rivers of grace

I was a Presbyterian long before I could pronounce the word. Baptized as an infant in Lubbock, Texas, I have always felt deeply at home in the Presbyterian Church. These roots, however, have not kept me from interacting with and appreciating other faith traditions. In particular, I have regularly received spiritual direction from Roman Catholic sisters, and I earned a Doctor of Ministry in homiletics from a Dominican (Catholic) graduate school of theology. In addition, my pastoral ministry has placed me in a wide variety of cultural contexts—from a Taiwanese American church to an African American one, from a large congregation in an affluent neighborhood to a small one in a farming community. All of these experiences have continued to remind me that God is always bigger than we can imagine, grander than we can dream. The kernel of my call to ministry came from a spiritual awakening that I experienced in high school as I began to heal from a serious depressive illness. My life-long experience with depression, my journey through infertility, my adopted son’s disabilities, and my late husband’s multiple health challenges have taught me that the darkness of the pit does not last forever and that in time, God will raise any situation to new life. I have always had a fascination with words and with the Word, preaching having been at the center of my ministry for most of the years that I have been ordained. Now I am being called ever more deeply into prayer and contemplation. As a part of that call, I have received training and become a spiritual director. In addition, I still preach regularly and am a preaching mentor.