Since I announced my intention to vote with the YAADs at the PCUSA General Assembly, I’ve had a range of conversations – both online and in person. I am deeply grateful to John Vest for his comments on a recent post where I shared the influence on this commitment of Kahlil Gibran’s insights set to […]

Blessed to be a commissioner to the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Detroit this June, I have publicly vowed to vote from start to finish as the majority of the Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADs) do. Reaction to this commitment has been mixed, from both older and younger Presbyterians. Some of […]

I became aware of my trust in God when I was thirteen, during an overnight with the daughter of our church’s minister. We weren’t in the same school, but that year her dad taught our confirmation class and we became friends. We had turned the lights out—her mother had asked us to—but, as usual, we […]

Isaiah spoke of this moment: “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6) Do you agree with me that it’s high time we turn the 21st century church over to […]

Advent season is upon us! In my latest piece for Believe Out Loud, I share my reflections on the attentive waiting that shaped the Advent seasons of my childhood and how it informs my outlook today, especially as we celebrate a year of incredible progress for the LGBT community. Here is an excerpt from the […]

What a moment! Let us rejoice that the Supreme Court has astounded many and affirmed equal protection under the law. With this week’s decision, federal benefits will be granted to legally married same-sex couples. Not only that, but same-sex marriage was also upheld in our most populous state, California. For this, we rejoice with a resounding “hazzah!”

I was talking with my friend, John, recently about the wonderfully vigorous national conversation about marriage sparked last month by the Supreme Court hearings on Prop 8 and DOMA. John agreed with a politician who publicly expressed a fear that straight people might pretend to be gay so that they could get the special benefits of having a “gay marriage.” I shared with him how this made no sense to me.

I am blessed and thrilled to announce that the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Krehbiel, pastor at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, D.C., National Capital Presbytery, will stand with me as my candidate for Vice Moderator. Jeff inspires me by the way his ministry has the qualities of joy and transforming power that we all desire in the PCUSA.

This Sunday, April 15, 2012, Katie Ricks will be ordained to the office of teaching elder, becoming Associate Pastor of the Church of Reconciliation, a Presbyterian church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Katie’s call to ministry was loud and clear—to both herself and to her congregation. But for the past 10 years, because of Presbyterian Church rules, Katie had been barred from ordination. Why? Because Katie has been honest with herself, her God and her church that she is lesbian.

I have read, reflected and prayed over Scripture most every day of my adult life. This commitment, woven together with the experiences of my life’s journey – such as marriage, motherhood and my Christian education and service – has moved me closer to knowing God. And yet, as a Presbyterian, I know that I alone could never fully discern God’s mind or will.