In All Kinds of Weather

October 30, 2014 By Erin Wathen

Harry was finally talking to Cho Chang. Stars aligned. Fireworks started. The orchestra keyed up in the background. Enter: the awkward clang of Ron Weasley… who saw Cho sporting a Tutshill Tornadoes badge, and immediately got confrontational with her about her loyalty as a sports fan. “How long have you supported them?” he demanded. His implication is that she, like the common masses, hopped on the bandwagon only after “they started winning” and “became fashionable.” “I’ve been a fan since... Read more

Dear Millennials: Sorry We’re So Obsessed With You

October 16, 2014 By Erin Wathen

Dear Millennials, I know it’s kind of creepy. We want to know where you live, and what classes you take in school (and how much you pay for it). We want to know where you drink coffee; who you date and for how long; what you read, where you spend your money, and what you GIVE your money to; what kind of relationship you have with your parents, how far you wander from home, and how often you go back... Read more

Talking About Real Life and Faith: A Review of the Animate DVD Series for Small Groups

October 8, 2014 By Erin Wathen

Leaders in the progressive church-y world are always looking for ‘The Thing.’ You know, the perfect curriculum, book, or teaching tool for that one group, or this one season. What we often fine is that ‘the thing’ with the most engaging activities, the colorful promo materials, and the user-friendly leader guide—has terrible theology. No depth, lots of bloody Jesus language, and heavy on patriarchy and/or prosperity gospel. On the flip-side: ‘the thing’ with layers of meaning, challenging questions, and inclusive... Read more

The One Where We Can’t Go Home Again

September 22, 2014 By Erin Wathen

20 years ago today, the pilot episode of Friends aired in primetime on NBC. 20 YEARS, you guys. Seriously. This article says the show is as popular today, in re-runs, as it was back then. I’d believe it, too. Even though you watch and go, ‘wow, it’s weird that they don’t have cell phones,’ or ‘dang, Rachel’s jeans always seemed cool at the time…what happened?’ the show has joined the ranks of Truly Timeless Televiewing. Many will say it’s because that... Read more

How to Do It All

September 17, 2014 By Erin Wathen

Sometimes other clergy ask for advice on how to balance being a pastor and a parent. So here, I’m going to give you 10 never-fail secrets to getting it all right at church and at home, keeping up your self-care and personal appearance, while having a smile on your face at all times. Lol, people. L.O.L. The truth is, there is no such list, and if anybody tells you they have one, they’re a lying *#%&^$#@!. When people ask how... Read more

Sex, Death, and the Same Old Tree

September 4, 2014 By Erin Wathen

I just keep thinking about that tree. You know the one. It stood in the center of the garden. Everything else seemed to grow out from its center, and lean in towards it at the same time. Drawn to its vibrant color, its fragrance, the life that seemed to hum from within. Everything else in the garden depended on that one tree for air and light. So the gardener told the tourists not to touch it. To please not pluck its... Read more

Not in the Fire, Not in the Wind

August 27, 2014 By Erin Wathen

The following is from week 2 of the sermon series “Doors and Windows: Faces of Faith in Transition.” Since many of you followed last week’s conversation about “Mapping the Message,” I thought you might like to see the product of all that series planning. I really enjoyed sharing some of the creative process, and I hope we can talk more about that soon! Meanwhile, read on for some thoughts on finding that still, small voice–even when all around us feels like chaos. ... Read more

Mapping the Message: A Choose Your Own Adventure Tale for Preachers

August 20, 2014 By Erin Wathen

When I write about pastoral life, I try to make it interesting and/or useful to readers who aren’t clergy. There is almost always a spiritual or practical truth that applies to a broader audience. That said—if you are not a vocational minister, the following might literally bore you TO DEATH, and I don’t want to be responsible for that. Read on if you wish. But I won’t be offended if you go cruise another blog and come back here tomorrow... Read more

Love Anyway: An Ode to First Days

August 14, 2014 By Erin Wathen

I was not the mom sobbing into my latte. Nor was I the mom skipping and cheering down the hall because it was my first moment of freedom in 5 years. I WAS, however, the mom frantically stashing school supplies into the cubby because I did not know to bring them on meet-the-teacher night. So I was also the mom noticing that I was suddenly the last parent in the room, as the teacher started her welcome routine. And mostly,... Read more

Good Morning: Thoughts on Robin Williams, and Hearing Whole Stories

August 12, 2014 By Erin Wathen

When I was little, my dad bought the soundtrack (cassette tape, of course) to Good Morning, Vietnam. For a time, we listened to it in the car. All the time. I knew every word to every song. And I also knew the dialogue. Dad probably thought I was too young to ‘get’ some of the more crass humor (he was right); and that I was too little to catch the bad language (wrong!). Thing is, even though I didn’t really understand... Read more