* this is the 4th post for a series on rebuilding and renewing our faith after going through huge scary shifts. i have never posted this much in the entire life of my blog! but i do kind of like moving through it quickly instead of over several months and then people can come back […]
Read Morerebuilding after deconstructing: 2. acknowledging losses
“grief is itself a medicine.” ~ william cowper thank you for your honest & beautiful & hard responses to what the first 2 posts in this series have stirred up. i’m always reminded in these moments how many of us are out there asking the same questions, feeling the same feelings, trying to find our […]
Read Morerebuilding after deconstruction: 1. honoring the process
*this is first in a series of posts centered on rebuilding our faith after deconstructing. read the intro post first if you haven’t already. in 2004, after one year of counseling classes and a switch to 2 years of spiritual direction courses i earned a certificate in evangelical spiritual guidance (now called soul care & […]
Read Morerebuilding after deconstructing
“see i’m doing a new thing. now it springs up; do you not perceive it? i am making a way in the wilderness, streams in the wasteland.” – isaiah 43:19-20 * * * i know many people who have gone, are going through, or will go through a gut-wrenching, excruciatingly painful and lonely season in […]
Read Morejenga faith
thank you all for your love & honesty about sunday’s post when easter is hard. i am always reminded in these moments how many amazing people are out there feeling similar feelings in different ways. i’m more convinced than ever we need an underground railroad to help each other on the way to freedom. […]
Read Morewhen easter's hard.
most of you already all know that i love easter because i’m always rambling about it. i’m definitely not alone on this one. it’s the most popular christian holiday & many more people-who-don’t-identify-with-the-Jesusy-part-of-easter love it, too, with all its chocolate & springtime & fun. we already celebrated last night at the refuge (we get resurrection […]
Read More10 ways churches jack people up
i do not think church systems wake up in the morning and think “i’m going to hurt a lot of people today.” intentions are often good. stirrings from God seem clear. visions and strategies make total sense. the desire to make a difference “for the kingdom” is strong. for all kinds of reasons, though, many […]
Read Morethe underground railroad
“if i could have convinced more slaves they were slaves, i could have freed thousands more” – harriet tubman this past weekend i was in portland for a women’s gathering called convergence. it is not a typical conference; there are no speakers, no people getting paid, no flash. just a sacred safe space for a […]
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 Morenever quite right
this weekend’s walking wounded: hope for those hurt by the church was a really sweet & beautiful time for me. it was hard, too, because the reality of so much pain & loss in what’s-supposed-to-be-the-safest-place-on-earth really gets under my skin. i will never be able to recreate what happened there but i will try over […]
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