Yes, I'm a minister. No, I don't have a church.

A Legion of Demons Luke 8:26-39 The Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz Westminster Presbyterian Church June 19, 2016 I don’t know about you, when I think about preaching, there’s nothing more fun and unexpected than the passage on the Gerasene demoniac. From a purely literary standpoint, this is a great story. Jesus travels a ways to Gerasa, significant because it had a strong non-Jewish presence, foreshadowing his ministry to people who are not Jewish, and met a man possessed. This story contains elements specific to Jewish sensibilities – pigs (unclean), tombs (unclean), naked (probably not a good sign). To have a human being chained, where the dead are buried, naked, and guarded denotes serious social and religious isolation. We don’t know anything about this man except his current condition. We don’t know how Jesus heard of him. We don’t know how long the demons have possessed him, we don’t know how hard the community tried to keep him and themselves safe and in their midst before h...

You would probably be fine without these words, but I'm going to post them anyway. Sadly, I did not post this before the United Methodist Church General Conference. Sorry, Methodists. To Pack A water bottle and travel mug You will want to have a way to hydrate. Hydration is important for your stamina! I imagine that certain areas of the country frown more on bottled water purchases than others, so I find the best way to avoid any sticky ethical issues around plastic waste is to bring my own water bottle. The same goes for a travel mug. If you bring your own, you won't contribute to landfill waste the five times a day you get coffee or tea! Win-win! (Update: commissioners and advisory delegates to the PC(USA) GA will be gifted a water bottle, but the rest of us have to fend for ourselves.) Lotion/moisturizer You hydrate with water, but your skin wants hydration, too. Trust me. This is a gender-inclusive recommendation. Layers (like a shawl or scarf or sweater for...