there’s a new book coming out later this year by reba riley called “post-traumatic church syndrome: a humorous memoir of healing, hope, and 30 religions before 30”. i don’t know much about the book yet, but i am really looking forward to reading it. i do know that the facebook group called “post-traumatic church syndrome” has […]
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 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 Moreone image
* this post is part of the january synchroblog, which is centered on new beginnings. i have loved partaking in the practice of “one word” for the past few years; even though i am one of those people who starts out strong and loses steam by about april, i appreciate the intention and love hearing other […]
Read More5 false things the church often teaches us about healing
i have a theory about healing: most of us need it, a lot of us want it, and many of our church experiences have taught us some things that make it harder to get. this makes me sad, mainly because church is supposed to be a place of healing, the safest place on earth to […]
Read Morethe spiritual practice of showing up & telling the truth
wikipedia defines a spiritual practice as “the regular or full-time performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of cultivating spiritual development.” my working definition of a spiritual practice is “an action or process or intention that opens up our soul and challenges, heals, and transforms us.” june’s synchroblog is today & the topic […]
Read Moreoh yes, you are an artist!
when we were in kindergarten and someone asked the class, “how many of you are artists?” my guess is every hand would shoot up. ask a group of grownups the same question, and we’re lucky if there one or two cautiously put up their hands. what is wrong with this picture? what happened to us? […]
Read Moreeveryone's fighting some kind of battle.
a few weeks ago a dear friend from high school posted this picture of me on facebook. i’m totally embarrassed to share it here, but i thought i’d be brave to make a point. yes, i was the basketball homecoming queen my senior year of high school. don’t hold it against me. and yes, homecoming […]
Read Morecorrective experiences
“you’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. we’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. if i make you light-bearers, you don’t think i’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? i’m putting you on […]
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