“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to meSpeaking words of wisdom, let it beAnd in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of meSpeaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it beWhisper words of wisdom, let it […]
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Another friend of mine is dying. In the past 4 months I’ve gone to 4 memorial services, 3 for long-time friends and one that we officiated for person who was unhoused in our local community. The range on ages was 37 to 58, with three sudden deaths and one short and valiant battle with cancer. […]
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“The work…is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other, and to be stretched large by them.” ~ Frances Weller* All who knew, read, or heard Rachel Held Evans are reeling right now–stunned, shell-shocked, speechless, raw, overwhelmed, grieving. It’s a tragic loss, and the ripples of her life will spill out for generations […]
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If you saw the movie We’re the Millers you might remember the scene of the kid who has a big tattoo across this neck that says “No Ragrets” in capital letters. He said it was his credo, and when asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “Nope, not at all.” “Not even one?” the […]
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I spent last week in North Carolina for some special events in several different communities (a few pictures and stories are on Facebook and Instagram and then speaking about Faith Shift and relationships at the Evolving Faith Conference, hosted by Rachel Held Evans and Sarah Bessey. It was an honor to be part of such an incredible […]
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Every summer at The Refuge we do a modified Sunday night format called “Summer Camp.” The idea is to focus on practical skills, community building, and a break from our regular Dinner Church format. Over the years we’ve done all kinds of different things ranging from the basic skills of friendship to becoming people of […]
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I haven’t written much this summer, even though I didn’t take an official break like I have in the past. It’s been a huge season for our family, with my dad’s death, graduating 3 of our 5 kids from college or high school and launching them into the world, refuge community life, and an amazing […]
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Over two decades of ministry I have consistently heard the same response from a wide array of church leaders from top to bottom (mainly male, but not always): “Kathy, why do you have to be so focused on healing and recovery stuff? It’s really not what people want.” Actually, I am greatly minimizing their words […]
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It’s a new year. And goodness gracious, do I know so many people who are happy to leave 2017 behind! It’s been a rough one for so many–politically, spiritually, practically, and on a host of different levels. It was a pretty tricky one for me, too. 2017 was filled with transition, hard work at The […]
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In these last few days before Christmas, I’ve been reflecting on this crazy year. On the political bizarreness we are all in the midst of, the stripping of benefits and protections for children while those on the top line their pockets, the reality of our systems being tilted toward undistributed power, the ongoing division within […]
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