Right after Christmas, there is a major milestone that everyone is very much aware of: the starting of a new calendar year. For some, this marking of a new year is full of joyful expectations. Excited about the possibilities, these folks look forward to starting something new and what the
Recently, my husband Will and I moved to New York City. This was more than just a move of possessions and residential address, it was a move to a completely different lifestyle– new city, downsized living space (and selling our current house!), intentional community, and a new job for me
Note: This is a guest post written by The Rev. Samantha Drennan, a part-time associate to the Bishop in Northeastern PA Synod (ELCA), full-time parish pastor, and cat mom. Becca (The Christian Minimalist) asked me to write this guest post after I sent her the above picture of guest towels.
As a pastor, I’ve eaten at my share of church potlucks. Potlucks are community meals in which everyone brings something to share. Some potlucks have more than enough food to go around, while others have a limited amount of food. I’ve noticed that people tend to fall into two categories
There is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now. We have no idea how or when this global pandemic will end, or how many times lockdowns will happen. We also don’t know what any of this means for our loved ones, our jobs, or the state of our
Note: This is a guest post written by Will Platnick, husband to The Christian Minimalist and Senior Platform Engineer at Paige. My father passed away after a fluke accident earlier this year. In addition to all the usual things that happen with grief, it was a tough time for
As we begin to think about what life may look like after a global pandemic (even while we are still dealing with the pandemic, at least in the U.S.), it can be very tempting to fall into “going back to normal.” This is especially true for those of us who
For the last month or so, my husband Will and I have spent some time doing what everyone who has lost a close loved one can relate to—cleaning out my Father-in-Law Norm’s house. Norm was a relatively modest man; except for his collection of illustrator artwork and specimens/lab equipment on
Note: This is a guest post written by Zach Labagh, Pastor at Allegheny Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mohnton, PA. In the last few months, due to the pandemic, I found myself and my family changing how we function completely. Our calendar that was full has now diminished to online and
During this global COVID-19 pandemic, many people have turned to a practice called comfort buying. A close sister to retail therapy (and some people have used the terms interchangeably), comfort buying is when consumers buy things solely to bring comfort to themselves in difficult times. Comfort buying is not always