The Progressive Reverend

A few months ago, I watched the Netflix docuseries   Adolescence,  and I have not stopped thinking about it since . It’s raw, emotional, and—honestly—a little too real at times. The show follows teenagers as they navigate their lives, choices, trauma, and dreams. What strikes me is not just the decisions they make, but the domino effect of those decisions. One choice—made in a moment of fear, impulse, or longing—can echo for years. Sometimes for generations. Jeremiah 2:4–13 sounds like God’s version of that same heartbreak. It’s not fire-and-brimstone rage. It’s a lament. “What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me?” God asks, not like a punishing judge, but like a parent in the kitchen at 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling, trying to understand how everything went so sideways. “I brought you through the wilderness,” God says. “I gave you water, land, love—and you’ve traded it all for emptiness.” It’s about betrayal, sure. But unde...

 This week, the world welcomed a new Pope. And while I don’t serve in a Catholic parish, or wear a collar every day, or keep holy water on hand for pastoral emergencies—I still paused. Because the election of a new Pope isn’t just a Roman Catholic event. It’s a moment that ripples across the entire Christian landscape. It invites all of us—regardless of denomination—to reflect on the kind of leadership the world needs right now. The Pope is one of the most visible religious leaders on the planet. His words reach beyond sanctuaries and Vatican walls. When he speaks about peace, climate, justice, or the dignity of all people, people listen. And that matters—even to those of us serving in Protestant churches in Canada. In a time when public trust in institutions is fragile, when compassion is too often overshadowed by division, it matters that someone in spiritual leadership steps forward with grace, humility, and a consistent reminder that we are called to love. The Pope—at his best—...

Star Wars first came out when I was two years old, so I can’t say I really remember it—but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it over a dozen times. Whether I liked it or not, Star Wars was simply a part of my life. My dad and my sister were obsessed. When The Empire Strikes Back was released when I was five, I guess my parents thought I was old enough to see it. However, I remember my mom taking me out to the lobby because I was too scared to stay in the theater.   I got a brief break during my late teens and early twenties... and then I met Neil. We met at the end of March 1999, and wouldn’t you know it— Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace  was released just a few weeks later, in May. Of course, still trying to woo my future husband, I agreed to go to opening night. Since then, there have been many, many Star Wars movies and TV shows—and I have somehow been a part of all of them! Ever since I entered ministry, Neil has begged me to preach a sermon combining Star Wars and faith....