“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSV) Isn’t January over yet? I started this month with so much zeal. I’d carefully chosen my word for the year Read More
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My Theme for 2019: Release
The new year is deliciously pristine, isn’t it? I tend to approach the month of January the way I enter my car after one of those rare occasions when I’ve vacuumed up all the leaves, Goldfish crackers, and various detritus from the floor mats: I’m delighted by the newness, and I’m anxious about making it dirty again. Right now many of us Read More
My Top Ten Books to Give this Holiday Season
Sitting down with a new book is one of life's sweetest luxuries, which makes the gift of reading such a joy this time of year. I've pored over my Goodreads profile, my Amazon orders, and my library check-out list to share some of my favorite books I read in 2018 that would make excellent gifts for your loved ones--and for yourself Read More
Unexpected Divine Encounters
In celebration of completing my manuscript for Women Rise Up, to be published with the FAR press in early 2019, I want to share this excerpt from my chapter on Mary Magdalene. The Spirit of God moves at unexpected times and places. When I spot a single red bloom among the barren trees in wintertime. When I watch my daughter takes a bite out Read More
Longing for (Dis)Connection
As I type this post, I have another browser window open to track the path of Hurricane Florence due to make landfall in my area sometime later this week. Though I now live a few hours inland, I grew up in a coastal town, so I know how unpredictable storms like these can be. It’s entirely possible that we will get a bit of rain and wind and nothing Read More
Claim Your Expertise
Years ago I attended a women’s workshop hosted by The OpEd Project, an organization dedicated to diversifying voices in the media. The first exercise was for each of us to state our particular area of expertise to the group. I remember the anxiety I felt as I attempted to articulate what felt truthful and authentic to claim as an area of personal Read More
The Beauty of Scheduling Unscheduled Time
If you’re prone to overwhelm like me, this pattern might sound familiar to you. It starts when the to-do list starts to feel never-ending. Then my ability to sort and prioritize goes out the window. Suddenly the urge to reorganize my cluttered desk is on par with my need to meet a writing deadline. When *everything* seems both urgent and important, Read More
See, Hear, and Believe Women’s Pain
Rachel Fassler was in so much pain that she couldn’t remain still long enough for the emergency room nurses to take her blood pressure. After hours of being overlooked, dismissed, and misdiagnosed (she was initially treated for kidney stones) by two male doctors, Fassler was finally treated appropriately by a third physician, a woman, and rushed Read More
Creating Space for Wisdom Sharing
Along with spending more time in silence, another spiritual practice I’m cultivating is creating space for the wisdom of the room to emerge. At a basic level this involves talking less and listening more. Keeping quiet is a discipline I’ve had to learn. I was the type of kid who raised my hand to speak in class at every opportunity. One day in Read More
Listening for the Wisdom in the Room
In a room full of wise women gathered for the United Methodist Women’s Assembly, I invited those attending my workshops to dive into the same biblical texts that I focus on in my forthcoming book Women Rise Up. I divided them into small groups, assigned each one a story, and asked them to explore together two simple, though not necessarily easy Read More