“Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible." Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times In the Christian calendar today marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a time associated with sacrifice, grief, and contemplation of our mortality. Honestly, though, haven't we already been Read More
Social Justice
Class: Building Our Compassion Muscles
I had the enormous pleasure of presenting this class on "Building Our Compassion Muscles" for my alma mater Davidson College. If you've been needing a little bit more compassion in your life, either for yourself or other people, I hope you'll tune in and practice some strength exercises that will help us all become a little bit more compassionate Read More
Take your dinner to go.
I just wanted to have a nice dinner. I’ll spare you the details, but while on a family vacation, I ended up saying this to a random person I got stuck next to at dinner one night, “I really don’t need you to explain the history of Christianity to me.” I’m not one to start fights, but I sure to get invited to a lot of them. They're hard to Read More
What is Reproductive Loss?
What is reproductive loss?I did all the Googling. I looked in the books I have about reproductive health and rights. I couldn't find a good definition. So, I created my own. "Reproductive loss is an inclusive term for any experience of grief in a person’s life related to their reproductive health, fertility, the outcomes of a pregnancy, or the Read More
Interview on The West Wing Weekly
I had the pleasure of joining Hrishikesh Hirway of The West Wing Weekly podcast to discuss faith, reproductive rights, and my new book Women Rise Up: Sacred Stories of Resistance for Today's Revolution. My interview starts at 26 minutes. Read More
How to Talk About Abortion in Church
Abortion. Does the word stir up emotions? Does it cause you unease, even anger? You’re not alone. Say “abortion” in a public setting, and undoubtedly the reaction will be strong and visceral. Say it in the pulpit? The idea is enough to make even the most prophetic among us quake and quiver. Our discomfort with discussing abortion, 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
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
Failure to Comply
“When is your book going to come out?” I’ve learned that for an author, this question is akin to asking a pregnant woman past her due date: “You haven’t had that baby yet?” I’m pleased to share that I’ve submitted the latest version of Women Rise Up to my publisher. And no, I still don’t have a publication date. Stay tuned for updates! For Read More
Say Yes to Saying No
“We have a few more spots on this committee we need to fill. Are you interested?” Before I could ask myself if this was something I even wanted to do, I felt the impulse to blurt out, “Yes!” But just before I spoke, I heard my inner voice tell me to stop. And I listened. Volunteering for things is so ingrained that I’ll take on new Read More