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...

The text below comes from an interactive keynote presentation I gave at the Presbytery of Los Ranchos "Mission Connections: Listening to All Voices" event on February 6, 2016. Introduction Greetings from Louisville, KY and greetings on behalf of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, one of the six agencies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) . I work with the denominational publisher, home of the Glory to God hymnal , and the Feasting on the Word commentary series. We are completely self-sustaining, a medium-sized religious publisher, better known by our major imprint Westminster John Knox Press . My name is Laura Mariko Cheifetz. Cheifetz is my family name, from my Polish-Ukrainian-Lithuanian Jewish family members who fled persecution in Eastern Europe over 100 years ago. If you know my parents, serving in San Francisco Presbytery, you know that I pronounce our name differently. I have no tattoos or body piercings and never snuck out at night to joyride or get high. I...

I was really mad about racism today, and reminded that we are all more than our worst moments (derived from Sister Helen Prejean's ministry and work). Some folks thought this liturgy was pretty good, so I'm posting it in case anyone else wants to use it. 
 MLK Worship January 20, 2016 Presbyterian Center Chapel Original by Laura M. Cheifetz, and quoted text from from Great Thanksgiving H in the Book of Common Worship (and also Scripture) 
 Invitation 
 Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God. They have come from east and west, from north and south. They came in great joy and with great suffering. They were invaded, colonized, abducted, trafficked to generate wealth for others, their governments overthrown so that others might profit, their lands stolen from them and their children. They are the ones who spread suffering throughout the world, colonizers, invaders, traffickers, and enslavers, overthrowing governments for their own small-minded desires...

This is the first blog post for the Companions on the Inner Way retreat. You may find the second blog post here: Seeking Home: Where Do We Come From? Here are the other blog posts: Seeking Home: Where Do We Come From?  Who Have We Become? UnBelonging Exile and Belonging Beloved I am delighted to spend this week as the blogger for the summer Companions on the Inner Way retreat (more information at www.cotiway.org ), a “guided retreat grounded in the Christian tradition. By honoring body, mind and soul, companions are invited to the inner journey with the Spirit.” It is an ecumenical gathering at the Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center at Lake Tahoe. (If you want to make my heart flutter, say “ecumenical” or “Lake Tahoe.”) This week’s theme is “Seeking Home & the Practice of Belonging.” The featured speaker is Enuma Okoro, who is a fabulous human being, author, speaker, and consultant. You can find her at http://enumaokoro.com/ First, a word a...

Welcome to the blog series celebrating the 2015 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, inspired by the "Our New Day Begun" series celebrating Black History Month by the Rev. Tawnya Denise Anderson. This month, you will read profiles of Asian Pacific American Presbyterian leaders, spanning many generations and ethnicities. Check back throughout May for more profiles! 
A look at other posts: Presbyterians Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month The Rev. Charlene Han Powell The Rev. Phil Tom The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow The Rev. Yena Hwang The Rev Joann Haejong Lee The Rev. Shawn Kang The Rev. Neal Presa The Rev. Jim Huang Joey Lee is the Executive Presbyter of the  Presbytery of San Jose , and lives in San Jose, California. Are you a “cradle Presbyterian,” or did you come to the tradition later in life? I am a “cradle Presbyterian,” and God willing, will complete that phrase “…to grave Presbyterian.” I was baptized as an infant at Montview Boulevar...