Oh, this time of year! Some people love it, some people hate it. There are so many things tied to the time from Thanksgiving to not just Christmas but also the start of a new year. It brings to light the reality of losses, financial pressures, broken relationships, shame, family brokenness or non-existedness, faith shifts, […]
Read Moreyesterday was palm sunday and we had a really fun & sweet palm sunday dinner together at the refuge, one of our annual traditions. one of the reasons i like this particular day in holy week is it’s the time when we remember the anticipation and excitement of Jesus’ riding into jerusalem on a donkey […]
Read Moretoday 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 More“it is finished” – john 19:30 it’s good friday (well, it was, but since i’m just now posting this it’s holy saturday). and because it’s so important to not be too serious all the time, i really love david hayward’s cartoon. each year, the cross has had different meanings to me. i’ve rewritten the same […]
Read Morebefore i dive into a different holy week post, i wanted to share something important related to yesterday’s easter hope(less). i definitely didn’t write it for everyone. many are in a really good place related to easter and it’s okay to enjoy it! i’ve noticed that some of us can have survivor’s guilt when it […]
Read Moreit’s easter week. a little hard to believe because it seems like yesterday we were talking about christmas and how hard it can be. i am one of those people who like easter. even though my faith has shifted in all kinds of ways, the beauty and power of the resurrection story resonates deeply in […]
Read Moretwice a month at the refuge we have a gathering called “refuge advocates”, a time for learning, training, encouragement, and soul care for people who journey with people in hard places. i love this group! it is not just for refuge advocates but for friends from other churches & ministries, too, to come and have […]
Read More“but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – Jesus to the samaritan woman in john 4:14 it’s a little hard to believe that christmas came & went and now we are diving […]
Read Morewell, so much choosing for “help, thanks, wow” for when christmas is hard. sometimes things just shift and new ideas come. that’s what i love about blogging; it is current. this week, i got a completely new thought on how i wanted to wrap this series, mainly because it’s what seems to always help me […]
Read More“finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – phiippians 4:8 i don’t know about you, but i’m in a fog. friday’s tragedy coupled with so much going on here in real life plus […]
Read More