Rev. Jo Anne Taylor

This bears repeating over and over, loudly.

Screen shot of survey question “is America headed in the right direction under the Trump administration?”

This happened here in southern Minnesota, Brad Finstad’s hometown. Made the front page of the local paper. Today I got an email from Finstad’s office with the subject “I want to hear from you”. It was a one question survey. Apparently there is no limit to the number of times I can respond.

Blog | Spiritual Direction with Julia Styles Blog of Christian Spiritual Practices for connecting with God and self

Need a Lenten devotional to follow? Here’s one created by women clergy, that you can download. I’m honored to have participated in this project, and I hope it adds meaning to your Lenten journey. Here’s the post from Julia Styles’ website: www.spiritualdirectionwithjulia.com/blog?fbclid=...

There’s this book l was really excited about, so I put it on my Christmas wish list. 25 pages into it, I realize I am not the target audience for this book. Now I don’t know what to do with it, because the person who gave it to me is sitting right next to me, anticipating my joy. There is no joy.

I’m not talking about the junk they have to throw away, but the items they put out on display that never get sold?

What does the thrift store do with all the donated items they can’t sell?

I couldn’t find my Bach Christmas Oratorio recording until I was putting away all the other Christmas music this week. So we’ve been listening to it in installments over the past few days. Didn’t realize how much I had missed having this ear worm!

It is! We light the candles only a few times each year. This is the 42nd version of this tree.

Christmas tree with real candles glowing

This is how we celebrated NYE - how was yours?

Happy fifth day of Christmas!

I guess a few of you still need this reminder from Lady Mary…

A Word of Invitation for Christmas Eve I have long thought it was pointless to write a sermon for Christmas Eve. I mean, how many Christmas Eve sermons have you actually remembered afterward? Hmm? Yeah, me too. Not one. So I’ve alw…

I’m not preaching anywhere this Christmas, but if I were, this is the message I would bring. If you are a preacher struggling to get it all done this week, accept this as my gift to you. pastorsings.com/2018/12/24/a...

Beware the Ghost of Christmas Future Imperfect Conditional, friends.

I need your best pimiento cheese recipe stat. Especially if it has a secret ingredient!

Apricot chutney!

Someone commented on a sermon I posted 3 years ago on YouTube “God repents!? Where does it say that in the Bible? God doesn’t repent!” Um, check Genesis 6, 1 Chronicles 21, and Jonah 3. God can change God’s mind if she wants to.

Christmas jam!

Yesterday was peanut butter fudge and Christmas jam-making day. Today it’s apricot chutney and sending Christmas cards day. How are your holiday preparations going?

They even let a farmer park a trailer there after Halloween, where people could drop off their pumpkins to become pig food! The site is well maintained, and they shred & turn the compost piles regularly. Logs and branches become wood chips for mulch.

We just took a trailer load of yard waste to the city compost site, and brought back a trailer load of finished compost. The garden is going to be so happy in March, and I am so grateful our little community has this FREE resource!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

YouTube video by Composey Music I Choose

My good friend and former colleague wrote a beautiful song for children to sing. Choral directors, I think it is published by Sweet Pipes. Recently performed at the American Orff-Schulwerk convention. I am so proud of her, but mostly I want you to hear this. And have hope. youtu.be/h15JefxmRgk?...

We’ve achieved the Answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything: 42 years of wedded bliss! Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!

I’ve missed you! So glad to see you here!

So grateful for this list - thank you!

Protector parts at work in this case, I think?

Last summer I spent some time in the microfiche files of my hometown newspaper, reading about my dad’s arrest and trial in 1963. It was a traumatic time for my whole family, but I was not surprised to find I had “remembered” those events quite differently than they actually happened.

I need a polite answer to the often-asked question, “so what are you doing now that you are retired?” Because my first impulse is to say, “I’m retired - why do you assume I have to be doing anything?” Suggestions?

I don’t know about cool, but so far my family and former parishioners haven’t found me here like they did on Threads, so it feels a little safer? Welcome aboard.

Evensong was lovely.