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Rev. Steel Toe

Post-Sabbatical Reflections

December 1, 2016 | Filed under: Self Care, Spiritual Practice

This is the letter I shared with my congregation when I returned from sabbatical in November 2016. Beloved community, The first two months of sabbatical, I found myself processing a lot of grief. I have been present to quite a bit of suffering and death in my first few years …

Pre-Sabbatical Sermon: All the Things

July 3, 2016 | Filed under: Self Care, Sermons

The following sermon was shared at the July 3, 2016 worship service at Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In October 2007, I was living in San Diego (where I was born and raised), and I had been attending First Church, the big UU church in Hillcrest, for three years. I came home …

Pre-Sabbatical Letter

July 1, 2016 | Filed under: Church Newsletter, Self Care

This is the letter I shared with my congregation in June 2016 before taking a four month sabbatical: Beloved community, Since my sabbatical was announced earlier this year, I have been asked dozens of times—by people within our congregation and outside it as well—“What are your plans?” It is only …

How To Tell Who Is A UU Minister (And Why You Should Care)

April 26, 2016 | Filed under: Church 201, Ministry

When I was in seminary and we seminarians were feeling anxious about seeing the Ministerial Fellowship Committee (the “MFC”), we would reassure ourselves that we would certainly become ministers someday no matter what because “all you really need is to be ordained.” Only congregations have the power to ordain a …

In Which A Minister Looks to Attend Church on Her Sunday Off And Is Reminded Why Religion Is In Decline

August 16, 2015 | Filed under: Practical Arts, Worship

I am blessed to have one Sunday off each month, and I usually sleep in and rest up that day, grateful for a precious TWO DAYS OFF IN A ROW (Monday being my usual day off). I don’t usually think about attending church; it would defeat the purpose of a …

Sermon: Do we tolerate intolerance?

August 4, 2015 | Filed under: Ministry, Sermons, Spiritual Practice

The following sermon was shared at the August 2, 2015 worship service at Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Thought for the day: “As Unitarian Universalists, we believe there is no ‘one right way’ for everyone. We also believe that everyone should believe there is no ‘one right way’ for everyone. This …

Hey! I’m On Blog Talk Radio!

July 14, 2015 | Filed under: In the Media

I spent a half hour this morning being interviewed by my dear friend, Debbie Lousberg, a career coach, for the “Success Journeys” portion of her Blog Talk Radio program, “There’s a U in Success.” You can listen to us here. In this interview, I define success as having three parts: To …

Our Jobs Aren’t Everything

June 1, 2015 | Filed under: Ministry, Sermons, Teaching

Our culture right now is steeped in messages that encourage us to do what we love, and the money will follow. There’s a book by that name–Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow–written in 1989 by Marsha Sinetar, and I don’t know if she and that book started our preoccupation …

Church 101: Giving Money (Part 2 of 2)

January 25, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

People new to congregational life are often anxious about pledging. After all, this is a financial commitment you didn’t used to have. Here’s what I hear most often: How much should I pledge? Pledging is a spiritual practice, a commitment to the future of the congregation. The practice of making a …

Church 101: Giving Money (Part 1 of 2)

January 18, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

Aha! You knew some day this blog would grub for money, didn’t you? Churches are all the same. Church financial scandals in recent decades have led many to view fundraising as an example of religious hypocrisy: if religious people really want to make the world a better place, why don’t …

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