Blazing the Trail

In this podcast episode, Reverend Patty discusses the topic of blazing the trail in ministry, particularly for women. She reflects on the struggles and challenges faced by women in various roles of ministry and shares her own experiences of being ordained multiple times. She emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's calling and relying on God's guidance. Despite facing opposition and setbacks, Reverend Patty believes in God's divine timing and plan. She has transitioned from traditional pulpit ministry to reaching people in various settings, both online and in-person. She concludes with a prayer and encourages listeners to stay strong in their faith journey. Hello everyone, welcome to Reverend Patty's Inspiration Station Podcast, where one can awaken to the inner ticker of life, live in truth and let your spirit soar, and travel with me beyond the pulpit and into the gardens. Hello kindreds, this week our topic is Blazing the Trail. Many are called and few are chosen, for all sorts of reasons. After the coronation of King Charles last week, seeing the women bishops participating in the service was such a powerful moment for me to witness. So many have blazed the trail and paid such a price to be able to serve in that capacity. It's not an easy journey. It affects women in all aspects of ministry, whether priests, pastors, teachers. Recently I saw a post by a peer sharing that she was being excommunicated due to her ordination. My response to her post was, I am called by Christ and not anyone else. What another says or does has no bearing on who I am called to be in Christ Jesus. As it says in the book of Isaiah, do not be afraid, I have called you by name and you are mine. Blazing the trail is not about fighting the opinion of another, but to step aside and be, and wait upon God for further details. I know it's easier said than done. When it came to my own ordination journey, I've been ordained more times than you can shake a stick at. I have a degree in what I call hoop jumping, because I had to literally jump through hoops to reach my goal. My first ordination was in 1996 as an interfaith minister, and that went well. There were clergy from different denominations that laid hands and prayed over me. The ceremony was very moving. It was the beginning of my ministry journey. My very first service was for a friend who lost her horse. She had the horse for 19 years and had to put him down due to an accident. His name was Rocky. I performed the service right outside the barn. As I bent over to pick up my service notes, my prayer stool brushed the horse manure on the ground. It was a humbling moment for me, and yet I felt blessed to be of service. I had times when others pushed against me because I was a woman. One time while facilitating a retreat, a woman came up to me at the beginning of the retreat and gave me a hard time. I had to pray for her and for me. At the end of the retreat she came up to me and said, at the beginning of the retreat I was totally against you. Now I am 100% for you. I nearly fell over. It's because I was able to step aside and allow God to work in this situation. There were many times I wanted to turn back because I felt it was too hard. I felt alone, and I was in despair. The only thing I could do to keep me going was believing in my heart and spirit that it was Jesus calling me to serve him in this capacity. As the psalmist writes, if today you hear his voice, harden not your heart. In 2005 I was ordained a Catholic woman priest. I served as a pastor of a small community for several years. I learned a lot in that situation. A few years after my ordination, the male bishop that ordained me recanted the ordinations of all the women he ordained, and I was one of the three. And one of the women he ordained had passed away. It was a spiritual slap in the face, but I knew there was a reason for it, and that God would reveal more to me, and he did. While it can be disconcerting, the separation can also represent freedom, and this is what happened for me. It took a long time for things to fall into place. I always trust in God's divine timing and his plan. I've moved beyond the pulpit and into the garden, meeting people where they are at, whether online or in a face-to-face service, and I remember to take Jesus with me wherever I go. As we close out this week's podcast, let's take a moment and contemplate this passage, taken from Utmost for His Highest. I pray this brings you comfort as you are moving along in your life journey or your ministry journey. Until next time, from one spiritual gardener to another, plant you and dig you later. Amen. For you can stand tall with a heart that sings, stay in honor with ears to hear, and as always, be blessed.