Rev. Dr. Michelle Bodle is an ordained elder serving in the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church and as the owner of Abide in the Spirit which strives to create sacred spaces of holy listening. She is a 2011 graduate of Drew Theological School (Mdiv) and 2022 graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary (Dmin).
Articles by Michelle
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Spiritual Practices: Writing
By Michelle Bodle This week, I spoke to a spiritual direction student about spiritual practices, sometimes called spiritual disciplines. When speaking to folks familiar with spiritual disciples, the first things that come to mind are prayer and reading Scripture or the holy text. This student was trying to explore the idea of “outside the…
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Book Review: Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds
By Michelle Bodle As many books as I have read about spiritual formation, I found Miriam Diephouse-McMillan offers something unique and deeply needed in Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds. Though I fell in love with spiritual formation in seminary, I was familiar with spiritual disciplines throughout my faith journey. Only, I…
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Re-membering
By Rev. Dr. Michelle Bodle “What or who are your grieving and how has it affected you?” The questions echoed through the gathering space at the university I was invited to volunteer as a chaplain. What came next poured out of me from a place in my own grief journey and were words that…
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Ethics of Technology
By Rev. Dr. Michelle Bodle AI and ministry. The topic has been discussed in articles and podcasts. Pastors in my area hosted a virtual workshop on designing worship using AI and other technology for Advent 2023. But it wasn’t until more recently that I really thought about the impact of technology on specific aspects of…
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Book Review: For the Love of Triumph
By Rev. Michelle Bodle and Rev. Julia Burkley In Jullia’s current call, she has a cohort of five women in her Presbytery all serving in different ministry contexts. They are her people- people who call each other when they need advice, who sit with a cup of tea and joyfully chat about the funny…
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Walking with Grief
By Rev. Michelle Bodle In January 2021, I lost one of my champions and people who loved me the most in this world, my Pap, to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a pastor, it was one of the most difficult deaths I have witnessed, not just because it was someone I loved dearly, but because…
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Leaders Who Apologize
By Rev. Dr. Michelle Bodle I’ve been thinking a lot of yearbooks – the ones with the flimsy covers that you likely received in elementary school. I’m thinking of the kind that would list what each person wanted to be when they grew up – as if your young imagination could even begin…
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Tithing Time
By Rev. Michelle Bodle When we speak of spiritual disciples, the list seems extensive. Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, listed meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration – and this is just a starting point. Other writings contain stewardship, journaling, and Sabbath. I have seen…
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Layers: Responding to Comments Pastorally
By Michelle Bodle Susan is a pastor transitioning to a new call. While introducing herself to the congregations, she engaged in conversation that one would expect around ministry, such as balancing time. But when a question came up about whether she was even trying to date or was just a workaholic, it gave her…
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Keeping It Real: Friends Who Ask the Right Questions
Rev Michelle BodleBy “Would you be asked to do that if you were married?” My friend Catherine always cuts to the heart of the matter, not mincing words. She is the person who calls out the disparity in expectations that congregations hold, either explicitly or implicitly, between single and married clergywomen. She is the…