So a divorce attorney walks into a bar…
Hi, my name is Angela, and I’m both a divorce attorney and an ordained minister. I’m also a Greek Orthodox Christian, so you could say I lead an interesting life.
I offer my clients assistance with deeply personal matters, like adoption, divorce, will creation, and probating the estate of a loved one. Often clients feel a great personal pain when they come to my office. It’s my job first to help them navigate the legal side of things and then to help them focus on continuing to live and love after great loss or great struggle.
Prayer in a Christian Life
Prayer, like law, is a practice. You don’t magically appear with all the answers one day and take a seat next to the great legal scholars of our day. You work to understand, learn, interpret, and use the law as a tool in your tool kit of life. I wouldn’t be an effective attorney if I only used the law I learned in law school, refusing to grow through research.
Similarly, it is unrealistic to expect to lead a good Christian life without prayer and refection.
Often times, we think that if we are going to do a thing we need to be perfect. Work, school, and play; we assume our perfection will give us this unknown power that we are missing.
Prayer isn’t like that, nor should it be. Prayer allows you to honor the little imperfections in life and gives you permission to reflect and to grow.
I’ve had clients ask to pray with me before we begin a custody action. They want to honor their feelings and take the next step on this mysterious journey with God by their sides.
Prayer in My Life
Prayer led me on a path away from the church for a while. I learned that the people I met in church were preventing me from having a quality relationship with God and with a religion I loved. So what did I do? I:
- moved to a different state
- lost a few family members
- came back to the church for funerals and remembered why I left
- prayed on returning to the church
- and always kept my prayer book close
Prayer was like an apron string that I could tie around my soul that kept me connected to God. Eventually I found my church in my new city, met some wonderful people along the way, and continued my walk with God. I researched prayers, used apps for prayer and for fasting through the church, and even read a blog post or two. I found the balance that I wanted in my life and my journey.
Which leads me to my current situation, an ordained minister who also performs divorces.
Or you can call me a divorce attorney who can marry those who wish to be married before family, friends, and the Lord.
I want to help people in any way I can. At times help appears as a divorce; other times, as a marriage. Either way I want to have a positive impact on those around me. By God’s grace, I’ve found a way to leverage my desire both to help people and to grow in my walk with God into an interesting day job.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. -Galatians 5:22-23
Legal disclaimer: I am licensed to practice law in Kentucky and as such can’t provide legal advice to anyone outside the state. If you have any questions about family law, feel free to contact me through my website.
How do you help people through both your personal and your professional life?
- A Divorce Attorney Walks Into a Bar - August 24, 2017