It’s a regular occurrence for me in my line of work: SHE sits before me and tells me a story of struggle for respect, dignity,

I’m one of the original twelve. (No, not apostles.) I’ve been blogging here for the past five years. And I am quickly approaching retirement. This

Theresa Latini is taking a short break from her rotation on The Twelve. While she’s away, we welcome Kate Kooyman. Kate is a minister of

Theresa Latini is taking a short break from her rotation on The Twelve. While she’s away, we welcome Kate Kooyman. Kate is a minister of

Theresa Latini is taking a short break from her rotation on The Twelve. While she’s away, we will be hearing from Kate Kooyman. Kate is

This Christmas break I finally watched the movie Inside Out. I imagine this movie is old news for most readers, but I have a toddler and

Advent invites us into a season of waiting: four weeks of waiting for the Light to pierce our darkness; four weeks of waiting for Life

My daughter, Eleanor, turned twenty months old today. The acceleration of her learning and language acquisition stuns me. My husband and I can barely keep

As I prepared to write for this Thanksgiving Day, I returned to previous years’ blogs. One in particular, a reflection on the theater of Thanksgiving, stood

Today’s blog is dedicated to a dear colleague and his wife—Travis and Mariah West. Those of you who know Western Theological Seminary likely know their names.

Some of our regular readers likely know that this academic year I’m serving Western Theological Seminary in a new capacity: associate dean for diversity and

I don’t remember her name but her silhouette is imprinted on my memory. I met her when I was a teenager. She was a member

Last week, the stated clerk of my denomination the Presbyterian Church (USA), Grayde Parsons, issued a public letter to Donald Trump about immigration. Parsons was

Generally, I’m a proponent of authenticity. Clarity about one’s values, meaningful action that flows from those values, honest and genuine speech, freedom of choice, and

[Today’s guest post is by Adam Navis. Adam likes to read and write and wished he did both more often.]   As part of my

[Today’s post is written by Adam Navis.]   I turned 36 this past Sunday. If you are reading this and you are under 36, then

[Today’s post is written by Adam Navis. Adam is completing his D.Min. thesis at WTS on the intersection of faith and writing.]   Question: What

[Today’s writer is Adam Navis. He is the Director of Operations at Words of Hope and is completing his D.Min. on the intersection of faith

Earlier this year one of my students posted on social media a somewhat anguished comment about her relationship with Karl Barth. Barth represented a theological

Fourth of July festivities, where I live, have already begun. The shocking and randomly timed booms of consumer fireworks remind me that I’m not in

Sanctuary is one of those evocative words imbued with layers of meaning and textured by a collage of images: Contemporary worship spaces with a homey

Once in a while my writing for this blog hits a nerve. I’m not entirely sure why. I experience blogging a bit like preaching in

Later today, I am flying to the Twin Cities for my niece’s wedding, at which I am privileged to officiate, and for my daughter’s baptism

In my late teens and early twenties, I spent minimally an hour each day in prayer. That is not an overstatement. I persistently listened and

I awoke yesterday to an all too familiar scene on the news . . . another black man gunned down by a police officer. A

When I think back on my years of working as a pastor, I remember this time in the church calendar with the most affection and,

On Tuesday of this week, the University of Oklahoma expelled two students for leading a group of others in singing a fraternity song littered with

Last summer, the president of my seminary asked me to lead a team of staff, faculty, and board members tasked with the lofty goal of

I first heard of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) at a time in my life when, unbeknownst to me, I greatly needed the peace, connection, and community

Traveling with an infant is an adventure—one that I never could have appreciated before having a child of my own. In my daughter’s short ten

Guest blogging today is Reverend Kara Root, pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church (Minneapolis, MN), a congregation whose life revolves around Sabbath, worship and hospitality.

It’s 12:01am New Year’s Day. The ball has dropped. The confetti is flying. Hugging and kissing and cheering abound. I’m waiting for Elton John to

I’m writing this blog for me and you. It’s about our personal and collective response to racism, particularly a kind of communicative praxis that I

When the grand jury decided to not indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who repeatedly shot and killed eighteen-year-old Michael Brown, many Christian leaders expressed

In case you haven’t heard, 2,500 congregations across the United States participated in “I Stand Sunday” last weekend, an event intended to support “the pastors

I’ve been watching the unfolding stories about Ebola for months now. Fear of this gruesome disease has gripped many, including both those near to and

My experience and interpretation of church, particularly worship, has shifted significantly at crucial formative moments in my life. One of these shifts occurred in seminary.

I’ve spent the past few days at Duke University Divinity School, discussing the topic of leadership with a diverse group of women and men serving

Of the many new stories in the airwaves this past week, the Ray Rice video rose to the top. Rice, a Baltimore Ravens running back,

Last week one of my friends tagged me on Facebook to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I’ve known two people who died from this

The news of Robin Williams’ severe depression, long battle with addiction, and suicide was the final blow for me this week.  The notice came up

Those of you who regularly read The Twelve will notice that this is my first time back to blogging since the birth of my daughter

    I seem to rather frequently read phrases like the following: x (some particular age) is the new y (some particular age that is

  Mary Vanden Berg, a professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is filling in while Theresa Latini is away on

Mary VandenBerg, a professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is filling in while Theresa Latini is away on maternity leave.

Mary Vanden Berg, a professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is filling in while Theresa Latini is away on maternity

Mary Vanden Berg, a professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is filling in while Theresa Latini is away on maternity

It will probably be obvious once you begin reading that I am not Theresa if for no other reason than I refer to being a

It will probably be obvious once you begin reading that I am not Theresa if for no other reason than I refer to being a

Two weeks ago author Kathleen Norris presented the James I. Cook lecture in Christianity and Literature at Western Theological Seminary. For those unfamiliar with her

My past two blog posts have tried to recast the church’s ministry in terms of worldliness. On the one hand, there’s a kind of worldliness

Two weeks ago, I suggested that the church manifests significant conformity to the world when it is motivated by fear of being tainted by sin

Now that I’m back living and teaching in a distinctively Reformed setting, I hear a concern for the purity of the church underneath conversations about

Guest blogging for Theresa Latini today is Nkiru Okafor. Sr. M. Nkiruka C. Okafor IHM is a member of the Religious Institute of the Sisters

Guest blogging for Theresa Latini today is Nkiru Okafor. Sr. M. Nkiruka C. Okafor IHM is a member of the Religious Institute of the Sisters

Guest blogging for Theresa Latini today is Nkiru Okafor. Sr. M. Nkiruka C. Okafor IHM is a member of the Religious Institute of the Sisters

As in many years past, I find myself in a state of longing this Advent—longing for the hope, peace, joy, and love of God’s kingdom

The power of popular culture lies, among other things, in its story-telling. Television shows, movies, YouTube videos usher us into simple and complex stories alike.

Over the past week, I finished reading a practical theological response to the prevalence of shame in late modern western culture. Shame: Theory, Therapy, Theology

During the last season of Walking Dead, I blogged about faith, hope, and love in a zombie apocalypse. As I wrote then, the AMC television

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on my sabbatical last year. I’ve been taking time to mine the deeper lessons of a year dedicated to reading, research,

I recently completed my first academic sabbatical. After seven years of teaching, advising, and administrative work, I was more than ready for the gift of

Nearly thirteen years ago as I was completing my final year as an MDiv student at Princeton Seminary, a friend from Grand Rapids, MI quipped,

I recently had the privilege of preaching at Western Theological Seminary on the second day of the new academic year. The lectionary text was James

In the Twin Cities, it is fair time, and Minnesotans are proud of their state fair. I’m told it’s second in size  only to the

Christian clichés elicit strong reactions in my household. First comes the eye rolling, which I chalk up to the inevitable effects of seven years of

Not too long ago I experimented with an outside-of-the-box social media post—or at least outside of my typical posts. I added my name to a

In recent weeks, I’ve been reading a lot about wisdom, and longing for more of it in my life. Wisdom provides a robust biblical and

In the past, I’ve tried to read Ecclesiastes, but I’ve not gotten beyond a few select portions of the text. And I have the Mamas

In recent weeks, I’ve suggested that church leaders who are committed to the principles of compassionate communication, who are trained in its basic skills, and

Nearly ten years ago I discovered a resource—a set of practices actually—that has contributed again and again to my capacity to stay connected to God, others,

Recently I was introduced to the Institute for Congregational Trauma and Growth, an organization that provides resources, networking, and education for communities of faith that

The key to transforming conflict in the church today is developing skilled leaders who are not afraid to engage conflict. As mentioned two weeks ago,

Over the past fifteen years, I have served as a spiritual care coordinator (i.e., chaplain), an associate pastor, a seminary professor at two different institutions,

Jessicah Bratt’s recent blog post engendered a fair amount of gratitude and conversation from our regular readers. She graciously raised pointed questions about the RCA’s

Over the years I’ve encountered students who are adamantly convinced that pastoral care begins and ends with God’s word.  If by this they meant Jesus

I’ve heard much talk in the past five years about the radical changes coming in theological education. From the head of ATS (Association of Theological

This year I’m spending Valentine’s Day finishing a chapter on the history of pastoral theology for a pastoral care textbook that I’m co-writing. (That’s romance

I learned preaching and worship leadership from masters of the art. Their classes were captivating and remain some of the most memorable of my seminary

On the strong recommendation of a friend who has yet to steer me wrong on such matters, I began the New Year by watching the

Image from a stunning collection by Clare Benson   Standing on the threshold, all we’ve left undone smirking in our periphery, all we carry with

In one week, one day, one moment, so much can change; so much can be lost. And we are left torn apart and disoriented. Waves

Advent is a season of anticipation, hope, and waiting for the arrival of Christ. The advent wreath, the lighting of candles, the preparation of the

It’s 11pm, the night before Thanksgiving. The house is clean; the table is set; and, the turkey is defrosted. My husband and I will awake

When I was ordained, I asked the presiding minister to preach on Colossians 1:15-23, because this text pointed me to the sovereignty of God in

Eleven months ago, I blogged about the arrest of Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State Football coach who then had been accused, now convicted, of sexually

For the past three weeks, I’ve watched football games that have simply astounded me. The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens broke out into more skirmishes

As I listen to presidential politics, analyses of our economy, and responses to the recent attacks on US embassies (and the death of an ambassador

Seven years ago hurricane Katrina began its devastating assault on New Orleans.  Yesterday tropical storm Isaac (downgraded from a hurricane) continued to hover over that

As a young child, I, like so many others throughout church history, was taught the Ten Commandments as part of my catechetical instruction. Some commandments

Rev. Karin A. Craven is filling in for Theresa. She is an ordained Presbyterian minister and a second year PhD student in the pastoral care

Rev. Karin A. Craven is guest blogging for Theresa Latini. Karin is an ordained Presbyterian minister and a second year PhD student in the pastoral

The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly is well under way. Like many other Presbyterians, I’ve been watching from afar—reading daily denominational news posts and skimming

This past weekend I had the privilege of officiating at my niece’s wedding. Standing between two old, gorgeous fir trees, with my back to a

The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly is soon upon us. This biennial gathering of commissioners, special interest groups, GA staff members, reporters, and other church

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been following debates in the media about what has been called a “war against women” or a “campaign

Any self-reflexive preacher knows that bearing the Word of God with her or his human words is a weighty matter. Scripture and experience teach us,

In one of my classes this week, a student raised a series of poignant questions about the relationship between the formation of the practical theologian

So begins the movie, Jeff, Who Lives at Home. I saw the Duplasses’ latest movie this past weekend with a friend, and it stuck with

Note: this blog is an excerpt of a sermon that I recently preached at my alma mater, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, NY as part of

Because of the tendency for our notions and experiences of God to become rigid and prescribed, we—both individuals and communities—need to stand ever ready to

Last semester, a handful of students (most of them in their senior year) shared with me that they silenced their voices again and again during

For the past six weeks, we have engaged in a communal conversation about vocation. Bloggers and readers, professors and seminarians, pastors and parishioners: together we

Since my first post on vocation, a number of friends, colleagues, and readers have jumped into the conversation, raised poignant questions, and even taken their

Shortly after I got married, I made a “stunning” discovery (one of many to follow!): my spouse did not find the content of his work

I began my day yesterday talking about pastoral care in the midst of grief and loss with twenty-nine seminary students. I ended my day reading