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revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Rev. Val
@revsheseesfar.bsky.social
8.3K followers 10K following 1.7K posts
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.
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revsheseesfar.bsky.social
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
The congregation of Union Grove on 11/2/2025. The ladies are wearing flower crowns and two of our gentlemen are wearing face paint in honor of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The group is gathered around the ofrenda. We had a charge conference to attend following worship and decided to carry our celebration there as well as gift our superintendent, Rev. Cross, with a flower crown.
November 2, 2025 at 10:36 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
#BeUMC #NoKings #StandTogether #HépíngZhànsì #goodtrouble
No Kings Protest in Maryville TN
October 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
A devotional to share across generations. Mothers and daughters walking side by side with the women of the Bible. 💜
Available now at books.by/manypathspress

It's a good way to begin to #smashthepatriarchy

#BeUMC #women #BibleStudy #Devotional #WomensVoices
September 25, 2025 at 1:58 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
They were always there. Sixty-one women across Scripture: prophets, apostles, widows, leaders, mothers, daughters. Their stories rise again in Sophia’s Daughters.
Not a footnote, but a voice. Not forgotten, but remembered.

#SophiasDaughters #BibleStudy #Devotional #Women
Books.by/manypathspress
✨ They were always there. Sixty-one women across Scripture: prophets, apostles, widows, leaders, mothers, daughters. Their stories rise again in Sophia’s Daughters. 📖 Not a footnote, but a voice. Not forgotten, but remembered. Available now through Many Paths Press. 🌿 #SophiasDaughters #BibleStudy #WomensVoices #FaithJourney #ManyPathsPress Currently available in English. Spanish and Mandarin editions are future goals. #MujeresDeLaBiblia #EstudioBíblico #VocesDeMujeres #FeYEsperanza #sophiasdaughters #圣经中的女性 #圣经学习 #女性之声 #信仰之路 #索菲亚的女儿们 Currently available in English. Spanish and Mandarin editions are future goals. Available now at books.by/manypathspress
September 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
At the heart of Sophia’s Daughters is a simple conviction: women in scripture were not side notes. They were leaders, visionaries, and witnesses to God’s unfolding story. Their voices matter — and so do ours.

#BeUMC #women
September 13, 2025 at 12:08 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
I am so tired of being warned to watch what I say/post on social media, or else they may hold it against me each annual review. Did Jesus avoid criticism? Did Wesley?
#BeUMC #speaktruthtopower Silence is complicity, and I will NOT be complicit!! #freepalestine #HépíngZhànshì
August 28, 2025 at 2:34 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
It's Here: Giving Up Bad Lexicology for Life – Volume 1 Is Out Now!

What if the problem isn’t the Bible—but the words we’ve misunderstood? books.by/manypathspre...
#BeUMC #Devotional #Theology #ChristianEducation #StudyGuide
1/7
July 30, 2025 at 7:01 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
We’re continuing our series Giving Up Bad Lexicology for Life, and talking about repentance—not as guilt or shame, but as metanoia—a turning of the heart. What if God isn’t asking you to feel worse, but to live differently? What if your turning is really an invitation to grow? #BeUMC
July 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Tomorrow's word du jour: Hamartia
Worship at 11 a.m. ET. In person or online at facebook.com/UnionGroveFriendsvilleTN
Mason jar of dirt with a plant sprouting out of it and the word, Hamartia, overlaid. Image also says Sin: It's Not What You Think It Is, Giving Up Bad Lexicology for Life
July 19, 2025 at 11:04 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Sometimes, you just have to embrace your inner rebel. If only clergy wear were this colorful.
#BeUMC
July 14, 2025 at 2:55 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
If you're in our area, join us this Sunday for the 3rd installment of our "Giving Up Bad Lexicology for Life" series. In person only.
Image of heart with a cross overlaid on it and the words Mishpat and Dikaiosyne.
July 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
What if faith isn’t certainty—but connection? This Sunday we explore pistis—faith as loyalty, as the last safe place, as the thread that still holds when belief unravels.

Don't forget to plan on staying for Thomas Talks and homemade peach ice cream after worship!
#Methodist #BeUMC
Image includes a picture of a large mustard bush with the word Pistis overlaying it.
July 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
On this day when flags fly and some celebrate power, we choose a different path.
No idols. No emperors. No fear. Just the open door of Christ and the fierce love of a people who still believe in freedom, justice, and sanctuary. Drop in. Light a candle. Sit in silence. Pray aloud. #BeUMC #NoKingsDay
On this day when flags fly and some celebrate power, we choose a different path. No idols. No emperors. No fear. Just the open door of Christ and the fierce love of a people who still believe in freedom, justice, and sanctuary. Drop in. Light a candle. Sit in silence. Pray aloud. #BeUMC #NoKingsDay
June 13, 2025 at 8:13 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
And now, for your listening pleasure ... #BeUMC
June 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
It's a protest against every system that tries to silence the Spirit. It's a promise that God’s justice can't be stopped by human fear. Let that sink in. God didn’t send down a scroll. God sent a storm. God didn’t appoint a single spokesperson. God lit a fire over every head. And then said GO
#BeUMC
It is a protest against every system that tries to silence the Spirit. And it is a promise that God’s justice cannot be stopped by human fear. Let that sink in. God didn’t send down a scroll. God sent a storm. God didn’t appoint a single spokesperson. God lit a fire over every head. And then said—go. Join us this Sunday, June 8, as we celebrate the Pentecost, the 1,992nd birthday of the church universal! Doors open at 10:30. Worship begins at 11 a.m. ET. In Person or live here on Facebook. Y'all come and get lit with us!! ;)
June 4, 2025 at 1:39 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Sharing Pride with our LGBTQIA2S brothers and sisters at Union Grove UMC, Friendsville TN.
#BeUMC #PRIDE
June 1, 2025 at 4:23 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
substack.com/@revsheseesf...
May 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
And these. My seal is on the images. You may use them freely.
May 1, 2025 at 8:42 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
"Rev. Dr. William Barber II did not shout. He did not curse. He did not storm the gates. He simply prayed — and for that, he was deemed dangerous. Because mercy is dangerous."
#BeUMC #incommoding #holyresistance
open.substack.com/pub/revshese...
May 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
"I refuse to live in Gilead."
Not as fiction. Not as fate.
I will not hand over this nation, its people, or its future to fear, cruelty, or lies.
I will not surrender truth to propaganda.
I will not let compassion be criminalized. /1
#BEUMC #resist #riseup
"I refuse to live in Gilead." Not as fiction. Not as fate. I will not hand over this nation, its people, or its future to fear, cruelty, or lies. I will not surrender truth to propaganda. I will not let compassion be criminalized. I will not trade liberty for silence. But I will stand. I will stand with the prophets who said, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." I will walk with Christ, who turned tables and taught love that liberates. I will listen to Sophia, who cries out in the streets for justice. I will remember the words of Rabbi Heschel, who said, "In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible." And I will rise—peacefully, powerfully, unrelentingly—with every soul who refuses to bow to oppression. This is the call. Not to violence, but to presence. Not to despair, but to action. Not to division, but to beloved community. If you feel it too—the shift, the sorrow, the sacred fire—then you’re not alone. We are not alone. And we are not yet finished.
March 29, 2025 at 6:28 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Brent Brown quote: "We need to dispel the myth that empathy is 'walking in someone else's shoes.' Rather than walking into your shoes, I need to learn how to listen to the story you tell about what it's like in your shoes and believe you even when it doesn't match my experiences." From Atlas of the Heart.
March 28, 2025 at 1:48 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Due to a death in Mr. DeShazo's family, this event has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Please be in prayer for Jason and his grandmother.
#BeUMC
Image of event poster
March 14, 2025 at 10:48 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Join us for worship 11 a.m. this Sunday, March 16. Our guest speaker will be Jason DeShazo aka Momma Ashley Rose sharing his story and faith journey. Joining Jason is singer/songwriter Chrissy De Pool. A potluck (carry in) fellowship meal will follow.
#BeUMC
Event flyer promoting Jason DeShazo at Union Grove UMC. Jason will be sharing his story and faith journey. Jason DeShazo also known as Momma Ashley Rose has been a family friendly drag performer for over 2 decades. All their shows and events are safe for all ages. They stay busy being a philanthropist, public speaker, activist, singer, song writer, drag performer and more! Jason/Momma is the founder and president of Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc a nonprofit based in Central Florida, works all around the country. Jason/Momma has raised 1 million dollars for charities across the country. Creating safe spaces for all ages through performance and visual arts, story times, conferences, festivals, pageants and many other types of events. They teach diversity trainings to businesses, universities and more. They teaches inclusion wherever she goes. Jason/Momma networks with many communities bringing people together from all walks of life, gender, sexuality, religious backgrounds and more. They created Miss Rose Dynasty pageant the first and only Family friendly, charity based drag pageant. They mentor LGBTQ+ youth and families providing safe spaces for them to come together while spreading the message everyone is Loved, Accepted, and Wanted! In June 2024 they opened the first LGBTQ+ center in Lakeland Florida. This is the first of its kind in their county! You can follow then through her social media, Instagram and Facebook- Mommaashleyrose or Rosedynastyfoundation Also check out all the great work on the website www.rosedynasty.org Chrissy de Pool is an inspirational singer-songwriter, recording artist from the duo band, Leaves as Butterflies, in Hartsville, TN. She has been friends with Momma Ashley Rose for over 30 years now and is an outspoken ally for the LGBTQ+ community.
March 11, 2025 at 6:21 PM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Join us Sunday, March 2, for Love That Transfigures. We'll be live on Facebook at 11 a.m. ET and in-person for those in this area. www.facebook.com/UnionGroveFriendsvilleTN
Watercolor image of transfigured Christ reads: Love That Transfigures What they were used to seeing, they no longer saw; something they hadn't seen before suddenly became evident to their frightened eyes. And what did they see? Something well-nigh indescribable.
March 2, 2025 at 3:35 AM
revsheseesfar.bsky.social
Second Sunday 1st Annual Mocktail Contest and Chili Cookoff Sunday, March 9, 2:00 pm, at The Bird and The Book in Maryville TN.
Promotional image for Second Sunday 1st Annual Mocktail Contest and Chili Cookoff Sunday, March 9, 2:00 pm, at The Bird and The Book in Maryville TN.
February 20, 2025 at 3:02 AM