Rev. Val
@revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Pronouns: she/her/savage rebel. Pastor of a fully inclusive UMC Reconciling Ministries church in East TN. 4th or 5th generation (and cradle) Methodist. Straight CIS Ally and Dem. Watch those clobber verses. I tend to clobber back.
Pinned
Rev. Val
@revsheseesfar.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Intro post: I'm a UMC LLP, pastoring a 140+ yo rural church (unanimously reconciling & fully inclusive) in an ultra-conservative East TN county adjacent to Knoxville. My flock is 60-70% LGBTQ. They opted to turn their educ. wing into a transitional housing shelter (Bruno Project). 1/4
When God says “Go,” you don’t have to be ready.
You don’t have to be worthy.
You don’t even have to be willing.
You just have to stop running. #BeUMC
youtu.be/wfzEC1o2hVI?...
You don’t have to be worthy.
You don’t even have to be willing.
You just have to stop running. #BeUMC
youtu.be/wfzEC1o2hVI?...
When God Says Go
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
January 18, 2026 at 5:11 PM
When God says “Go,” you don’t have to be ready.
You don’t have to be worthy.
You don’t even have to be willing.
You just have to stop running. #BeUMC
youtu.be/wfzEC1o2hVI?...
You don’t have to be worthy.
You don’t even have to be willing.
You just have to stop running. #BeUMC
youtu.be/wfzEC1o2hVI?...
I'm introducing 3 new online ministries this year ... inclusive, doctrine- and indoctrination-free messages for youth ages 0-18. (I won't tell if grownups listen, too!)
#BeUMC #childrenschurch #youthministry
#BeUMC #childrenschurch #youthministry
January 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I'm introducing 3 new online ministries this year ... inclusive, doctrine- and indoctrination-free messages for youth ages 0-18. (I won't tell if grownups listen, too!)
#BeUMC #childrenschurch #youthministry
#BeUMC #childrenschurch #youthministry
The waters were still when Jesus stepped in.
Not stormy.
Not chaotic.
Just still—
like the hush before something holy.
And then, it happened ...
#BeUMC
youtu.be/gAPw-B6c1Do?...
Not stormy.
Not chaotic.
Just still—
like the hush before something holy.
And then, it happened ...
#BeUMC
youtu.be/gAPw-B6c1Do?...
Anointed for Justice
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 4:48 PM
The waters were still when Jesus stepped in.
Not stormy.
Not chaotic.
Just still—
like the hush before something holy.
And then, it happened ...
#BeUMC
youtu.be/gAPw-B6c1Do?...
Not stormy.
Not chaotic.
Just still—
like the hush before something holy.
And then, it happened ...
#BeUMC
youtu.be/gAPw-B6c1Do?...
I had a moment. What can I say? They hit my last nerve. Must be my day to drive a tent peg in the skull of the patriarchy.
#BeUMC #smashthepatriarchy #toxicmasculinity
youtu.be/kr98yR74aJo
#BeUMC #smashthepatriarchy #toxicmasculinity
youtu.be/kr98yR74aJo
On Masculine Leadership, Public Hangings, Tent Pegs, and Mallets
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
December 10, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I had a moment. What can I say? They hit my last nerve. Must be my day to drive a tent peg in the skull of the patriarchy.
#BeUMC #smashthepatriarchy #toxicmasculinity
youtu.be/kr98yR74aJo
#BeUMC #smashthepatriarchy #toxicmasculinity
youtu.be/kr98yR74aJo
It's the second Sunday of Advent, and we're lighting the candle of Peace. Peace is not polite.
It’s prophetic.
And it starts with us.
#BeUMC #advent #uniongroveumc #blountcountytn #church #hepingzhanshi #jesus #peace
youtu.be/YwwpOpeXS7I?...
It’s prophetic.
And it starts with us.
#BeUMC #advent #uniongroveumc #blountcountytn #church #hepingzhanshi #jesus #peace
youtu.be/YwwpOpeXS7I?...
Peace for the Powerless
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 5:25 PM
It's the second Sunday of Advent, and we're lighting the candle of Peace. Peace is not polite.
It’s prophetic.
And it starts with us.
#BeUMC #advent #uniongroveumc #blountcountytn #church #hepingzhanshi #jesus #peace
youtu.be/YwwpOpeXS7I?...
It’s prophetic.
And it starts with us.
#BeUMC #advent #uniongroveumc #blountcountytn #church #hepingzhanshi #jesus #peace
youtu.be/YwwpOpeXS7I?...
A little something for the "Littles" this first week of Advent.
December 6, 2025 at 10:50 PM
A little something for the "Littles" this first week of Advent.
A patriarchal father asked his daughter about preserving the family line.
She answered:
“You know men don’t have wombs, right?
Home is where the woman is — I am my own temple.”
That sound you hear?
Generations of assumptions cracking.
#BeUMC #women
revsheseesfar.substack.com/p/i-am-my-ow...
She answered:
“You know men don’t have wombs, right?
Home is where the woman is — I am my own temple.”
That sound you hear?
Generations of assumptions cracking.
#BeUMC #women
revsheseesfar.substack.com/p/i-am-my-ow...
I Am My Own Temple
A Reflection on One Perfect Line from a Chinese Drama - Every once in a while, a line from a drama hits so hard you feel it in your bones. This one did.Three sentences.Three hammer blows.And suddenly ...
revsheseesfar.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
A patriarchal father asked his daughter about preserving the family line.
She answered:
“You know men don’t have wombs, right?
Home is where the woman is — I am my own temple.”
That sound you hear?
Generations of assumptions cracking.
#BeUMC #women
revsheseesfar.substack.com/p/i-am-my-ow...
She answered:
“You know men don’t have wombs, right?
Home is where the woman is — I am my own temple.”
That sound you hear?
Generations of assumptions cracking.
#BeUMC #women
revsheseesfar.substack.com/p/i-am-my-ow...
Welcome to the first Sunday of Advent, where the whole world is waiting—not with dread, but with holy anticipation. Today we begin with Hope: not as a feeling, but as a decision. Even in the shadows, we light the candle. #BeUMC #Advent #hope #worship
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6goR...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6goR...
Hope is Born in the Waiting
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
www.youtube.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Welcome to the first Sunday of Advent, where the whole world is waiting—not with dread, but with holy anticipation. Today we begin with Hope: not as a feeling, but as a decision. Even in the shadows, we light the candle. #BeUMC #Advent #hope #worship
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6goR...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6goR...
My church paid thousands every year for insurance—one claim, an act of God—and the insurer still dropped us. Not because of damage, but because of risk. And in America, a church that shelters the vulnerable is “too risky” to insure.
#BeUMC
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
#BeUMC
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
When the Wolves Guard the Gate
How the Insurance Industry Is Quietly Deciding Which Churches Get to Live - We paid faithfully for years. One storm hit, one claim, one sigh of relief—and then the letter came: “We will not be renewin...
open.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:40 AM
My church paid thousands every year for insurance—one claim, an act of God—and the insurer still dropped us. Not because of damage, but because of risk. And in America, a church that shelters the vulnerable is “too risky” to insure.
#BeUMC
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
#BeUMC
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
God be with them. :(
#BeUMC
#BeUMC
Grim scenes in Hong Kong, death toll continues to rise at the apartment complex fire. Police have already arrested 3 executives at the construction firm and begun seizing documents
youtu.be/nRvJ2LmTMvs
youtu.be/nRvJ2LmTMvs
Hong Kong high rise fire: Is there any hope to still find survivors? | DW News
YouTube video by DW News
youtu.be
November 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
God be with them. :(
#BeUMC
#BeUMC
I kinda' sorta' did a thing ...
#BeUMC #booksky #authorsky #biblestudy #devotional #progressivechristianity
youtube.com/shorts/qU4_J...
#BeUMC #booksky #authorsky #biblestudy #devotional #progressivechristianity
youtube.com/shorts/qU4_J...
I Kinda' Sorta' Did a Thing ...
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I kinda' sorta' did a thing ...
#BeUMC #booksky #authorsky #biblestudy #devotional #progressivechristianity
youtube.com/shorts/qU4_J...
#BeUMC #booksky #authorsky #biblestudy #devotional #progressivechristianity
youtube.com/shorts/qU4_J...
There’s a reason so many of us flinch a little at the word “king.”
It carries baggage—of conquest and control, of thrones built on backs instead of justice, of power used not to serve but to dominate.
#BeUMC #HepingZhanshi #churchsky #jesus
youtu.be/oICGEcvIQBE?...
It carries baggage—of conquest and control, of thrones built on backs instead of justice, of power used not to serve but to dominate.
#BeUMC #HepingZhanshi #churchsky #jesus
youtu.be/oICGEcvIQBE?...
Christos Kyrios: What Kind of King?
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 2:46 PM
There’s a reason so many of us flinch a little at the word “king.”
It carries baggage—of conquest and control, of thrones built on backs instead of justice, of power used not to serve but to dominate.
#BeUMC #HepingZhanshi #churchsky #jesus
youtu.be/oICGEcvIQBE?...
It carries baggage—of conquest and control, of thrones built on backs instead of justice, of power used not to serve but to dominate.
#BeUMC #HepingZhanshi #churchsky #jesus
youtu.be/oICGEcvIQBE?...
Growing Older in Grace is an 8-week journey for senior adults who long for gentle, honest, hope-filled spiritual companionship. This study affirms that God is not finished with us—no matter our age, our story, or our struggles.
books.by/manypathspre...
#BeUMC #biblestudy #aging #seniors
books.by/manypathspre...
#BeUMC #biblestudy #aging #seniors
November 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Growing Older in Grace is an 8-week journey for senior adults who long for gentle, honest, hope-filled spiritual companionship. This study affirms that God is not finished with us—no matter our age, our story, or our struggles.
books.by/manypathspre...
#BeUMC #biblestudy #aging #seniors
books.by/manypathspre...
#BeUMC #biblestudy #aging #seniors
Elpis — the Greek word for hope. But this isn't the wishful kind of hope that crosses fingers and waits around for things to get better. This is defiant, grounded, Spirit-breathed hope — the kind that sings while marching and plants gardens in the rubble.
#BeUMC
youtu.be/nRFRnN4D4j8
#BeUMC
youtu.be/nRFRnN4D4j8
Hope is More Than Waiting
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
November 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Elpis — the Greek word for hope. But this isn't the wishful kind of hope that crosses fingers and waits around for things to get better. This is defiant, grounded, Spirit-breathed hope — the kind that sings while marching and plants gardens in the rubble.
#BeUMC
youtu.be/nRFRnN4D4j8
#BeUMC
youtu.be/nRFRnN4D4j8
Reposted by Rev. Val
The UMC Bishops have just put out a book on how to be a disciple in the face of authoritarianism. It is from a global context. Check it out: www.cokesbury.com/Building-Bel.... #beumc
Building Beloved Community
Building Beloved Community by UMC Council of Bishops. Build inclusive communities & resist division with theological insight, practical strategies & global stories. Address extremism & racism.
www.cokesbury.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:51 AM
The UMC Bishops have just put out a book on how to be a disciple in the face of authoritarianism. It is from a global context. Check it out: www.cokesbury.com/Building-Bel.... #beumc
“Be holy, because I am holy.” These words from Leviticus are echoed centuries later by Peter. They are not a demand. They are an invitation. And they are not an invitation to some stained-glass perfectionism or high-polish performance. They’re an invitation to wholeness. #BeUMC
youtu.be/bGGfB4SBSN0
youtu.be/bGGfB4SBSN0
Holiness: Wholeness, Not Separation
YouTube video by Rev. Valerie Ohle (Rev. Val)
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 4:06 AM
“Be holy, because I am holy.” These words from Leviticus are echoed centuries later by Peter. They are not a demand. They are an invitation. And they are not an invitation to some stained-glass perfectionism or high-polish performance. They’re an invitation to wholeness. #BeUMC
youtu.be/bGGfB4SBSN0
youtu.be/bGGfB4SBSN0
They say you can’t fight for peace, that peace must come quietly, gently, without the clash of conviction. But anyone who has ever tried to love a wounded world knows better. #BeUMC #HepingZhanshi
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
To Fight for Peace
How a Peace Warrior stands firm without striking back - Peace Warriors fight differently — not to conquer, but to transform. Their armor is conviction. Their weapon is compassion. Their battlefield is...
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:09 AM
They say you can’t fight for peace, that peace must come quietly, gently, without the clash of conviction. But anyone who has ever tried to love a wounded world knows better. #BeUMC #HepingZhanshi
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
Reposted by Rev. Val
This Moment Matters — because it's "who is my neighbor," not "who is my enemy."
Will you join us in welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick?
Visit ThisMomentMatters.org
#BeUMC #ThisMomentMatters #LoveThyNeighbor
Will you join us in welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick?
Visit ThisMomentMatters.org
#BeUMC #ThisMomentMatters #LoveThyNeighbor
November 3, 2025 at 10:34 PM
This Moment Matters — because it's "who is my neighbor," not "who is my enemy."
Will you join us in welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick?
Visit ThisMomentMatters.org
#BeUMC #ThisMomentMatters #LoveThyNeighbor
Will you join us in welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick?
Visit ThisMomentMatters.org
#BeUMC #ThisMomentMatters #LoveThyNeighbor
All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls are all wrapped up in our observance of Dia de los Muertos at Union Grove UMC. Inclusivity is not only easy, but it can be lots of fun and highly educational!
#BeUMC #inclusivity #seeallthepeople
#BeUMC #inclusivity #seeallthepeople
November 2, 2025 at 10:36 PM
All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls are all wrapped up in our observance of Dia de los Muertos at Union Grove UMC. Inclusivity is not only easy, but it can be lots of fun and highly educational!
#BeUMC #inclusivity #seeallthepeople
#BeUMC #inclusivity #seeallthepeople