My seven year old niece LOVES the Spy Ninjas. I do NOT love the Spy Ninjas. If you don't know, the Spy Ninjas are YouTubers. But let's consider them actual people we know- in real life- just for a moment. Real people. With real personalities we either really love. Or really don't love. See, both … Continue reading Lessons Learned: Spy Ninjas, Courage and Individuality
"Be more specific." All the experts say it. They imply that belonging is a matter of finding people like you. I don't buy it. I'm the ambassador for square pegs in a world full of round holes. I know what it is not to fit. And I desire more than anything the promised solidarity these … Continue reading Where do I Fit in?
About 5 years ago, I survived a very dark night that saved my life. That's a story for another time. But the following Sunday, I darkened the doorstep of my local church. It was a homecoming for me. You see, I was the backslidden Christian. I was desperate. I say these things because it was … Continue reading How to Do a New Thing
True confession: Sometimes church people are rude. Am I allowed to say that? God, I hope so. I desperately long for a place where I can sort it all out. I need to make sense of the pain. I am trying very hard to move past the wounds. Are you? I am not mad. Nor … Continue reading When Church Hurts
I wasn't kind. In a knee-jerk flash, the words had spilled from my mouth. To bring them back was impossible. I scurried and scrambled in my failings to fix what I'd fractured. I confessed that I was worried I had embarrassed the person I spoke so carelessly to, but what's truer is that I had … Continue reading Your First Aid Kit For Surviving Embarrassment
Do you have people? This question matters, and I'll tell you why. It's for times like this. The last couple weeks, I haven't had it in me to do a lot of showing up. But I haven't had to. My people did the showing up for me. The relationships God has been building, before I … Continue reading How To Find Your People
Do you feel too reliant on other people's ideas to have great ideas of your own? I know I do. Listen. I'm a Jesus-loving, self-denying, proud-to-be-available for all the others aunt. And sister. And daughter. And friend. I love all that. I really do. But all of that keeps me really busy. And sometimes I … Continue reading Doctor’s Orders For The Busy Soul
The invitations are everywhere. We've been invited to God's very best. There is a bouncer who calls Himself fear, and he's scary. Or she is. At first she seems nice. As crazy as it is, I think that we're friends. It's a mystery to me because she never lets me in. I guess secretly, I … Continue reading How To Find The Invitations Hidden In Fear
It's a Saturday night, and the power is out in my home due to storms. I'm at work. I decide to charge my phone there before I go home. I return to find the charger right where I left it. There just isn't a phone attached to the end of it. I'll be honest. I'm … Continue reading Can A Stolen Phone Be A Gift From God?
Security. Confidence. They're heavy words. It's difficult to spill words onto a page without forcing them into a usable mold. But I know that's exactly what this practice is about. It's the necessity for a space to simply exist. As I am. As you are. Without effort. Or analysis. And editing. Which I'm already doing. … Continue reading How Do You Take Cover?
