pastortessa

Signs of Faith

I can remember the number of times in my life when I felt called to an item. This happened the first time I saw the quilt “Full Bloom” by Fourth & Sixth Designs. It was October of 2019, I was in the mountains of Colorado on vacation. My husband and I went into a quiltContinue reading “Signs of Faith”

“Spiritual Forces of Evil”

If you asked me to explain the responsibilities of being a pastor, I am not sure I could list everything. Some of the material is confidential, some I don’t register that I do it, and some would make the conversation longer than it needs to be. Yet, there is one thing I am called toContinue reading ““Spiritual Forces of Evil””

A Shepherd without a Flock

I have been a pastor since I was 23 years old. I thought about putting I have been serving as a pastor, but the reality is that being a pastor is part of who I am. I have been honored to serve in 11 churches in one form or another. At each of them IContinue reading “A Shepherd without a Flock”

I Did Not Know…

Lord, I did not know. I sit here today and I realize those are hard words to say. They are words that can bring on feelings of shame. Yet, they are also words that can create a new way. I didn’t know there are people who cannot buy a house anywhere they wanted, even ifContinue reading “I Did Not Know…”

Grace through Separation

I have been a member of the United Methodist Church my entire life. I am not one who started in Methodist Episcopal or United Brethren and then became UMC. Being born in 1979, I have been in the UMC for my whole life. And now that I am a pastor of this denomination, there isContinue reading “Grace through Separation”

Happy New Year!

So, that is not the most creative title in the world. In fact, it is probably the most common words said today, January 1. But, I think it sums up nicely what I am feeling today. Happy New Year. Today is a day for new possibilities and new hope. The reality is it isn’t anyContinue reading “Happy New Year!”

What is Church Even For?

On Tuesday evening, Doniphan and Rosedale United Methodist Churches will have an all church meeting. At this meeting we will talk about the successes in the church in the past year. We will mourn those who we have lost and give thanks for them again. Mainly, we will hopefully be reminded what it meansContinue reading “What is Church Even For?”

What Are You Known For? New Life with Christ

This past week in church we talked about Zacchaeus. This meant that all week I had the song from Sunday School in my head. The one about how Zacchaeus was a wee little man. It got me thinking about what people think about when they think about Zacchaeus. Most of us probably think ofContinue reading “What Are You Known For? New Life with Christ”

United in Heart and Mind. What does it mean?

The book of Acts has a passage of scripture that caught my eye the other day. It was Acts 4:32, ” The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. ” I must admit, I onlyContinue reading “United in Heart and Mind. What does it mean?”

Welcoming All is not so Easy

I drove into a town one day that had a well at the town limit. The well had a sign that said, “Well Come to ….” I cannot remember the name of the town but I thought it was fun play on the word welcome. What is the word welcome all about anyway? I lookedContinue reading “Welcoming All is not so Easy”