Author: LAMPomrenke

Am I complicit if I do not know I am participating in oppression? Yes, because in that case, I am also in denial. -------------------------------------------------------- I know I claim and benefit from privileges based on my race, country of birth, class and religion. It is that very privilege that keeps me from seeing all the ways… Continue reading Admitting Complicity

There will come a day, and that day is more-or-less rapidly approaching, when our lives will no longer be subject to the tyranny of the nap. It must happen: my youngest is 4 years old and headed to Pre-K in the fall. The nap must go. I am deeply ambivalent. What will I do then?… Continue reading When Naptime Is No More

I could feel my eyebrow itching to raise as the non-profit director described sending out an appeal letter to congregations on their mailing list who hadn't given in awhile. It was the middle of Lent. I am a regular supporter, not the target audience. But I have been on the receiving end of those mailings… Continue reading Get Thee a Consultant Fluent in “Church”

I realize this sounds weird. I said to another clergywoman at a party that I think I've developed enough of an outlet for my calling beyond the congregation (through writing), to make congregational ministry sustainable for me now. She gave me a side eye and said carefully, “That doesn't sound like a very compelling case… Continue reading Will the Outside Ministries Sustain Us?

Demonstrates Advanced Administrative Skills; Multi-Tasks Mentally, Physically and Emotionally; Curates Attitudes; Engages With Diplomacy; Excels at Holding Diverse Realities in Tension

You love watching our daughters grow up. I can hear it in your voice when you greet them, chuckle under your breath at their antics (especially the younger one), and I notice the way your eyes twinkle watching them run, skip or dance down the aisles. Sometimes they interact with you adorably, and sometimes they're… Continue reading Love You, Church

Our days are filled with the details that hold the family together: checking in on people, planning ahead, teaching, patching up a disagreement with the neighbors, waiting, being there just in case, and endless repetitive tasks which we do because somebody has to do them. We know implicitly that we are building trust, building their… Continue reading Why Mothers Make Great Pastors AND It Is Doubly Hard To Be Both Simultaneously

The first step is chatter. Dr. Jennifer Harvey begins her book Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America by explaining how parents who want to raise anti-racist kids need to abandon promoting “color blindness” and actively teach racial consciousness. Color blindness makes it fearful and painful for white people to talk… Continue reading Holy Chatter

*Yes, I am aware of the pun when talking about church, but it is the best term for the subject! “How do you cross-train, especially in the off-season?” the ballerina with the microphone prompted her colleagues. Yoga, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and more yoga. These responses made sense; they are related enough disciplines. Then the speaker… Continue reading Cross-Training*

Wow, my friends are enthusiastic evangelists! Some for the Gospel, sure, but more noticeably for skin care, essential oils, clothing or handbag lines, health supplements and similar side hustles that have changed their lives. I believe my friends are genuine when they say: “This has changed my life – here's my story – and I… Continue reading The Side Hustle of Faith