“Her sounds are welcome”
If worship is meant to be a 'work of the people,' how can we welcome everyone, including those who disrupt our expectations? — Rebecca Gresham
More Stories from this Author
Let’s be honest
When it comes to the future of the church, it's tempting to put our heads in the sand, writes Rebecca Gresham. Let's be honest about the decline of mainline religion — and that God is still present and active.
Reading recommendation: Prayers for imperfect days
Sometimes, pastors need help finding the right words. Rebecca Gresham shares a resource she turns to when she's tired, overwhelmed, or feels at a loss.
Sabbath vs. self-care
Rebecca Gresham reflects on the difference between sabbath and self-care — and how some activities can be both.
What can Christian summer camps tell us about the needs of the church?
Rebecca Gresham reflects on what she’s learned as the mother of a camper and a volunteer camp chaplain.
A season of intentional living
Rebecca Gresham remembers her time at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the belonging she felt as a student, young mother and resident.
Encountering death and savoring life
"We have to pay attention to get to the new life that comes after a death, but it takes work and intention to get there."
Writing as a spiritual pilgrimage
We are programmed to look for the big moments, the big trips, the holy places, but God can meet us anywhere if we slow down and pay attention.
Hope is…
Rebecca Gresham defines hope by looking at the world around her.
There is a way forward
Whether it was struggling with reading as a first grader or wrestling with Hebrew as a seminarian, Rebecca Gresham’s education taught her that she can do hard things, even if it requires multiple attempts and some failure. This is a lesson she brings to her ministry: There is always a way forward.
Being a female pastor: a story of pain and gratitude
Rev. Rebecca Gresham-Kesner shares her experience of being a woman in ordained ministry.
Why I’m Presbyterian: It’s the questions
Rev. Rebecca Gresham-Kesner’s questions brought her to the PC(USA), and the space allowed for her continued questions is why she stays.
Finding healing in the trees
Now, when I get to these moments that feel like they may overcome me, I turn to nature ... I remember whose I am, that I am not traveling alone, and that one day I will be ok.
The audacity of hope: Being a resurrection people
I recently read Abby Norman’s You Can Talk to God That Way. It is a book on embracing lament as a spiritual..
What traveling as a documentary filmmaker taught me about mission
I did not grow up attending church. It wasn’t until late high school that I first went to church on a regular..
A retelling of Psalm 13: How long?
How long God? How long before you let me see you again? Have you forgotten me? Are you here in the ash..
Tech watch: Restream.io
Restream.io is an excellent, affordable software to livestream to multiple platforms at the same time. You can stream to YouTube and Facebook..
Gratitude for the mundane
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. Then, I learned I had a hormone condition that..
Tech watch: PTZ cameras
PTZ cameras are a great solution for churches who livestream. They are compact and can easily be mounted to a ceiling or..
Two lessons learned by a human pastor who makes mistakes
I absolutely loathe when I mess up. I get in my own head and can be brutal with myself about how I..
Grace in the waiting
Waiting is often difficult for me. I attribute this to events of my childhood. With a terminally ill father and a sibling..
Giving and receiving care in the kingdom of God
As a new pastor, one of my first homebound Communion visits took me and a deacon to a long-term care facility. We..
Playing is sacred
Growing up at the Jersey Shore, my favorite arcade game on the boardwalk was skee ball. Even as an adult I can’t..
Reading Merton again
As a Presbyterian pastor I am required to have earned a Master of Divinity as part of my ordination requirements. The M.Div...
What fiction has taught me about the story of God
My first memory of a storybook includes the Fisher-Price record player, an illustrated version of “Snow White,” a tone to turn the..