I have a confession: I am a forty-something, mid-western mom with a pile of degrees, a failed marriage, no assets, and no idea what the rest of my life is going to look like.

Confession number two: I am beginning to think that there is a great adventure tucked within this unexpected reality.

My final and seemingly unrelated confession is this: I’ve grown a little weary of Sunday morning sermons.

Before the judgment of the spiritually elite comes crashing down on me, allow me to provide some context. The circumstances of life have led me to vocational uncertainty, learning new skills, and dreaming new dreams. However, up to this point, my career has consisted of the title of ‘Pastor’ and holding coveted positions in higher education. As a pastor's kid and a pastor myself, I have spent much of my life sitting in a seat in front of a pulpit or preaching a sermon behind a pulpit, metaphorically speaking.

As I find myself tossed between the extremes of chaos and boredom in mid-life, I am drawn further and deeper into the conviction that nobody needs a podium or position for their life to speak. I'm weary of the status quo of simply checking off a box by listening to a sermon. It just doesn’t cut it as I wrestle with and celebrate the complexity of my own humanity. It just doesn’t cut it for all of humanity that is designed for community and relationship. It seems that creation is groaning for something more personal and meaningful, for purpose and peace. It is this stirring in me that has led me to seek to live "Life as Pulpit" and invite others to join in.

Life as pulpit? What does that even mean?

A pulpit is a podium in the sanctuary of a church and usually after a few songs are sung and a few prayers are voiced, the pastor gets up and talks behind it, typically preaching and teaching about scripture from the Bible and applying it to life somehow. As a pastor's kid, I am very familiar with this structure, the pulpit. My dad stood behind it every Sunday while I sat in the front row with my mom and sisters. (The goal was to avoid being disruptive for fear of the wrath of my mother and the humility of being yanked out of the service. If that dreaded walk of shame was to happen, I was sure to meet the designated fate of a really good whooping!) In our current context, many pastors and preachers choose to trade in the structure of the traditional pulpit for a table, or they walk around the stage with notes on an iPad, or memorize the message.

Regardless of the set up, the essence of the pulpit is the same. There been many times throughout my life that a message spoken from a pulpit has spoken directly to my heart, at just the right time. I’ve sensed the nearness of God. There has been challenge and growth and affirmation. Yes, the pulpit holds the potential for great positive impact.

However . . .

The nature of the pulpit generally lends itself to power rather than mutuality, authority rather than friendship, guardedness rather than vulnerability, judgment rather than mercy, and lecture rather than conversation. At the least, I think that it is this perception that keeps many people away from church. Although this isn't always the case, the nature of the pulpit also can communicate that it is only the pastor who has the knowledge and connection with God to inspire and challenge and encourage. But here's the real deal: Nobody needs a podium or position for their life to speak. Some of the best sermons of my life have been preached to me by a friend or colleague sitting across the table from me at the coffee shop. I've encountered the presence of God walking silently with a friend. Conversation with the bartender about the trials of life and where we find guidance and hope is divine.

It is in the ordinary places and moments of daily life that purpose is found. Common spaces provide opportunities for conversations or silent interactions that are more raw and meaningful than a 30-minute sermon. My life speaks to yours and your life speaks to mine.

The coffee shop, a car ride, the bar, the kitchen, the salon, the couch, the back porch . . . these are all places that provide a pulpit for life to speak.

Anticipation, grief, disappointment, sadness, anger, joy, insecurity . . . these are all emotions that provide a pulpit for life to speak.

Music, art, media, dance, photography, travel, nature . . . this is the stuff of life that provides a pulpit speaking profound messages to the soul.

Amidst the doubts and dreams of life, what if we simply live each moment as an opportunity for meaning, purpose, connection, growth, peace, love, and passion. So much passion! What if we capture the moments when your real life speaks to mine and my real life speaks to yours in unexpected places? What difference would it make in our lives to intentionally reflect on the raw emotions, circumstances, mistakes, and victories of life that inspire, encourage, break, and challenge us?

Will you consider joining me in figuring out what it means to live “Life as Pulpit”? Here are a few simple ways to get started:

• Live with Passion.

  Dare to dream. Take risks. Say and do hard things. Laugh. Cry. Feel. Speak. Listen.

• You are Unique.

  Your life has so much to offer the world with every interaction and every conversation. Be unrelentlessly and unashamedly you.

• Learn.

  Learn from mistakes and successes. What is everyday life teaching you? What are the circumstances of the world teaching you? What are your questions and doubts and hopes and dreams teaching you? Learn. Learn. Learn.

• Identify Places.

  Every place you go provides an opportunity for your life to speak and for someone else to speak hope and truth and peace into your life. What places do you go on a regular basis? Think about the places you go to work, shop, relax, exercise, eat, socialize, worship. Reflect on the conversations you have in those places, the people you know and meet, the way that you feel, and expect the unexpected!

• Be Inspired.

  Inspiration is a choice. We have bought into the narrative that it is the responsibility of something or someone outside of ourselves to inspire us. It is the author’s fault if a book doesn’t provoke inspiration. A songwriter has failed if the music doesn’t stir us. We may even blame God for our dull emotions on a cloudy day. Choose inspiration.

• Train.

  Intentionally living life with purpose everyday doesn’t come naturally. It is going to take practice. Give yourself and also make a plan and stick to it. This will look a little different for everyone. You may want to meditate or begin writing in a journal. Reflect. Ask questions. Go to new places. Meet new people. Share real stories. Be open to those who are different from you. Find a friend that you can meet with weekly to talk about what you are learning, what is inspiring you, and unexpected meaning in unexpected places. Engage every service provider you encounter with kindness and a smile. Step out of your comfort zone and have a conversation longer than five minutes with a stranger at least once a week. If this is already comfortable for you, do this at least once every single day. Choose to make every moment matter.

See what I did there? That wasn’t plan, but I decided to embrace the cheesy factor and go for it. I hope that you will go for it too. Go for every opportunity and don’t miss a moment.

Welcome to Life as Pulpit, an experiment in finding meaning and message in the mundane, mistakes, mischief, and the messiness of life!

-Tam XOXO

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