i do not like shopping. i do not like crowds. i do not like commercials and all of the nutty emphasis on buying stuff. and i definitely do not like cold december weather. but i do love christmas. i love christmas because i love the christmas story. i love the wild & crazy way God […]
Read Morecomfortable in our own skin
one of the things i’ve always tried to do here is write from my heart. to be as honest as i could. to not worry about who would think what. it’s pretty hard to do! there are so many different tribes out here in online-land with different passions & people & ways-of-living-out-their-faith. for the past […]
Read Morepresent, humble, vulnerable.
* this is part of the second november synchroblog is to celebrate the beginning of the season of advent. the theme different bloggers are writing on is: jesus is coming: what are we expecting? come back & check out the links of other bloggers writing on this topic at the bottom of this post (they […]
Read Morechronic pain, soul care & better theology
“when we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope” – henri nouwen * * * * * one year ago today i had back surgery to […]
Read Moreexperimenting with new venues for healing
i love safe containers for healing and change. there is something that always seems to happen when a space is created for openness, honesty & challenge. my most favorite thing to do is facilitate these kinds of groups in some way, shape or form, and i am so thankful that a big piece of my […]
Read Moreuncensored prayer
one thing that i’ve always struggled with over the years as a christian has been the emphasis on “prayer” looking a certain way and how many of us have always felt like we fall short. i can’t tell you the amount of times i have either said or heard others say, “i am not that […]
Read Morethere's a difference between believing & "right belief"
one of the things i love the most about our little wild & crazy refuge community is we can hold the space for a lot of divergent views about the Bible & life & faith. it’s not an easy task, i must say, and sometimes i get asked “so, just what does the refuge believe […]
Read Morethe stranger (who's a little too familiar) & the shepherd
**this post is part of the september synchroblog, a diverse group of bloggers writing on the same topic. this month’s is called “the devil made me do it” and is centered on “what are some weird, wacky or just plain different things you’ve heard taught about Satan? what do you think of those ideas? how […]
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. […]
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