I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a woman in ministry. I've been thinking about what this...thing...is. I grew up always wanting to be in the ministry. But in my formative years I never saw a woman in a full-time ministry position. Plenty of pastor's wives. Lots of Sunday School teachers who were ladies. But not a single woman in vocational ministry. In fact, I don't believe I met one before I was in my 30's. I did have a couple of female college profe

The last few weeks have been hard. Yesterday was especially hard. I hate to say it but women can be snarky. VERY snarky. And our Christianity doesn't exempt us from this tendency. When it hits, it hurts. Makes this hard-as-nails city girl feel a little like crying. Friendship in ministry can be a double-edged sword. In my nearly 20 years of ministry, I have learned that I need friends. But, as with many other pastor's wives, one of my biggest struggles with this ministry-life

I remember my first speaking engagement. I was asked to speak for a women's tea for a sweet little church in the mountains. My primary contact didn't give me a lot of instruction as to what she was hoping for. I didn't ask very many clarifying questions - just planned a bible study that I thought was really good and would work well. When I arrived, I found out not only was I woefully overdressed (I wore heels. WHY would ANYONE wear heels to a cabin in the mountains??), but I