Beauty Tips for Ministers
Because you're in the public eye, and God knows you need to look good.
Welcome, NIGHTLINE Visitors!
March 16, 2007 on 1:45 am | In Beauty Tips' Greatest Hits, PeaceBang In The News |
Welcome to PeaceBang’s Beauty Tips For Ministers!
As you can see, this is not a swanky blog with lots of hip graphics and brilliant organizational concept. This blog was started about a year ago by a minister for other ministers, to address the problem of our so often failing to communicate our inner vibrancy through our exterior appearance. Or as I put it, “the de-frumpification of the American clergy.”
I, your humble correspondent, am a lady of the cloth, not of the internet. I wouldn’t know an HTML code if it walked up and bit me on the nose. It is for this reason that I am particularly thrilled that a generous reader of this blog is going to re-design it soon so that it will be a lot more user-friendly and organized. Look for our freshly snazzed-up appearance somewhere around Easter, just when ministers are most in need of some snazz in our lives, wouldn’t you say?
Beauty Tips for Ministers is a on-line community of clergy– and includes some non-clergy readers who either just want either a good laugh or seek about how to dress professionally in a “casual Friday” world. We have readers from six different countries that I know of, and I conduct an enthusiastic private consultation with any minister who sends me an e-mail asking for advice. (Contrary to what was suggested on “Nightline,” no one in my congregation asks me for fashion advice!! In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should reveal that we do occasionally discuss shoes at meetings and I did once receive a fabulous red lipstick as a Christmas gift from a parishioner.)
I am not paid by anyone for anything that I write, so if you were wondering if CoverGirl is slipping me a check for every time that I sing the praises of their Outlast All-Day Lipcolor in Blush Pearl, the answer is “No, but if anyone from CoverGirl is listening, wouldn’t I be totally cute in a commercial?”
Scroll away, friends new and old. In these postings you will find heated arguments about shoes (no flip-flops! EVER!), rapturous recounting of the virtues of the Simple White Blouse, stern admonitions to gentlemen to Use Thy Norelco Nose Hair Trimmer, explanations of exfoliation, discussions on what to wear for a day that includes a funeral, a legislative session, a home visit, and a pizza party with the youth group, and general encouragement to all clergy to shine like the illuminating presence they were called to be– however charismatic or gentle, prayerful or prophetic, old, young, gay, straight, feminine or masculine, fat, thin, tall, short, bald or lushly-maned they happen to be.
As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” No matter how gloriously spiritual any of us may be, we meet people not through the radiance of our souls first, but through a simple human encounter in bodily form. And frankly, if we think that religious community is the greatest place to be in order to get the deepest, most transformational experience of life, we should project that through the part of us that actually gets out of bed in the morning.
That is the gospel according to PeaceBang.
Simply put, I am the self-appointed Stage Mother to all ministers, and I want all my babies to be stars.
If you’re interested in reading my sermons as the Reverend Victoria Weinstein, stop by our church website at www.firstparishnorwell.org. My writing as PeaceBang and my parish ministry with First Parish Unitarian Church in Norwell are distinct and separate from each other, but my congregation and I want to take this rare opportunity to invite you to share our ministry on Boston’s South Shore.
If you’re interested in the exciting, free faith tradition known as Unitarian Universalism, visit our Association’s web site at www.uua.org.
If you’re a publisher with a book deal, why yes, I’m definitely interested.
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy Beauty Tips For Ministers, and may God bless your life with beauty, joy, health and peace.
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Comment by Chalicechick — March 16, 2007 #
Awesome stuff lady - I pray for many blessings in your life, online or not
Thank you for providing fashion ideas that aren’t vain, but classy and modest while being beautiful.
Comment by starfish — March 16, 2007 #
Hip hip hipster hurrah to dear Peacebang! Congratulations again….
Comment by juniper68 — March 16, 2007 #
OMG! Last night, we arrived at the hotel turned on the TV and my daughter said Hey a UU minister! I said how do you know? She told me, I looked up and I said HEY that’s that’s that’s you know, that bloggerrrr oh man what’s her name (it was late, forgive me). Way cool! We saw you!
Comment by Denise — March 16, 2007 #
Yea! Thanks for the heads up. I Tivo’d it last night and watched it first thing this morning. What a great piece! They showed your gravitas, but kept your sense of humor, too. Congrats.
Comment by Sarah K. — March 16, 2007 #
I missed it! I’m so sorry! Will it be available to see on YouTube or something? I checked the Nightline website and couldn’t locate it. I am physically incapable of staying awake until 11:35 p.m. Help!
Comment by ms. kitty — March 16, 2007 #
Hello Peace Bang
Question for a future post -
Advice for Male Ministers with Long Hair, particularly for General Assembly.
-A (prayerfully) new UU Minister
Comment by joseph — March 16, 2007 #
What a wonderful welcome to the Nightline folk. You, as I have said before, ROCK. But also, PB, your vibrant spirit is unbelievably real and joyful and illuminating in your writing and work. Wow!
Comment by karlassi — March 16, 2007 #
Congratulations! I watched last night. Your warmth and humor really came through. Please don’t rule out a regular tv show
Comment by Shelby Meyerhoff — March 16, 2007 #
PB,
I checked the blog yesterday when I got home, caught the Nightline update and immediately set the DVR. Just now watched, you do Rock. I work in corporate america and much of what you say is applicable to the women there as well. Congratulations on your TV debut. Let’s hope there is more.
Bonnie in California
Comment by Anonymous — March 16, 2007 #
argh, i missed it….any chance they will put the video online?
Comment by jeff — March 16, 2007 #
You were FABULOUS!
Comment by revmama24 — March 16, 2007 #
Ack!!! I stopped reading this blog for just a few days (thinking you’d be in NYC for awhile, and not writing). And I can’t believe I missed it. You Tube didn’t look at all promising. The ABC Nightline site turned up zeros. I am SO BUMMED. I need pastoral care. Any idea how I can see this segment?
Your fan, Gidget
Comment by Rev. Gidget — March 16, 2007 #
Hey gang, never fear. I’m sure the segment will be up on the web site in due time, and we’ll get a clip out there.
Thanks for all your support! I thought it was fun.
Comment by PeaceBang — March 16, 2007 #
That Godman pastor in the baseball cap and baseball T-shirt should read your blog, PB. Not only does he look like a slob, but his attitude is terrible. “If they don’t like what I’m wearing, they can go someplace else.” What kind of pastoral attitude is that? Is that how we show respect to our parishioners? I think not!
Bless you for all you are doing for our ministries.
Judy Welles
Comment by Judy Welles — March 16, 2007 #
Hi Peacebang, i am not a minister but a very frumpy librarian from New Zealand who is enjoying reading your tips.. wish I could have watched you on TV!
Comment by kay — March 16, 2007 #
Welcome, Kay! Glad to have you reading from Down Under!
You’re the second shout-out from NZ this week, very exciting.
I hope this blog can help you find the visual statement you want to make about how thrilling and important a place a library is.
To me a library represents the repository of the world’s wisdom and the democratic ideal that knowledge be available to all people. Librarians are the High Priests and Priestesses of Wisdom. Go out there and be fabulous.
Comment by PeaceBang — March 16, 2007 #
I watched and thought the piece was good, PB. Congratulations!
Comment by Psalmist — March 17, 2007 #
OK, so where do I find my favourite black flats, with tooled leather and little tassles, Etienne Aigner, since the pair I have had since 1993 has holes in the soles? I don’t wear heels because of nearly taking down the credence table one Sunday morning years and years ago, the one time I wore heels (pre-ordained life).
Comment by Caminante — March 17, 2007 #
I don’t know, chica, but these are kind of classic:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/19766633/c/4640.html
Comment by PeaceBang — March 17, 2007 #
Hola, Peacebang –
Just learned about this on the minister’s chat, and as I sit here in labor with my second child (first was 16 years ago!), I am wiggly with joy (and, frankly, other sensations).
One thing I am interested in “talking” about (read: writing more about, conversing with others, theosophizing) is tattooing & GenX ministers/try. Have any thoughts?
- A.
Comment by revuumama2 — March 21, 2007 #