Period Pastor Podcast

Karie Charlton

My name is Karie Charlton, and I'm the period pastor. I menstruate, I care about women's issues, and I believe in God. Sometimes, it's hard to be all of those things at once. But I feel called to connect faith and feminism. To learn more about my work, click on the link below.

  1. 08/04/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 51

    Psalm 51 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition Psalm 51 Prayer for Cleansing and PardonTo the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God,    according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy,    blot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,    and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions,    and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned    and done what is evil in your sight,so that you are justified in your sentence    and blameless when you pass judgment.5 Indeed, I was born guilty,    a sinner when my mother conceived me. 6 You desire truth in the inward being;[a]    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness;    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins,    and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and put a new and right[b] spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from your presence,    and do not take your holy spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,    and sustain in me a willing[c] spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,    and sinners will return to you.14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,    O God of my salvation,    and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. 15 O Lord, open my lips,    and my mouth will declare your praise.16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.17 The sacrifice acceptable to God[d] is a broken spirit;    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;19 then you will delight in right sacrifices,    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 51
  2. 08/04/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 19

    Psalm 19New Revised Standard Version Updated EditionPsalm 19God’s Glory in Creation and the LawTo the leader. A Psalm of David. 1 The heavens are telling the glory of God,    and the firmament[a] proclaims his handiwork.2 Day to day pours forth speech,    and night to night declares knowledge.3 There is no speech, nor are there words;    their voice is not heard;4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth    and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens[c] he has set a tent for the sun,5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,    and like a strong man runs its course with joy.6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens    and its circuit to the end of them,    and nothing is hid from its heat. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect,    reviving the soul;the decrees of the Lord are sure,    making wise the simple;8 the precepts of the Lord are right,    rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the Lord is clear,    enlightening the eyes;9 the fear of the Lord is pure,    enduring forever;the ordinances of the Lord are true    and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold,    even much fine gold;sweeter also than honey    and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;    in keeping them there is great reward.12 But who can detect one’s own errors?    Clear me from hidden faults.13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;[d]    do not let them have dominion over me.Then I shall be blameless    and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart    be acceptable to you,    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 19
  3. 08/04/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 107

    Psalm 107 Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,    for his steadfast love endures forever.2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,    those he redeemed from trouble3 and gathered in from the lands,    from the east and from the west,    from the north and from the south.[a] 4 Some wandered in desert wastes,    finding no way to an inhabited town;5 hungry and thirsty,    their soul fainted within them.6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,    and he delivered them from their distress;7 he led them by a straight way,    until they reached an inhabited town.8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,    for his wonderful works to humankind.9 For he satisfies the thirsty,    and the hungry he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,    prisoners in misery and in irons,11 for they had rebelled against the words of God    and spurned the counsel of the Most High.12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;    they fell down, with no one to help.13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,    and he saved them from their distress;14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,    and broke their bonds apart.15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,    for his wonderful works to humankind.16 For he shatters the doors of bronze    and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were sick[b] through their sinful ways    and because of their iniquities endured affliction;18 they loathed any kind of food,    and they drew near to the gates of death.19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,    and he saved them from their distress;20 he sent out his word and healed them    and delivered them from destruction.21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,    for his wonderful works to humankind.22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices    and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. 23 Some went down to the sea in ships,    doing business on the mighty waters;24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,    his wondrous works in the deep.25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,    which lifted up the waves of the sea.26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;    their courage melted away in their calamity;27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards    and were at their wits’ end.28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,    and he brought them out from their distress;29 he made the storm be still,    and the waves of the sea were hushed.30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,    and he brought them to their desired haven.31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,    for his wonderful works to humankind.32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people    and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert,    springs of water into thirsty ground,34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,    because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.35 He turns a desert into pools of water,    a parched land into springs of water.36 And there he lets the hungry live,    and they establish a town to live in;37 they sow fields and plant vineyards    and get a fruitful yield.38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,    and he does not let their cattle decrease. 39 When they are diminished and brought low    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,40 he pours contempt on princes    and makes them wander in trackless wastes,41 but he raises up the needy out of distress    and makes their families like flocks.42 The upright see it and are glad,    and all wickedness stops its mouth.43 Let those who are wise pay attention to these things    and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 107
  4. 02/25/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 22

    Psalm 22New Revised Standard Version Updated EditionPsalm 22Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and HostilityTo the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;    and by night but find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises of Israel.4 In you our ancestors trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5 To you they cried and were saved;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not human,    scorned by others and despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me;    they sneer at me; they shake their heads;8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—    let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” 9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb;    you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.10 On you I was cast from my birth,    and since my mother bore me you have been my God.11 Do not be far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls encircle me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13 they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15 my mouth[a] is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs are all around me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;they bound my hands and feet.[b]17 I can count all my bones.They stare and gloat over me;18 they divide my clothes among themselves,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away!    O my help, come quickly to my aid!20 Deliver my soul from the sword,    my life[c] from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued[d]me.22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;[e]    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;    stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24 For he did not despise or abhor    the affliction of the afflicted;he did not hide his face from me[f]    but heard when I[g] cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.26 The poor[h] shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the Lord.    May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the Lord,and all the families of the nations    shall worship before him.[i]28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,    and he rules over the nations. 29 To him,[j] indeed, shall all who sleep in[k] the earth bow down;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    and I shall live for him.[l]30 Posterity will serve him;    future generations will be told about the Lord31 and[m] proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,    saying that he has done it.

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 22
  5. 02/25/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 25

    Psalm 25New Revised Standard Version Updated EditionPsalm 25Prayer for Guidance and for DeliveranceOf David. 1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.2 O my God, in you I trust;    do not let me be put to shame;    do not let my enemies exult over me.3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;    let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;    teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all day long. 6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! 8 Good and upright is the Lord;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in what is right    and teaches the humble his way.10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 11 For your name’s sake, O Lord,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12 Who are they who fear the Lord?    He will teach them the way that they should choose. 13 They will abide in prosperity,    and their children shall possess the land.14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,    and he makes his covenant known to them.15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17 Relieve the troubles of my heart,    and bring me[a] out of my distress.18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20 O guard my life and deliver me;    do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all its troubles.

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 25
  6. 02/25/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 50

    Psalm 50New Revised Standard Version Updated EditionPsalm 50The Acceptable SacrificeA Psalm of Asaph. 1 The mighty one, God the Lord,    speaks and summons the earth    from the rising of the sun to its setting.2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,    God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and does not keep silent;    before him is a devouring fire    and a mighty tempest all around him.4 He calls to the heavens above    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”6 The heavens declare his righteousness,    for God himself is judge. Selah 7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,    O Israel, I will testify against you.    I am God, your God.8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;    your burnt offerings are continually before me.9 I will not accept a bull from your house    or goats from your folds.10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine,    the cattle on a thousand hills.11 I know all the birds of the air,[a]    and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,    for the world and all that is in it is mine.13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls    or drink the blood of goats?14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]    and pay your vows to the Most High.15 Call on me in the day of trouble;    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 16 But to the wicked God says,    “What right have you to recite my statutes    or take my covenant on your lips?17 For you hate discipline,    and you cast my words behind you.18 You make friends with a thief when you see one,    and you keep company with adulterers. 19 You give your mouth free rein for evil,    and your tongue frames deceit.20 You sit and speak against your kin;    you slander your own mother’s child.21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;    you thought that I was one just like yourself.But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 22 Mark this, then, you who forget God,    or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;    to those who go the right way,[c]    I will show the salvation of God.”

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Psalm 50
  7. 02/24/2024

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Pslam 147

    Psalm 147New Revised Standard Version Updated EditionPsalm 147Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem 1 Praise the Lord!How good it is to sing praises to our God,    for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.3 He heals the brokenhearted    and binds up their wounds.4 He determines the number of the stars;    he gives to all of them their names.5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power;    his understanding is beyond measure.6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;    he casts the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;    make melody to our God on the lyre.8 He covers the heavens with clouds,    prepares rain for the earth,    makes grass grow on the hills.9 He gives to the animals their food    and to the young ravens when they cry.10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse    nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[a]11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,    in those who hope in his steadfast love. 12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!    Praise your God, O Zion!13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;    he blesses your children within you.14 He grants peace[b] within your borders;    he fills you with the finest of wheat.15 He sends out his command to the earth;    his word runs swiftly.16 He gives snow like wool;    he scatters frost like ashes.17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—    who can stand before his cold?18 He sends out his word and melts them;    he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.19 He declares his word to Jacob,    his statutes and ordinances to Israel.20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;    they do not know his ordinances.Praise the Lord!

    Like One Who Watches For The Morning: Pslam 147

About

My name is Karie Charlton, and I'm the period pastor. I menstruate, I care about women's issues, and I believe in God. Sometimes, it's hard to be all of those things at once. But I feel called to connect faith and feminism. To learn more about my work, click on the link below.