What to do when awaiting a first call? Make a Substack of course!

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NRSVUE

When I was in college a little over a decade ago (yuck), there was a trend of having the ‘perfect’ Instagram bio. Usually the formula was:

Name

College and anticipated graduation year

Sorority (if you were in one)

Your home state

Bible verse

The Bible verse in my bio was the verse listed above. Being a Spanish major with minors in Latinx studies and International studies, this was about as close as I would get to declaring any sort of faith life. But the idea of justice, kindness, and being humble were the perfect trinity for my tumultuous young adult years. These are central pillars in my own life, inside and outside of ministry settings. And they are pillars that I have had to remind myself frequently of now in the current world that we live in.

Since I am currently awaiting a call within my own denomination, I figured I should keep my brain in a sort of “preaching mode” while I wait. To be completely clear from the beginning, I am going to try my best to stay on top of this as much as possible. However, there will be times where maybe a sermon won’t be posted, and instead you will receive/read some sort of rant of how the Bible is being weaponized by someone currently. Or maybe it will be a response to an event, or maybe it is just giving space for us to say “this is some bullsh*t and I need to vent about it.”

Here is what you can expect from me as I write:

1. I’m going to be honest, but faithful.

One attribute I have always appreciated in preachers is a truth-telling skill. Preachers who can name what is currently happening in the community around them and what the Christian response is, always get bonus points in my book. Communities of faith, in my opinion, respond better when their preacher names what they are experiencing and makes them feel seen. Too often I’ve heard of sermons that completely avoid the issues happening and try to sugarcoat trauma or will try to bright side you. That is not how I roll. What I will do is sit down next to you and say “this absolutely sucks” and then eventually swear about it.

2. I might swear, occasionally.

I don’t know when the perception came about that preachers shouldn’t swear, but some of the most foul-mouthed people I’ve ever met are now clergy (lol). While I don’t plan on filling an entire page with swear words, there are some biblical stories where one can’t help but say WTF. I’m sure you can think of a few. If swearing offends you, consider this my apology.

3. I am writing from a specific context.

Let’s just get this out in the open now. I am a queer, nonbinary, caucasian, ELCA approved candidate. I am partnered and living in the Mountain West. I have been Lutheran my entire life and intend on staying that way (unless shit really hits the fan). However, having grown up in Mexico and being fluent in Spanish (hence the degree in it), I am able to interact with the world a bit differently than what my outside presentation might suggest.

4. I am going to make mistakes.

One of my biggest challenges in seminary was “not sounding academic enough”. My Lutheran Foundations professor once said “if you can’t explain it to an eight year-old, you have no business trying to explain it to an eighty year-old. And that’s the motto I am sticking with. If I use big words, I promise to explain them or link them to someone who is better at explaining them. However, because I am human, like we all are, I am going to make mistakes. If I commit a gigantic heresy, pray for my soul, otherwise, just shoot me a message and I will try to amend it.

5. and finally, I invite your prayers during this time.

As I mentioned above, I am currently awaiting a call to be a pastor somewhere. This is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I thought. However, I am trying my best to lean into the whole “trusting the Holy Spirit” thing and not rush things. If things change, I will let you know. Your prayers are always invited, and please know that I am praying for you too (whoever you may be reading this.) Otherwise, this is the best way to see what is currently happening in my little corner of the universe.

Thanks for reading these ramblings.

Asher

(Pictured is one of our cats, Aspen, living her best life. She will probably come up a few times.)

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