As I was sorting through old computer files last week—trying to decide what was worth saving and what could finally be deleted—I stumbled across a blog post I wrote in 2008 on my old blog, Pastor Laura's Musings. The post was called Time and Trust. At the time, I was preparing to leave Jerome, Idaho, for a new appointment. Before kids. Before marriage. I was reflecting on transitions, uncertainty, and the strange ways we humans get stuck between where we have been and where w

What would Easter look like without Good Friday? As I sit with the weight of Good Friday, preparing to preach tonight, I find myself wondering: What would Good Friday have felt like if we didn’t know Easter was coming? What if we didn’t know the resurrection was just around the corner? What if we didn’t know that in three days, God would turn grief into glory and death into life? How deep might our despair have sunk? How unbearable would the silence feel? Would we, like Jesus

A picture of cupboard cookies - bits and pieces of leftover m&m's and chocolate chips to clear the cupboards. I’m an Enneagram 7, which, if you’re not an Enneagram person, means I am wired for enthusiasm, possibility, and “Ooooh, what if we tried this?” The Enneagram is a personality tool that names nine different ways people tend to move through the world—our motivations, our fears, our coping strategies. It’s less about behavior and more about what’s driving the behavior. S

Over the past year, I’ve been writing here pretty frequently—sometimes twice a week. Writing has been a way for me to process, to pray, and to connect. But as this next season unfolds, I anticipate posting a little less often as I am in a season of transition. My hope has always been to write about once a week, but I've had a lot to say for the last six months. But I’m giving myself permission to let that rhythm be more flexible right now. Transitions take time and energy, an

I got a phone call at one of my churches this week. “Are you the church with the 'all are welcome' sign out front?” the caller asked. “The one that says ‘All are welcome in this place’ with the rainbow?” I replied cheerfully. “Yes! That’s us!” 🌈 There was a pause. The kind of pause where your spirit quietly whispers, Here we go. “Does that mean… everyone?” “Yes,” I said. “Jesus is pretty clear that all are welcome into relationship with God.” Another pause. Longer this time

Hi, moms. I see you. You’re trying to get your family out the door on a Sunday morning — socks that mostly match (optional), a snack bag for the toddler, a coloring book for the preschooler, and enough caffeine to survive an hour of “shhhh” whispers and Goldfish crumbs in the pews. You’re juggling spilled milk, missing shoes, and that one kid who suddenly can’t find their other shoe even though they were just wearing it. You’re not just looking for a church to attend — you’re

Warning: this is going to be a super nerdy post. Something remarkable just happened in The United Methodist Church—something that many of us have been praying and hoping for. The Council of Bishops announced yesterday that all four constitutional amendments approved by the 2024 General Conference have been ratified by our annual conferences. Every single one. (You can read more about them here on the Council of Bishop's Website .) That means this isn’t just a policy update—i

A Christmas Tree Farm in Silverton, OR I grew up believing my calling was to be a teacher. I was the kid who lined up her stuffed animals and gave spelling tests. (They were excellent students, by the way.) So when I switched course in college and said I was going into ministry instead, people who only nominally knew me were slightly puzzled. “Why not teaching?” they’d ask. I usually smile and say, “I am still teaching." Because honestly, I never stopped teaching. Most Sunday

We know something about waiting in the church world. We’re quite good at it, actually.

Last year, I planted two pumpkin plants. Two. That’s it. Somehow, those plants took it as their personal mission to make me the Pumpkin...

One of my favorite Instagram creators is Blair Imani, who teaches folks how to be “smarter in seconds.” She uses a peppy, engaging style...

What does Christian perfection REALLY mean? As a United Methodist clergyperson, I have a love-hate relationship with the word perfection....

Say what you mean and mean what you say On my 10th birthday, my Mom gave me a gift that I have cherished above all others. I had already...

...ministry takes more than a balanced budget—it takes bold imagination, a little holy restlessness, and a willingness to try things that might seem unusual, risky, or even a little wild.

Here’s the thing: the church is not called to be a factory of platitudes. We are called to be a community of presence. A people of gritty, grounded, and grace-filled truth.

hank you for dreaming big, for trying even when you were scared, for loving deeply. Thank you for laying the foundation of the life I now live.

I wish I could go back and whisper something true to her: some of those dreams won’t come true—and that’s not a failure. That’s grace unfolding.