Welcome to Blest Be the Tie! I’m Joann White, a writer, pastor, spiritual director, and enthusiast of wild places.
I’ve been writing for most of my life. My fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Carter read my first efforts at poetry and accused me of copying. In the sixth grade, I won a Young Author award for my mystery The Churchyard Phantom, the story of a girl detective who cracks a diamond smuggling ring run out of the local church. I have kept a journal for most of my adult life as a tool for reflection, prayer, and spiritual growth. For the past two decades, much of my writing has been for the church: sermons, newsletter articles, prayers, reports, and the weekly Blast. At some point, I figured out that writing is one of the things that God put me on earth to do, and I’ve tried to use my gift to honor and serve the Lord ever since.
Perhaps this little introduction about how I am using my gifts to grow as a public theologian, author, and servant of the Kingdom of God has got you thinking about your gifts. How is Jesus calling you to use your abilities to reach out and bless the world?
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.”
—Habakuk 2:2-3
Something to Eat
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Something to Eat” Matthew 14:13-21 If your last trip to the grocery store left you scratching your head and wondering where the money goes, you are not alone. U.S. consumer prices rose 3.4% between August 2025 and August 2026 with a number of economic factors contributing to that spike. Gasoline prices…
Invite Everyone
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Invite Everyone” Matthew 22:1-14 July third was the wedding of the decade as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce tied the knot in Madison Square Garden with 1,000 of their closest friends in attendance. The bride and groom both wore white—a custom haute couture gown and…
Bear with Me
Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Bear with Me” 1 Cor. 1:10-18, Eph. 4:1-3 Wherever two or more are gathered, we can trust that there will likely be a quarrel. We may like one another well enough now, but this church has a uniquely fractious history. It dates to our earliest years. In July of 1890, Rev.…
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