Opinion

I’m a Youth Pastor and I Will Not Apologize for My Cargo Shorts

Young man standing defiantly in a church parking lot wearing stuffed cargo shorts and flip-flops, hands on hips

Exhausted man at a home desk in total darkness lit by a single lamp, journals stacked beside a French press

I Followed Every Productivity Guru’s Morning Routine and Now I Wake Up at 2 AM

I journal, meditate, exercise, cold plunge, and read twelve pages of nonfiction before my neighbor’s rooster is awake. I have never been more exhausted.

Grant Fessler · March 4, 2026

Suburban house with Christmas lights and deflated snowman still on the lawn, spring crocuses emerging in the flower beds

Opinion

My Neighbor’s Christmas Decorations Are Still Up in March and I’m Starting to Think It’s a Theological Statement

The inflatable snowman has been deflated since January but remains on the lawn like a fallen soldier. The lights come on every night at 6. I have questions.

Beverly Ashford · March 6, 2026

Woman in her sixties standing proudly in a church fellowship hall doorway holding a foil-covered casserole dish

Opinion

I Brought a Casserole to Every Church Event for 20 Years and Not Once Has Anyone Asked for the Recipe

It’s a green bean casserole with a twist. The twist is love. And smoked paprika. No one has noticed either.

Doris Beckman · March 5, 2026

Older man at a cluttered church office desk surrounded by ledger books, reading glasses on nose, neutral careful expression

Opinion

I’m a Church Treasurer and I Know What You Give. I’m Not Judging. I’m Just Saying.

The books are balanced. My thoughts are my own. But if you drove a new BMW to the stewardship banquet, I noticed.

Harold Keenan · March 7, 2026

Modest white parsonage house next to a church building, worn path connecting them, bicycle against the porch railing

Opinion

As a Pastor’s Kid, I Can Confirm the Parsonage Is Not as Fun as You Think

I grew up in a house owned by a committee. The carpet was chosen by vote. The thermostat was a congregational matter.

Rachel Ostrander · March 8, 2026

Man at a home office desk with a thousand-yard stare, empty coffee mugs around him, window showing day turned to night

Opinion

I Read the Terms and Conditions. All of Them. I Am Not the Same Person I Was Before.

It took eleven hours. I now know things about my rights that I wish I didn’t. I have agreed to things that cannot be undone.

Philip Cavanaugh · March 9, 2026

Man in a church pew with mouth wide open mid-exclamation, congregants on either side leaning away with startled expressions

Opinion

I’m the Guy Who Says ‘Amen’ Too Loud During Sermons and I’m Not Stopping

The pastor flinched last Sunday. The woman in front of me dropped her bulletin. I regret nothing.

Curtis Rayburn · March 10, 2026

Worried man sitting on the edge of a couch with hands clasped between his knees, empty doorway looming behind him

Opinion

My Wife Said ‘We Should Talk’ and I Have Already Prepared Three Apologies for Things I Haven’t Done

I don’t know what I did. I have drafted responses for what I might have done, what I probably did, and what I definitely did but forgot about.

Neil Sturbridge · March 11, 2026

Exhausted parent at a kitchen table buried in scattered workbooks, colored pencils, and crumpled papers, children's art on the fridge

Opinion

I Homeschooled My Kids Through a Pandemic and Now I Understand Why Moses Wandered for 40 Years

It wasn’t divine punishment. It was just what happens when you’re responsible for a group of people who refuse to follow basic instructions.

Janet Colegrove · March 12, 2026

Opinion

I’m a Youth Pastor and I Will Not Apologize for My Cargo Shorts

I Followed Every Productivity Guru’s Morning Routine and Now I Wake Up at 2 AM

My Neighbor’s Christmas Decorations Are Still Up in March and I’m Starting to Think It’s a Theological Statement

I Brought a Casserole to Every Church Event for 20 Years and Not Once Has Anyone Asked for the Recipe

I’m a Church Treasurer and I Know What You Give. I’m Not Judging. I’m Just Saying.

As a Pastor’s Kid, I Can Confirm the Parsonage Is Not as Fun as You Think

I Read the Terms and Conditions. All of Them. I Am Not the Same Person I Was Before.

I’m the Guy Who Says ‘Amen’ Too Loud During Sermons and I’m Not Stopping

My Wife Said ‘We Should Talk’ and I Have Already Prepared Three Apologies for Things I Haven’t Done

I Homeschooled My Kids Through a Pandemic and Now I Understand Why Moses Wandered for 40 Years

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