this past weekend i was on the refuge camping trip at jackson lake. it is was our 6th annual & is a cornerstone tradition in our community. one of my favorite parts of the weekend is baptism. each aspect of it is just so beautiful—witnessed in community, a clear marker on an often very unclear […]
Read More5 years. 5 years? 5 years!
this past weekend the refuge celebrated our 5 year birthday. it’s really hard to believe that over 5 years have really passed. when we first started, as so many of you know, we were beaten & bloody, armed only with some dreams for “what could be” and coming out of a rough experience from serving […]
Read Moreopen.
this post is part of february’s synchroblog – a bunch of bloggers writing on the same topic at the same time. this month’s topic is creativity & christianity. check out the links at the bottom of this post; they are a great mix of different voices. i’ll add more links as they come in today. […]
Read Morebecause sometimes we forget
i always say that i think faith community–whatever form it takes–should be a place to practice loving and being loved by God, others, and ourselves. these things don’t come naturally for many of us and so we need a training ground, a place to learn and experiment, so we can continue to form into more […]
Read Moregratitude heals
* i wrote this post in november 2009 for the refuge blog. last night at our house of refuge, my friend shared how gratitude helps her connect with God. it made me think of this blog post & how true it is–gratitude does heal. right now, i am in a terribly difficult season physically & […]
Read Morekenya 2011, refuge-es=yes, me=no
next week i was supposed to be leaving for kenya, taking a team from the refuge who caught the africa bug after our family trip a year ago. it is a very sad and hard thing to let go of but it was a clear & yeah-pretty-much-no-choice-in-the-matter decision because of how healing has been going […]
Read Moresingle mommies and daddies
this past weekend we finished up one of our favorite events of the year–the refuge and joshua station single moms crazy christmas brunches. this year, between the 2 venues we had 60 mommies. it was wild & fun. and trust me, it’s not a-tea-and-crumpets and remember-God-is-your-husband kind of event! we try to bring try to […]
Read Morewhat a lot of my missional-in-the-trenches-friends have in common
i’ve been walking a lot lately. before my surgery it was the one thing that helped best with my pain and after surgery it is part of my daily re-hab & makes me the happiest. at first i had to have friends go with me but now i can walk by myself (if someone can […]
Read Morehope is dangerous.
this saturday night marked the first week of advent leading up to christmas, a season we celebrate very intentionally at the refuge. it’s a hard time of year for a lot of people i know. it seems like loneliness, depression, fear, and shame seem to set in a little extra. in our community this year […]
Read Moregiving, receiving.
thanks, 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 […]
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