We Can Rise Again

We Can Rise Again

by | Feb 9, 2026

I first wrote this article back in 2020 as “Can We Rise Again?”; at that time I’d hoped that we were nearing the end of the Covid pandemic and that Easter would see us gathering again without fear or masks. That was not to be.

Six years later, our nation faces other trials – immigrant families terrorized in our city streets, the history of minorities – of our very beginnings as a nation – being eradicated from public places and school books, LGBTQ rights being questioned, and women’s voices and those of religious minorities being silenced or ridiculed.

As with the Covid pandemic, disappointment has given me pause. I’m no different than the disciples—they, too, hoped for a quick Kingdom victory. Instead, they lost Jesus to crucifixion. The disciples feared they had no future—we are consumed by constant bad news. The disciples did not know about Jesus’ resurrection; we are agnostic about when and how this ends.

We say we are an Easter people, but the persistent question is, can we rise again?

I say we can.

It’s not easy to maintain a strong belief in possibility in the face of frightening news. Even the disciples had a hard time with it.  

But, Jesus believed that he would rise again. In other words, Jesus believed in possibility.

 

Jesus Believed in Possibility 

Several times in the Gospels, he confided in his disciples that things would get very dark, very bleak. However, the light would dawn again. Jesus told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days He will rise.” Mark 9:31

Not only did Jesus believe in the possibility for himself, he thought it for his disciples. He told them that even though they would all scatter once he was threatened, he would still be there for them. “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Mark 14:28 Indeed, he met them on the path as they headed back to Galilee.

 

Soulful Step 

Right now, right here—amid disappointment and discord—it’s time to up your faith in a positive, albeit unseen, future. The bleaker the circumstances, the more critical it is to believe in possibility. Besides making your voice heard, standing up for the oppressed, taking real action to help others both in your community and in the nation, thinking in opportunity is the most critical thing you can do right now.

 

Embrace the Belief  

As your soul makes room for this new level of belief in possibility, use the DARE model to embrace and embody the idea. Adapted from Dream Like Jesus: Deepen Your Faith and Bring the Impossible to Life, this model invites you to use your imagination to call forth something new into being.

 

DARE to Dream

DREAM:

  1. Begin to dream now of what a positive future could look like.
  2. Focus on your future habits, gratitudes, family life, or congregational structure.
  3. Allow the Holy Spirit to shape your vision and guide your thoughts and actions.

ALIGN: Align yourself with God by receiving divine courage, comfort, and confidence to dare to dream. Then invite others into your dream of a new future by sharing it out loud.

REALIZE: We have realized just how precious our human connection is. Reach out to those who might be feeling neglected, or even fearful, at this time. Show them by your actions that you’re there for them.

EXPAND: Watch how one good idea expands into others. Watch how spirits rise, buoyed on the life-giving stream of possibility. I know many people who had never taken to the streets to practice 1st Amendment right who are now speaking out for others without fear. As clergy leadership, it’s especially important to be on the front lines of fighting injustice.

 

Apostolic Action

Build your resilience to fear, resignation, and hopelessness by carrying good news on your lips. The time to act is now.

I know it’s not easy to maintain a strong belief in possibility in the face of frightening news. But as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “I was not afraid of the words of the violent, but of the silence of the honest.”

We can rise again, and we WILL rise again. As Jesus did. Join me on that journey.

 

 

Adapted and edited from “Can We Rise Again?”, March 29, 2021.

Copyright © 2026 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

 

 

7 Tips for Keeping Cool in Hot Times

7 Tips for Keeping Cool in Hot Times

by | Jul 23, 2024

I first published a version of this blog in July of 2016 during the campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Once again, we’re looking at either President Trump or our very first “Madame President” and what could be a contentious campaign season with polarizing politics, fastidious fact-checking, and flaring tempers. On a pastoral level, we’ve seen thousands of churches disaffiliate from the UMC since the 2019 special session decision. Throw in an unprecedented heatwave or two and we’re really experiencing some hot times!

That being said, I thought this was the perfect time to revive these 7 tips, with some revisions. I think they’re just as pertinent today as they were in 2016.

How do we stay cool in hot times? How do we keep the lines of communication open when we honestly disagree with each other?

 

Keeping Cool

My 7 tips for Keeping Cool in Hot Times are derived from my work with emotional intelligence.

 

1) Assume the best about others; not the worst. In 2016 when this blog was first published, I’d also written one about the election of Karen Oliveto to the episcopacy after which I received quite a bit of push-back.

Both then and now, I assumed that the colleagues whose opinions differed from my own cared every bit as much as I did about what is right and holy and good. We’ve had some good, heart to heart conversations about our assumptions.  If you catch yourself thinking that yours is the only right way—this tip will be hard.

 

2) Ask how questions, not why questions. Why questions put people on the defensive. How questions encourage people to think creatively.

Ask “How did you arrive at this position?” instead of “Why do you think this way?” to get a better understanding of the other person’s reasons and story. Then, feel free to share how you came to your position on the issue.

 

3) Open your ears, not your mouth.  When you’re talking to those who you don’t always agree with, listen to their answers. Really listen. Don’t just wait for them to pause so you can slip in your rebuttals. As you listen, you might just discover more similarities between the two of you than differences.

Identifying your shared humanity is an important part of staying cool in hot times.

 

4) Practice disagreeing without cutting others off. When it comes to hot topics, the usual response is to avoid, or to push away from another, and be done with them. Kick the dust off your heels and move on.  Sometimes love actually requires us to stay connected in spite of disagreement. This is hard to do, but necessary.

In the groups I lead, we encourage a wide variety of theologies and perspectives, and work at staying at the table together.

 

5) Fact check, fact check, fact check. Just because someone repeats a talking point, or says it louder than others, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily true. Dig deep. Get the facts. They’re likely more complex than you first understood. This goes for everything from presidential politics to church politics to international politics.

 

6) Pray for each other. Ask God what you can do to forward the Kin(g)dom in the midst of change and upset. And how you can be kind toward those who misunderstand you and do good to those whom you fear may hate you.  Ask to see things from another’s perspective.

 

7) Resist being hijacked. Fear activates the reptilian part of our brain that’s wired for fight or flight. It can also activate the limbic part of our brain that’s wired for emotion. So intense can the emotion be, that it literally hijacks our thinking and our responses—leading us to say things we might not otherwise say or do things we might later regret. The neocortex part of our brain is activated by higher-order thought processes like logic.

So, avoid gossip, reputation-bashing, and either-or thinking. While it feels powerful in the moment, it intensifies polarization. It’s hard to take words back once they’ve been spoken. Instead – pause, breathe, pray, and see what sort of logical or creative responses you can generate.

 

Yes, we are again in hot times, but by practicing these 7 tips, we can learn to keep our cool while, possibly, finding common ground with those around us.

Want to discover more about how to navigate intense situations with a cool head? Check out my upcoming free online seminar, How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success: An Intro to Creating a Culture of Renewal.

 

Updated and revised from original publication, July 2016.

Copyright © 2024 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

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Does Your Church Have Laryngitis?

Does Your Church Have Laryngitis?

by | Apr 25, 2023

Does your church have laryngitis? You’ll know by how you answer this question: What is your church speaking up about? Or, What is your church known for? If you answered: We are known for being friendly or we welcome anyone, then chances are what you’re really saying is “not much.” In that case, your church may have lost its voice. It may have laryngitis.

As people committed to the Kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, we are also called to make ethical decisions about right and wrong: what you will stand for, and what you won’t.

While laryngitis is mostly benign in humans, it’s usually indicative of a systemic problem in churches. I want to share with you what that problem is, three fears that drive the problem, and three ways to transform the fear so that we can speak with a clear, strong voice.

 

Losing Our Native Tongue 

The problem I see is that churches confuse ethics with politics. If it’s being discussed on the news or in Congress, then it must be politics. For many churches, that means the topic of conversation is now off-limits. But that kind of self-censure limits our ability to speak our native tongue: the language of ethics. Ethics encompasses values, principles, ideals, right and wrong, virtue and sin. Meanwhile, we have left ethics to the politicians. While we claim laryngitis.

I’m not saying that re-claiming our voice is easy. It’s not. Whether we’re talking about chronic poverty, immigration, human trafficking, gay and transgender people, economic injustice, gun violence, or human impacts on the precious planet we call home the ethical issues before us are tough, tough, tough.

Reclaiming its voice is the hardest thing a church will do. But it is also the most freeing.  Because it causes us to truly depend on the grace of God, to walk in the footsteps of the great Hebrew Prophets, and to emulate Jesus himself.

 

Fears

While Adam Hamilton has done an excellent job of “Confronting the Controversies,” I’d like to address 3 fears that often get in the way of churches dealing with ethical issues:

  1. The fear of alienating people through controversy, or causing division, which in turn could mean losing financial givers.
  2. The fear of delving into politics, especially if it puts us on the wrong side of where our people are, either red or blue.
  3. The fear of losing a focus on the love of Christ, or straying too far from the spiritual.

 

Fear of Alienating People through Controversy: Though the church needs money and tithes to operate, being clear on issues of ethics, is of extreme importance. As a church leader, our congregations listen to, and often, respect us and our views.  If we don’t possess the courage to name as sin the assaults on transgender and people of color, or the abuse of immigrants, mass shootings. Or if we are not able to stand up against laws that favor corporations at the detriment of the poor, then are we being true to Christ’s teachings? Are we being true to ourselves and our vocations? We can’t be ambiguous on issues that affect our fellow travelers on this planet, or the planet itself.  We must have the courage to risk speaking up.

Speaking Tip #1: It’s not easy to speak truth to power. And sometimes it’s not easy to speak truth to those we know and love, to our faithful congregations. But overcoming the fear of controversy is essential to creating a planet on which we can all live in peace. You may lose people. But you may end up gaining more than you lose. Either way, you’ve done what Jesus would do.

 

Fear of Politics:  I understand the fear of delving into politics. That’s shaky ground and sure to turn off some people. The trouble is, the public arena is where ethical issues are often debated and outcomes determined. I suggest bypassing political parties and personalities while exploring the underlying ethical issues being debated. When we deal with hot issues from an ethical or biblical standpoint, we put things on more neutral ground.

Speaking Tip #2: Dealing with ethics does not mean telling people how to vote or think. It does mean helping people explore the sources that can inform our thinking, especially scripture, experience, tradition, and reason.

 

Fear of Straying from Christ:  People want and need to be grounded in the love of Christ. Dealing with ethical issues actually aids this. I think of ethics as the love of neighbor in action. Why would we leave that to career politicians?

Speaking Tip #3: Frame ethical matters in terms of love. This brings issues back into our territory and allows us to speak with authority and confidence.

 

The Power of Speech

While Martin Luther King Jr’s example has guided several generations of dreamers, a new incarnation has taken center stage recently, Pope Francis. In his brief tenure, he has managed to speak up on key issues facing the world from re-establishing good relations with Cuba, to living wages, to climate change, to the humanity of the LGBTQ community. Is he dealing with the political? Or the ethical? I’d say its love of neighbor on a grand stage.

Speaking Tip #4: Not sure how to begin speaking up? In the style of the prophets, we can use our voices to ask: Who is hungry? Who is thirsty? Who is rich? Who is poor? Who is included? Who is excluded? Once those dynamics are identified, we can approach it from the perspective of Jesus and his ministry. WWJD?

 

Finally, be sure to immerse yourself in prayer and study. Let the still, small voice guide you in reclaiming your own voice from the malaise of laryngitis. Who knows…it just might change the world.

If you are having trouble as a Christian leader reclaiming your voice, I would love to help. I have coached many leaders, successfully reclaimed their voice and found new strength in speaking up to injustice in the world. Reach out if you need coaching or just to share your thoughts!

 

Adapted, updated and reprinted from original posted February 2015.

Copyright © 2023 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

Should Gender Matter in Christianity?

Should Gender Matter in Christianity?

by | Mar 14, 2023

Several years ago, it made the news when fundamentalist preacher John MacArthur told the very popular evangelical Bible teacher, Beth Moore, to “go home”, putting on clear display his thoughts on women in church leadership. He warned that “empowering women makes weak men” and “weak men make everybody vulnerable to danger.”  Today, John MacArthur’s church is back in the spotlight, with news of the very real and tragic consequences of this type of sexist and disempowering teaching.

Studies around the world show that empowering women is the key to developing economies, family well-being, better nutrition, and equal rights. So, why is there still confusion about the role of women in churches with some denominations still not recognizing female clergy and leaders?

Rather than derail Christianity, the full participation of women in all aspects of Creation is the fulfillment of the Christian impulse.  A look at Judaism reveals why.

Judaism is built on the power of distinctions.  The creation stories exemplify the distinctions between the first six days and the other days of the week; between the sun, moon and stars; between plants and animals; and between humans and God.  The evening prayer in Judaism plays on those themes by glorifying the distinctions between night and day, and between sleep and activity. Havdalah, the blessing that ends the Sabbath, lauds the differences between holy and secular, and between Sabbath and the rest of the days of the week.  Ancient Jewish prayers even prompt men to pray with thanksgiving that they were not made a woman, a gentile or a slave.  Distinctions matter in Judaism.

Christianity goes in a decidedly different direction.  Rather than playing on distinctions and dualities, Paul has a vision of integration. “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Indeed, women play a major role in the Gospels.

This theme of unity and integration is further celebrated in the New Testament. Consider the story of Pentecost.  When the Spirit comes, all hear a unifying message in their own language. This unity is celebrated as people share in a common life, a common purse, and a common purpose.  Finally, we see in Revelation 7:9-10 that all tribes, peoples and languages have a common trajectory—unity within the oneness of God. 

So what’s with the controversy about gender distinctions, including the rejection by so many mainline Christian churches of our LGBTQ and transgendered brothers and sisters?  Why are confident and powerful female leaders treated differently than their male counterparts?

I wonder if the focus on gender isn’t indicative of deeper problems in the church. Like decline in worship, influence, and imagination.  Todd Anderson, a former District Superintendent in the West Ohio Conference, told me, “The church is only in decline where the status quo is enforced.”  He should know.  Every District Superintendent past and present is painfully aware of how the status quo stifles new life.  That’s why Todd worked across state lines, district lines, and conference lines to create new, experimental ministries. And they worked.

Decline is not a Christian value. The status quo is not a Christian value.  Women preaching, turning things upside down, is. That’s what lets new life in.

Interestingly, even Judaism itself has moved toward integration.  While distinctions still matter, female clergy are beginning to be ordained in the orthodox world. 

Bottom line:  Equality, leadership ability, and inclusion in the church should not be limited by gender.

Respecting and appreciating the value of each and every human being transcends gender.

 

Copyright © 2023 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

The Speed of Change

The Speed of Change

by | Feb 15, 2023

As we know, change is inevitable. Technological change, while giving us access to an abundance of information and tools that a decade ago we wouldn’t have thought possible, is happening faster than ever. While this rapid rate of change can be exciting, in our churches and congregational settings it can feel overwhelming to navigate a constantly shifting landscape.

The younger members of our congregations have embraced technology since early childhood.  They grew up with iPads and phones. They read books on Kindles. They use laptops at school. They’re accustomed to navigating more change in a few months than many of us have encountered in our lifetimes! Is it any wonder that they can’t understand how we, as the church, are still debating whether it’s ok to sing songs out of “new” hymnals or to give gay and transgender people positions of leadership?

Quantum physics has shown us that observing changes the things being observed. Yet, we say that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. We tend to interpret this verse as something about the objective, unchanging nature of Jesus and, by extension, the church and morality. But our views of Jesus, the church, and morality will vary greatly depending on our circumstances, and our acceptance of change.

While that would seem to drive us farther apart, quantum physics is where science and spirituality converge. It has affirmed what we have known spiritually: Not only are all particles in the universe interconnected, but so are all humans—indeed, all of creation. More than that, since consciousness is the stuff of the universe, we are all deeply linked to the Source of All Life, our Creator, and the whole creation. And technology can facilitate and increase that spiritual connectedness!

Here’s the trouble. Church culture still functions as if we are living in Newtonian, maybe even biblical times. “If the King James Bible was good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!” But the world has moved on. Most young people consider themselves to be “spiritual.” But they have little to no experience with “organized religion” nor, often, do they want that experience.

The speed of change has taken on new relevance since the COVID-19 global pandemic. Suddenly, if churches were to continue to serve people, they found they had to quickly move online, including worship, giving, Bible study, pastoral care, and fellowship. With this quick shift, more people could participate in the church’s life. Even as social distancing kept people physically apart, the rapid spread of the virus and the intimacy of connecting almost anywhere online through video have emphasized our interrelatedness. I write about how to build on the changes the pandemic wrought in Forging a New Path: Moving the Church Forward in a Post-Pandemic World.

Back to in person worship means it’s even more important for the church to wake up, smell the coffee, and embrace change! As we look forward with hope and courage into the future, let us remember that we have a unique opportunity to create an even better world than what has come before. We can do this by acknowledging our interconnectedness with one another and with God, by learning to trust the wisdom of our young people, and by creating spiritual communities that are open to change.

Even if that change sometimes moves us outside of the constraints of “organized religion.” Especially when working within our communities.

All of this requires a willingness to let go. We must be willing to let go of our need for control and certainty and, instead, explore the unknown. We must open ourselves to the transformative power of love and grace.

It is time for us to step boldly into the future, trusting that God will be with us – especially if we are willing to embrace a new paradigm of the interconnectedness of all things and let go and adapt to the new normal. This is how we will create a new Christianity that is alive, vibrant, inspiring, and relevant for all ages.

If you want to learn more, check out my latest book Forging a New Path:Moving the Church Forward in a Post-Pandemic World. In it, you will learn practical steps to move the church forward into a new era of unity, understanding, and love.

 

Copyright © 2023 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

What My First Marriage Taught Me About Acceptance

What My First Marriage Taught Me About Acceptance

by | May 24, 2021

What My First Marriage Taught Me About Acceptance

 

Even though we weren’t married long, my first marriage taught me about acceptance. Doug, my first husband, was a smart, funny, kind person; a man of deep faith, and a lawyer by training. He had a heart of gold. He served as a guardian ad litem in the court system for children in precarious situations.

But Doug had a persistent, hidden pain.  He couldn’t reconcile his inner spirit—his gender identity—with the body he was born into and the gender he was assigned.  He wrestled with it from the time he was a small child and carried this pain into adulthood. Many years later, after our brief marriage dissolved, Doug finally transitioned into the life of a female and became known as Danyel.

While this decision came with a deep sense of relief, there was also a great price to pay. While Doug was beloved, Danyel was disowned by a sister. Other friends couldn’t hang in there either.  But even through all her personal changes, Danyel, who has since passed away, continued the professional work of  advocating for the dignity and safety of children.

Challenging Topics for Leaders

I don’t pretend to understand what it feels like to wrestle in this way.  Or even why some people experience gender dysphoria. However having personally witnessed a slice of the searing journey Doug took to become Danyel, and the peace that at last came with it, I have nothing but respect for the courage of trans people.

Over the years I have come to know a handful of other men and women with similar stories. Each of them, interestingly, has been a professional person with deep convictions about their calling in life. While I don’t know Rev. Megan Rohrer, the newly elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, it sounds like she shares a similar journey to the folks I have known.  She is the first openly trans person to be elected Bishop of a mainline denomination.

As a leader, you may be asked to comment on the connection between Bishop Rohrer, the Bible, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. While her election doesn’t directly impact the United Methodist denomination, it does give you a chance to reflect theologically and personally on what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God, to be a beloved child of God, and to experience grace.

I don’t know what you will say, or even how you feel about this. But I would like to offer some questions for you to consider how to frame challenging topics.

How to Frame Challenging Topics

1) How to disagree without demonizing?

How can you talk about experiences like this that fall outside the norm, the expected, in such a way that you do not demean, demonize, or dehumanize people? Neither the people in favor of it, nor the people against it, nor the people who don’t understand it, or don’t care? Truth is, most people have their own inner conflicts. Hearing how you address this topic will help them consider their own unspoken concerns that may fall outside the norm or the expected.

2) How to dialogue rather than jump to judgement?

How can you draw people into dialogue or inquiry rather than making snap judgements? Adding to the culture wars ethos so prevalent today doesn’t help us come together. SO many things are immediately set up as a “for or against” proposition. Taking a reasoned thoughtful approach helps people think rather than react. Also, you may have people wrestling with gender dysphoria in your congregation.  Choose your words carefully.

3) How to think theologically?

How can you use the tool of the Wesleyan quadrilateral to help people think theologically?  It’s okay for people to arrive at different decisions.  Teaching people how to think theologically is more powerful than telling them what to think. The quadrilateral also allows for people to flex and change their mind, rather than harden into a set position.

In the end, I’m grateful for what my first marriage taught me about acceptance.  I have found that telling my own story—without making others wrong—and then listening—really listening—to their story, is a powerful way to approach sensitive subjects. It allows people to be heard, and to discover something new from each other. Best of all, this approach helps us to experience the grace of God and each other’s inherent humanity in such a way that we each get to express our true selves.  That’s a gift we can give each other in the midst of challenging times.