for the most part, i try to stay out of social media madness because it is usually just that–maddening. i watch things come into my feed and because i have a diverse set of friends the opposing viewpoints right next to each other are sometimes kind of comical. i also made a decision a long […]
Read Morethe kingdom of God is like…
way back when i said i was going to share more about what happens in our living room on wednesday nights at our house of refuge gathering, which has been happening since the beginning of the refuge in 2006. i never seem to get around to it, but this week i thought i’d take a […]
Read Morerock boats, upset apple carts, ruffle feathers. it's worth it.
saturday was international women’s day. i wrote this post that morning but never got around to posting it so it’s going up today. i have written about it in the past–we just can’t stand by & the power of being wanted & belonging, and for a few consecutive years i shared why i am an advocate for […]
Read More40 days for wanderers, wonderers, and somehow-allergic-to-churchers
today is ash wednesday, the mark of the beginning of lent. for some, it’s a season that has sincere spiritual significance. for others, it’s just another time of a lot of prayers and posts on facebook that can feel annoying. and for others, there’s not really a big connection to lent in its traditional form […]
Read Morebreaking our american hearts
this past friday night we hosted a theology camp called “the radical welcome of God: wisdom from benedictine spirituality.” two nuns from benet hill monastery shared their hearts & stories & practices with us. it was beautiful in more ways than i can count. my amazing friend & local spiritual director ellen haroutunian facilitated questions for the […]
Read Morewhen our christian faith is questioned
many years ago i had a friend who was concerned about my salvation. it appeared that my position that “we were made in the image of God and there is good in us despite our sin” freaked her out in light of her position on total depravity. there’s much more to the story, but toward […]
Read Moreleaving church to save our souls
goodness gracious, people get riled up over conversations about “church.” i wish we could get as much traction on justice & poverty issues! it’s fascinating, really, how passionate many are about this topic, especially when someone threatens the church in any way. i didn’t read all of donald miller’s post last week about why he […]
Read More"i just don't see how he could do that" & some thoughts on abuse
**warning: this post is about sexual abuse (and emotional, physical, and spiritual too) and so if you are extra sensitive to this topic, please know there could be possible triggers. abuse is one of the most damaging things that can happen to someone. and there’s never an excuse for it. young or old, male or […]
Read More10 field trips worth taking.
[dropcap]s[/dropcap]everal years ago i wrote a post for an online magazine called “a field trip everyone should take” centered on some of my experiences at social services agencies. it’s just so easy to say things like “well, those people just need to get a job….” or “they are lazy” or quickly end people to get […]
Read Moremaking another's pain in their heart our own.
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e got back last night from our fun adventure, celebrating my third kid’s high school graduation a little early. the passport debacle was redeemed and we had a great time (and yes, will be getting the twins passports renewed this week). it really was a perfect & annoying test for my river image for 2013 & now […]
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