“there is nothing on this earth to be more prized than true friendship.” – st. thomas aquinas remember that book, “all i ever needed i learned in kindergarten”? sure, some of what we learned when we were five would be helpful to us as grownups. but i’m also going to make a supposition that even […]
Read Morelinear: never was, never will be
* this post is part of the january synchroblog, a bunch of bloggers writing on the same topic. this month is being hosted by provoketive magazine and is centered around the theme of hope. the provoketive link list is at the bottom. that’s a lot of hope! * * * * * Even before I […]
Read Morelet go or be dragged
i ran across this american proverb a while back & then a dear friend gave it to me on a magnet for christmas: “let go or be dragged.” it is so appropriate in more ways than one, and now i see it first thing every morning when i get creamer for my coffee. i need […]
Read Morebecoming better human beings
in the first few years of the refuge there were days when i really just wanted to throw in the towel. i often wonder why in the $*!^$&!(!)# i care so much about all of this. really. in the big scheme of things we are a little blip in the universe, just a teeny weeny […]
Read Morewe need more cheerleaders
okay don’t laugh too hard at this picture of me. it’s when i was a sophomore in high school. and yes, i was a cheerleader. don’t hold that against me. i swear, i was a nice one, albeit a sort of klutzy one. a little bit ago i spent some time with one of my […]
Read Morea prayer for practice.
“practicing what we preach” is a lot easier said than done! like most everyone, i’d rather preach it than practice it. it’s fun to talk about community, to dream about community, to advocate for community. and to actually live it is a whole different story. i am very grateful to live in a community that […]
Read Moreyou can't have courage without fear.
i am glad some of you had fun with the loving God different ways exercise. this past saturday night at the refuge we did part 2 and split into 10 different groups & spent the evening processing these questions: 1. what individual practices help you connect with God as a naturalist, contemplative, caregiver, etc. 2. […]
Read Morefriendship, freedom & a lot less fear
“there is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” st. thomas aquinas uh oh, i’m on my “men and women need to learn how to be friends” kick right now. I think it’s appropriate in light of the shared leadership conversations, too, because it gets to the center of so […]
Read Morewhen crazy is actually sane & sane is actually crazy
one of my favorite gospel stories is the woman who busts into simon the pharisee’s house in luke 7 and falls at Jesus’ feet, wiping his feet with her tears. in that moment, he was hanging out with the put-together, religious elite talking about theology. they were supposedly the sane ones, and she was the […]
Read Moredaddy love
every sunday night we go over to my mom’s for dinner. it all started a few years ago when the refuge used to meet on sunday nights; when she’d come i’d give her $20 to take the kids to mcdonald’s on the way home for me. she hates fast food and after a few weeks […]
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