H E L L O :

Welcome to Pastorish, a collection of sermons and messages from an almost-ordained preacher.

To make a long story short, I always thought I was going to be a pastor. Always. I never dreamed of anything else. As I entered seminary and learned more about discernment (more about the Biblical imperative of justice, even), I realized that God had other plans for me. But I have been fortunate enough to stay actively connected to ministerial spaces and communities, and to theology, more broadly, which I love.

I hold a part-time Associate Minister of Worship position with a congregation in the Twin Cities area, and I use this blog to gather and organize the sermons I deliver in that position. The occasional poem or article may sneak its way in, along with intermittent devotional reflections.

Really, this page is all about navigating the “priesthood of all believers” — a call outside the church influenced almost entirely by my time inside the church.

Martin Luther describes your call, or your “vocation,” as a multifaceted thing. Chaotic in the best of ways and always evolving. You aren’t so much defined by what you do, but rather, you are defined by who you know. Your relationships inform and build and drive your purpose.

So I want to use this first post to name the people I know — the people who allow me to know myself.

I want to thank my family for their unwavering support — for their listening, their honesty, their ideas and their commitment to their faith that has taught me so much. I want to thank my friends, inside and outside of the church, for their curiosity and their love. I want to thank my partner for his trust, and for the depth he brings to everything he does. I want to thank my mentors in congregations, schools and other organizations for their time and their wisdom. And I want to thank the countless strangers who have made their way into and out of my life day to day, telling me stories and making me pause and reminding me just how miraculous the ordinary can be.

I’m so glad you’re here.