It hit me this week that it’s been over three years since I’ve regularly attended my local church, something that was such a huge part of my life prior to Covid. And now I stand in the in-between, the space between the before and after. Many people would call this “the wilderness,” a time and …
This is a follow-up to last month’s essay entitled, “An Open Letter to the Curious Christian: A call for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church.” If you haven’t read that one yet, you might want to start there. There are essentially two beliefs when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. They’re typically referred to …
Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say. -Mitch Albom I confess it’s taken me too long to write these words. So first, an apology to my LGBTQ+ friends/family/neighbors: You are beloved. I hope you already know that. I’m sorry the Church has caused you so much pain – in word, in deed, in …
In her memoir, Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor writes about a time when she was asked to speak on a topic called, “What is saving your life right now?” She says the question is so good that we must revisit it on occasion. Most of us can name the things that are suffocating us, the …
Perhaps you’ve gathered that I’m in a bit of a faith deconstruction season. Or rather a faith reconstruction season. Truth be told, I think I’ve been deconstructing since the moment I became a Christian twenty years ago, asking (too many) questions when I didn’t see Christian behavior lining up with the gospel that I was …
A voice is heard in Ramah,mourning and great weeping,Rachel is weeping for her childrenand refusing to be comforted,because her children are no more.-Jeremiah 31:15 American author Barry Lopez once said, “The storyteller’s responsibility is to remember what we are all prone to forget, and to say it memorably.” This quote sits above my desk – …
If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me? -Maya Angelou It’s taken me a lot of work to learn to love myself. I often describe myself as a “recovering perfectionist.” I can be hard on myself. My expectations are high. I’ve often felt like …
I lay the project down, fingers outstretched to relieve the cramping in both hands. The yarn wrapped tight along my size 10 needles. There are “tight knitters” and “loose knitters” I’ve been told, and I happen to be a tight knitter. A very tight knitter. I could barely get the needle beneath the yarn to …
Reflected Hi friends. I know it doesn’t seem like I’m writing, but I am. In an effort to write with more intentionality, I’ve embarked on a self-imposed Advent Writing Challenge. I am working through Kate Bowler’s Advent Devotional, “The Season of Waiting (and waiting…and waiting…). Kate is a NYT bestselling author and associate professor of …
Rooted 2020 and 2021 were largely dumpster-fire years. It all feels like a blur honestly – long, monotonous days confined to our home, separated from our friends and loved ones. Grief, over what seemed to be a bombardment of loss, after loss, after loss. But today as I put my garden beds to sleep for …