Dear Grandmother Anne ‘How do we parents say farewell to our beloved children’ by Carolyn Pogue This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ Dear Grandmother Anne,Strangely, some of us don’t even know your name. When I tried to refresh my memory and read about your life in my Bible, I […]

Each week, we bring you interesting stories from around the web. Here’s what caught our eye this week! COMMENTARY We Could All Use a Little ‘Wonder’ Wonder is a great movie to ponder as Christians begin to head into the Advent season. Advent, though not a festive occasion like Christmas, has its own magic. Advent […]

by Carolyn Pogue ‘This Thanksgiving, I’m celebrating the tenacity of women and girls’ This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ . It will be a great day when “uppity women” are merely regarded as humans with brains, voice and strength. I agree with one sign I saw in a recent […]

by Carolyn Pogue While speaking freely about racism, one can always use a little bit of help from friends This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ .    My husband Bill and I drove to Ontario this summer before heading down to New Hampshire and Massachusetts to visit friends. Still, […]

Dear Doubting Thomas ‘Your story reminds me to move through the fog of fear, doubt and cynicism’ By Carolyn Pogue Sightings:  May 3, 2017 at http://www.ucobserver.org/pogue_blog Dear Thomas, Doubt hangs everywhere these days. Back in your time, just after that first Easter, you had to go against your peers to express doubt; it likely took […]

by Carolyn Pogue This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/  Reach out for what you need Dear Teacher, Thank you for demonstrating persistence, courage, belief in your own worth. We have your story although we do not have your name — only “The Woman who Bled for Twelve Years.” Was […]

by Carolyn Pogue Subversive gatherings are good for the body, mind and soul This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ . If ever there was a time for soul work, subversive gatherings and renewed focus on the common good, it’s now. That’s why I had looked forward to this past […]

by Carolyn Pogue ‘The year ahead will likely be called a year of change. But I’m afraid it won’t be.’ This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ . Dear Jeremiah, You have a lousy reputation, even after all this time. Your sad-sack, prophet-of-doom label stuck like hot tar. I doubt […]

by Carolyn Pogue After Christmas, we should keep the woman of God visible to strengthen us This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/    Dear Mary, As I imagined you being released from tissue and newspaper — and from the attics and cupboards in which you’ve waited all year — […]

by Carolyn Pogue Transformation is what we hope for in the darkness surrounding the magical story of Christmas. This posting originally appeared on the United Church Observer’s website at ucobserver.org/pogue_blog/ .   Advent is the time to get ready, even though we’re not exactly sure what’s out there in the dark. We hope that there […]