It’s Mother’s Day in the USA today, the time where a bunch of women feel special and extra-loved, and another group of women often don’t. Like so many other holidays, many who feel great about it sometimes forget that there are others who are aching. Church is extra sucky if they make all the mothers stand […]
Read Moreresurrecting.
Today is Resurrection Sunday (and it’s also my son’s 21st birthday!). It’s a day where we tell the Easter story and Jesus risen from the tomb and remember that out of the death and darkness, hope and new life emerge. Despite many shifts in faith over the years, I am still thankful for resurrection and […]
Read Morejezebel, eve, and the baggage we keep carrying.
I was out of the country in Peru last week on a fun spring break adventure with our twins, and when I got back and turned on my computer I saw a flurry of posts related to Vice President Mike Pence’s application of the “Billy Graham Rule.” Never being alone with a woman other than […]
Read Morerising together.
Today is International Women’s Day. You all know I am a passionate advocate for women and write about it all the time here. Our equality is all tied up together. Unless we’re all free, none of us are free, and it’s important to always remind ourselves that well behaved women won’t change the church (or history). Equality is […]
Read Moreroots, resilience, resistance.
Today is the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America. Some people I know are rejoicing, glad to have the country back in “God’s hands.” Most all of the folks in the circles that I live and work are heavy, burdened, grieving, sick-to-their-stomachs, and aching for […]
Read Moremy unsolicited advice
For almost 9 years I’ve been writing my guts out about church and faith and life and all my dreams of what could be. Despite the vulnerability and what it’s cost me in certain circles, I’m inspired by the incredible people I’ve met over the years through this blog who are changing systems that need changing, […]
Read Morewhen our deepest values get violated.
Post-election I’ve been thinking a lot about Nonviolent Communication. I’m not the best at it but I try. It’s been incredibly helpful for me as a tool to notice how unhelpful jackal words are in building connection between people (and how much they’ve been used since November 9th and oh, I’ve said my fair share) and […]
Read More"making nice": the call of the privileged
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension. It is the presence of justice.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. We’re 3 1/2 days out from one of the most traumatic elections in modern US history. It’s been brutal, folks. The pain, the grief, the shock, the reality. I was one of those people who […]
Read Morelight, hope, dignity, justice, peace.
Love is the whole thing. We are only pieces. ~ Rumi Tomorrow’s Election Day in the USA. Whoa, it’s been a brutal year. The division. The vitriol. The fracturing. The bombardment from every angle on social media. The influx of crazy “news” sources that people think are real. The memes. The comments. The friends and […]
Read Morelifeway, power, and the cost of telling the truth.
In 2007, I co-authored a spiritual formation tool for evangelical women called Refresh. It was a pretty cool project for that long ago; the entire book was printed in full color, magazine-style, and centered on 10 stories of real women (most of who were friends) with journaling and reflection questions, small group discussion ideas, and […]
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