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Rock That Collar: A New Clergy Style Blog

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!

So many of you have asked about a capsule wardrobe for clergy and Rev. Catherine Healy has answered your prayers. She has written a handy-dandy guide with which I most ardently agree (except for a few little details) and BEST OF ALL, she is planning to launch a new blog on the subject of clergy image and fashion.

My dearest pigeons, PeaceBang has been the lone blogger on clergy image and attire for over ten years, and she is very, very tired. Not tired of speaking to and with colleagues about our work, but tired of feeling pressure to repeat the same messages and finding fresh images to illustrate those points. I feel that it really all is in the archives at this point.

I love writing about the work of ministry and you can’t help but have noticed that my posts in the past couple of years have been far more often on the arts of ministry than on specific on clothing and grooming. All told, I have authored almost 2,900 posts and read and interacted with many thousands of comments. I have answered hundreds of personal e-mails and occasionally picked up the phone to talk you through an interview or important moment.

I am happy to still do this if you want to keep reading, but I am thrilled unto pieces to know that more voices will be part of this conversation. PeaceBang is old now. She will always have an independent on-line ministry of some kind, but she wants to write a book. She wants to combine her two blogs and design one PeaceBang portal for all her readers to access her thoughts and ideas. She wants to do congregational and clergy consulting as time permits. She wants to continue to ministering to ministers. She will always consider herself to be the Stage Mother to clergy.

Above all, of course, she is a parish minister who, right now, is deeply absorbed in a very exciting and challenging time in her congregation, developing a big initiative and also working hard on social justice concerns.

She congratulates Ms. Healy on the start of what she hopes is a brilliant new venture and would like to take her out for coffee, since we live pretty close.

Allons! Kiss of peace, dears. Can I stop referring to myself in third person now? That gets really tiring.

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Let’s Talk About Books

I know this isn’t our usual subject, darlings, but this is a personal favor. I realize that I don’t use most of the books in my lovely personal library. I’ve read most of them, I treasure many of them, but I feel that I need a serious overhaul in my worship resources section, which includes poetry, anthologies, essays and theology.

What I especially seek are collections such as Spiritual Literacy: Reading The Sacred In Everyday Life by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. You know, those “little gem” books.

My tradition is not Christian, so please keep that in mind. We draw wisdom from many world traditions and although we’re not allergic to Jesus Christ, we are more broadly Theist, pantheistic and Humanist.

I am also hoping to find recommendations for really hot theology — heavyweight suggestions.

I read a huge amount of sociological type stuff online and in the newspapers and magazine subscriptions, so unless something is super fab, that’s not the subject matter I’m looking for.

Thanks for inspiring me.

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Short Hiatus

Dearly beloved, PeaceBang is just as exhausted as you are.
She is taking a week off from blogging.

When she returns she wants first to respond to the clergywoman who took one look at her gently, flowy self in the mirror a couple of days ago and said, “Nope. This fluffy-haired, softy-comfy look is not where I am at. This does not reflect the image I want to promote. I need to make some changes. How?”

That, and more, when I return.
For now, take care of yourselves and your people as best you can.

Much love, PB

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PB Is Writing

Darling pigeons,

Let this be the summer that PeaceBang FINALLY wrestles this blog into book form!

That’s what I am doing instead of posting. Wish me luck!Photo on 7-23-16 at 12.30 PM #3
I’m at the Salem Athenaeum clicking away on my laptop

Much love.

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Mea Culpa

Dearest Pigeons!

From time to time I feel the need to apologize to the many of you who send me e-mails and sometimes photos and to whom I say, “This is a great question, let’s bring it to the blog!”

And then I don’t.

This is because I am a full time minister with a house and a dog and a cat and no helpful BTFM secretary to organize my blogging and on-line advising life for me, not because I don’t love you!

Also, I forget. Like you, I have a billion things swirling around in my mind; even when on vacation.

Ha ha about vacation, right? I’m so grateful I get it! I get a nice, long one! But I dunno about you, I’m thinking about church every day and organizing files and my library, drafting sermons and worship services, designing our new website, and did I mention thinking about church and ministry and activism most of the day?

It’s just who I am, and who many of us are.

I am also working on a BTFM BOOK, which is HARD.

I just wanted to say hey and hi and ho there, Mickey Mouse Club-style.

Please know that I am not at all offended if you contact me and say, “So, hey, Victoria, you were going to do a post about my bloddy bla, and that was a year ago, do you think you might still write about that?” I would actually be GRATEFUL for the reminder. Chances are I even have a draft somewhere!

How about the insanity reigning in our nation, huh, U.S. readers? Lord have mercy, have MERCY.

I have a tiny silver lining, which is that my Spanish seems to be good enough to talk to neighbors about voting, and I intend to register new voters this fall.

I loved Jon Stewart’s harangue from last night, when he thundered at the GOP for their vile tactics and among other things, said that they do not own America, they do not own patriotism, they do not own appreciation for the work of the armed forces and public safety professionals like cops and firefighters. Goddamn it, yes.

I just keep repeating, calmly, that Black Lives Matter is one of the most important civil rights movements of our time. It does not condone — you know what? WHY DO I EVEN NEED TO SAY THAT? I don’t even need to say that here. I pray, pray, pray for your leadership in your respective communities. There is so much pain, but there is also “discomfort,” which is the feeling white people get when their loving pastors push them beyond their personal feelings (“I’m not racist!”)and toward an understanding of the system that is racism. If you serve a privileged white community, please take a look at Debby Irving’s book Waking Up White.

Please carry on. Show up and keep showing up, and you can tame those frizzy fly aways with a dab of hand lotion – did you know that?

Grateful for you and for our calling.