last month i had a one hour conversation with chris yaw from churchnext, which is dedicated to resources & support to nurture healthy churches in all kinds of different ways. it seemed like some of the video was a little slow at the beginning but then it started to kick in, but you can always […]
Read Morenoticing what is, not what isn't.
// i usually pace things out a little more here but i’m going out of town tomorrow for a week. if i don’t get things up when they come, the moment sort of passes so sharing these while they’re fresh. one more tomorrow & then back for summer and planning to try a few new […]
Read Morecruise ships, sail boats & holey dinghies
one of my friends calls the typical contemporary typical church-system “the big ship.” they’re strong & powerful & plow through the ocean with confidence. they are dazzling and entertaining. many of us have been on that ship in some way, shape or form, hanging out on the deck enjoying the ride called “church-as-we-knew-it”. but over […]
Read Morelove's the thread & it's stronger than we think
i love the book of colossians; i’ve shared here before that when my kids were little we had the NIV kids club cassette tapes (yes, we’re old) and i can pretty much sing all of chapter 3. each of these verses is a separate song: “13 – therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly […]
Read Morealongside
the refuge turns 6 years old this month! it’s so hard to believe. some days it seems like yesterday and other days it feels like decades ago. there are many things to celebrate about the past 6 years. i continue to learn more than i ever bargained for about God, life, love, friendship, and leadership. […]
Read Moresmall is plenty
this in 2010 but it’s been on my mind a lot lately, especially in so many conversations with others about dreams for new communities-ministries-passions-ideas. it’s easy to measure our dreams by other people’s measures and forget that small is plenty. * * * * * “get ready, God is preparing you for something really, really […]
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 Morelittle pockets of freedom.
we’ve been talking a lot about wounds from the church at the refuge in preparation for our walking wounded gathering, which is this upcoming weekend in denver. i am really looking forward to it & oh do we have some fun stuff planned! we still have a little bit of room if you want to […]
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 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 […]
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