**this post is part of rachel held evans’ synchroblog this week on the rally to restore unity. there’s some fun stuff over there this week! * * * * * when i was a kid my mom had a plaque on her wall that said “whoever has the gold makes the rules”. looking back, oh […]
Read Morethis post is part of the march synchroblog, multiple bloggers writing on the same subject. this month’s topic is in the spirit of lent–the wilderness experience. you can check out links from other bloggers at the bottom of this post. * * * * * “our level of belonging can never exceed our level of […]
Read Moreif you’ve been reading here for a while you know i am extremely passionate about cross-gender friendships and men and women learning how to be with each other, side by side, as friends– leading, loving, learning, growing, giving, practicing, sharing, connecting as equals. we have terrible models for this, not only “in the church” but […]
Read Morethanks, all, for the prayers and love. it’s been quite a week but i am happy to say that i am writing this blog post sitting at my kitchen table, yeah! i have a nifty little pillow & still can’t sit for more than 30 minutes at a time but after 7 full weeks of […]
Read Morewe have a lovely group at the refuge called “advocates”. we started a few years ago and meet monthly for training-learning-practicing some of the issues related to journeying with people in hard places. we also have a smaller extension of advocates that meets more intentionally once a month to share the load together at the […]
Read Moreone of the things i have always tried to honor at the carnival (and facebook) is never exploiting my friends’ stories. it is hard sometimes because i want to share some of the wild & beautiful & hard & ugly & hopeful & hopeless moments that i experience each week with the people i intersect […]
Read Morethe #1 word that i use at the refuge (other than nutty, messy, wild and beautiful) is relationship. to me, when Jesus summed up the law and said it’s about loving God, others, ourselves that he was basically saying “it’s about relationship, people.” it’s not about stuff or knowledge or words–it’s about love. i also […]
Read Morein this season of easter i have been posting a few interviews with friends, some “signs of hope”, little slivers of resurrection in the midst of real life. the first two were: emerging from the darkness of sexual abuse and the bumpy road of sobriety. i am a little behind but will try to […]
Read Moremany of you know that when i describe the refuge i use words like “messy, chaotic, honest, uncomfortable, unpredictable.” it is so funny to me, looking back on the past 3 ½ years how the world that i came from was completely different. on mega-church staff we used words like “focused, distraction-free, inspiring, dark-so-you-don’t-have-to-see-the-person-next-to-you, comfortable.” […]
Read Morei have been wanting to write this post for a while. it has been especially impressed on my heart in the past few months and i thought in honor of the-day-after-mother’s day i’d actually write it. i think that the purpose of community–“the church”–is to have a place, whatever that looks like, to learn to […]
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