Lent, at its best, is a reset. Not a vacation. Not an escape. But a reorientation. Forty days of asking what is essential and what is excess. Forty days of noticing what drains and what gives life. Forty days of remembering
Yesterday I found myself in a conversation that has been echoing in my heart ever since. A friend—someone who doesn’t attend my church—reached out with a question that was honest, curious, and a little heavy. They wrote: “Hi Gayle, Since you are a Pastor, I know you speak out against what’s going on in DC. My question is why aren’t more pastors speaking out? Are they afraid of offending members, do they sign some kind of contract to not to get involved, politics? I’d love to hear your opinion. Thanks.” It’s not the first time I’ve been asked some version of this, but it felt especially urgent this time. People are paying attention. And they’re noticing not just who is speaking—but who isn’t. My honest The rest of the story
This post has been forming for a while now – shaped by a conversation last night, some lingering research, and a post I read from the Clergy Coaching Network (CCNet)that read earlier this week I haven’t been able to shake. The conversation was about the 3.5% rule – the idea that when roughly 3.5% of a population engages in sustained, visible action, meaningful change becomes not just possible, but likely. It’s something I had read before maybe even talked about on my socials – The research is often framed around political movements. But the more I sit with it, the more convinced I am that this isn’t just about politics. It’s about societal change.And maybe—quietly, uncomfortably—it’s about the church. What keeps catching my attention is The rest of the story
The world feels like it’s burning down around us – things we have believed were set in stone, immovable, impenetrable, have changed in rapid times. Things like governmental checks and balances, like the existence of safety nets we have come to count on – social programs, foreign aid, the greater good, liberty for ALL, even the pursuit of happiness. WOW! Have things changed in a year – only a year. This morning a friend asked: I know that God understands what comes from our heart, even when it sounds a bit mangled…but I wonder…how do we pray about this? My words that are most heartfelt would be along the lines of “Dear God, please save us from this evil spineless, d***less POS and all of The rest of the story
For several years now—at least back to around 2008—I’ve chosen a word to guide my year. Not a resolution.Not a checklist.Just a single word. It’s a practice that really took shape for me around 2012, when my Sunday school class read My One Word by Mike Ashcraft together. Ashcraft describes the purpose of choosing one word simply and beautifully: to help people walk with God. His book offers a kind of manual—choose a word, pair it with a scripture, meditate on it, and return to it again and again as the year unfolds. That framework stuck with me. Over the years, I’ve chosen words like heal, laugh, yes, and energy. Some of those words shaped entire seasons of my life. Others worked more quietly, doing The rest of the story