usually finds me giddy with the freedom of a couple of days off, barbecuing with friends, watching fireworks explode late into the night. Instead I’m miserable. Unhappy in the midst of celebration. Sick with ambiguity and grief and stuffing down the hope I refuse to let myself feel…. Continue Reading
A huge thank you to Patrick Fore Photography http://patrickforephotography.com
This Sunday at the 11:00 service our church will celebrate Kate’s baptism. When I realized that this Sunday also happens to be St. Patrick’s Day, I remembered that we baptized Drew on Halloween. Though neither of those was an intentional choice, both are holidays with sacred roots being held hostage as secular celebrations. Somehow I… Continue Reading
As part of Namesake Launch Week I’ll be sharing excerpts from the daily reading in the study. Here’s a little of the text from the week on Simon Peter. We have more stories on record of Peter disappointing Jesus than any other person. How does God respond when we disappoint Him? Disappointing God A while back… Continue Reading
During the launch of Namesake I’ll be sharing several excerpts from the study here at the Reverend Mother blog. Namesake is filled with stories from the Bible where people’s names change as their lives change. Those Biblical stories are punctuated by stories from today of real people of faith and their names. This is an… Continue Reading
Exciting news about my new Bible Study, “Namesake” While its official release date is the first of February, we’ll be holding a launch event at The Woodlands UMC on January 25 and 26. If you want the earliest date you can get your hands on the Namesake study, you’ll find it available here. Join us… Continue Reading
I was asked to do an interview here on the blog with Abingdon Women about the Namesake Bible study. I’m thrilled that it’s being released in February and can’t wait to see how God will use it. AW: Jessica, what has your first experience as a published author been like? Have you experienced anything unusually… Continue Reading
This week MinistryMatters.com is inviting leading pastors and authors to share the story of ministers who have touched our lives in a blog tour called “Why Ministers Matter.” I’m honored to be today’s stop on the blog tour that includes thoughts from Max Lucado, Adam Hamilton, Mike Slaughter and other great pastors and authors. We were asked to share… Continue Reading
When we named our daughter Katherine Juliet, friends commented that her name sounded like royalty, or at least like some character out of Shakespeare. The Kate most talked about in the news in the last couple of years is actual royalty, a real life princess: the beautifully poised young woman who will probably be the next… Continue Reading