Author Archives: Madras UMC

Beloved: I met a man in Jerusalem whose family has been doing the same job since the 5th century. It has been passed down from generation to generation, father to son. It is a sacred obligation and is taken extremely seriously. Imagine! Being able to trace your family back to the 5th century—to know whereContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 4/12/18”

Beloved: What a marvelous Holy Week we shared! Again, thank you, thank you to all who made such a special week happen! Wow! Christ is risen, Indeed! This week, My Michael and I are going to trade places. I will sit in the front row and cheer him on, and he will be preaching. ThisContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 4/5/18”

Beloved: Holy week always makes me feel like I am part of that old novelty act on the Ed Sullivan Show. You may remember the guy—in my memory, he was on every week—who balanced china plates on top of a spinning pole? He would get each one going, and then run back and forth alongContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 3/29/18”

Beloved: You may have noticed by now, that there are some things I approach differently than some of my pastoral colleagues. This is not a good vs. bad thing—at least I don’t think it is. It is more a choice I make out of my own experiences in life and how I understand the underlyingContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 3/23/18”

March 16, 2018 Beloved: It is good to be back in the office! I’m still taking things slowly, but I am definitely on the mend after dealing with pneumonia last week. Mike has been a great nurse, but the longer I was home, the longer my list of spring chores was getting.  I have managedContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 3/16/18”

Beloved: Text from Chris:  Did you send me the Preacher Woman weekly note? I have the newsletter article, but I can’t find the weekly note. Text from Pastor Nancy: Well, I had it nearly finished…and then I got interrupted…and then when I got back to it, it no longer felt right, so…. Earlier in theContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 3/2/18”

Beloved: It is Lent. The forty days, excluding Sundays, where the church has traditionally set aside time for penitence, self-reflection, and spiritual discipline. The church in which I grew up didn’t say much about Lent. That was for my Catholics friends, who came to school talking about what they had to give up—chocolate, or theirContinue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 2/16/18”

February 8, 2018 Beloved: I was recently inspired to begin re-reading the works of Jane Austen. One of my continuing education classes is in family systems, and part of our recommended reading is Ron Richardson’s Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Relationships. It wasn’t hard to convince me to read Richardson’s book—one, because I have benefitedContinue reading “Weekly Note From the Preacher Woman, 2/8/18”

January 18, 2018 Beloved: I have always been a lover of words. New words. Old words. Colorful words. Words that pop and sizzle. Words that calm and comfort. Words that uplift and inspire. Words that sparkle and glisten. Onomatopoeia to metaphor to figures of speech. Words have power. Words matter. Words can change the world.Continue reading “Weekly Note from the Preacher Woman, 1/18/18”