Last week I participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) on the intersections of faith and reproductive justice. These conversations are critically important, particularly in these political times when threats to our bodily autonomy and right of conscience are sanctioned by our current administration, Read More
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Coming Soon!
Good news: my website is getting a new look! I can't wait to show it to you. Bad news: if you subscribe through WordPress, you won't get updates in your box after I make the switch. Here's what to do: subscribe to my newsletter list, and you'll continue to receive my blog posts. Thanks so much! I can't wait to continue the conversation with you Read More
Release and Rise Up
Though I call myself a pragmatist, I’ve got a touch of dreamer inside me. Like all of us I have a handful of lofty aspirations that seem out of reach for now: ideal work opportunities, visionary partnerships, and future collaborations. Some time ago I was speaking at an event. While I always look forward to connecting with audiences, this Read More
Finding Peace in the Wait
Have you ever tried to download a number of large files to your computer at the same time? If you’ve purchased a TV series through iTunes or received high-resolution pictures from an important event that you couldn’t wait to view, you can probably identify with this scenario. You sit impatiently as the progress bar barely creeps toward Read More
The Shifting Dance of Balance
What's your reaction to the phrase work-life balance? Does the idea of balance seem aspirational to you, or does it seem utterly impossible? If you're like me, it feels more like the latter. There are several major problems with the concept of work-life balance in the ways that I have heard it described. The phrasing falsely segregates Read More
When a Methodist Turns Baptist
Nearly a year ago, almost to the day, I entered the sanctuary of an historic church in downtown Raleigh for the first time. Visiting a new faith community is nearly always at least a slightly uncomfortable social experience. In my case I’d grown quite accustomed to feeling like an outsider in these spaces as a significant portion of my work Read More
Bridging Across Difference
Like millions of others around the United States and the world, I participated in one of the women’s marches held in January. At a time when I felt discouraged and disheartened about the future of our movements for social justice, the march was a life-giving, inspiring moment that catalyzed my commitment to resist oppression in all its forms. As a Read More
Coexist or Contradict?
While stopped at a red light on my way home one day I noticed that the two cars immediately in front of me had the same “Coexist” bumper sticker. You’ve probably seen one like it. Each of the letters of is a symbol representing a major religious or spiritual ideology. For example, the “C” is a crescent moon symbolizing Islam, and the “X” is a Star Read More
Demystifying Self-Care
The first time I heard the phrase “self-care” was in a workshop for first-year students at my divinity school. I had no idea what it meant, much less how to practice it, but I was too embarrassed to say anything. This week I visited Duke Divinity School to deliver the Jill Raitt workshop for their annual Women’s Week. The theme was “Women Read More
Parenting and Politics: How I’m Showing Up
When I was ten weeks pregnant I gave an impassioned speech in front of the Supreme Court during the Hobby Lobby hearings about why universal access to contraception was part of my own religious understanding. I’d wanted to share about my own planned pregnancy, but at that point I wasn’t far enough along to feel comfortable telling that in a public Read More