Category Archives: Renewal

Others have passed this way before

My Dilemma  I feel profoundly concerned about the direction our our politics are headed. Just reading the headlines depresses me—but ultimately, I don’t want to check out from what’s happening in the world. My children are counting on me to preserve a just, free, ... Continue Reading ›

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The Essence of Bravery

I want to live bravely. I want to stand with courage for my convictions. Yet my courage can sometimes degenerate into reactive fault-finding with others. I do this in relationships, I do this with institutions, I do this with politics. It’s easy to find fault. ... Continue Reading ›

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The Hungers of Our Hearts

We hunger for relationships and a spiritual community where we can bring ALL of ourselves—without fear of judgment or exclusion. We’re connected by our common longing for an authentic and safe place for our spirituality. Earlier today I read a beautiful poem that ... Continue Reading ›

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When God Gets Lost at Church

“He who would travel happily must travel light.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery. We have the tendency to complicate things that should stay simple. Nowhere is this more true for me than at church. Good intentions, fear, and the momentum of cultural expectations can push us into ... Continue Reading ›

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God’s Vigil

What do you do when the heavens seem silent? Few challenges are so hard that they can’t be made worse by having to face them alone. When you feel bereft of God’s responsiveness to your, the painful loneliness can penetrate your bones. In this follow-up video to my earlier ... Continue Reading ›

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God’s Claustrophobia & A Crisis of Faith

This post is for anyone who feels they no longer “fit” in some vital part of their life. Even if you’re ambivalent about religion or spirituality (I’ll be relating my experience with surviving a crisis of faith)—or even if your experience of ... Continue Reading ›

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You Can Do Hard Things

When my oldest son was perhaps only four years old, he’d sometimes complain about how I’d asked him to do something “too hard.” To his four-year-old sensibilities, my request for him to put his toys away or to please put his pants on before going out in public must have ... Continue Reading ›

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Wonder, Mortality, & Small Awakenings

I woke up in the hospital. The doctor told me I’d been in a serious car accident (“they cut off the top of the car to get you out...”), and that I’d lost a dangerous amount of blood internally—he told me that he couldn’t predict how things would turn out. My life wavered ... Continue Reading ›

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Relax—I’ve Got You

Wrestling with Elephants We can fight so hard with our challenges. We feel an urgency to crack the code to our dilemmas, once and for all. Our rigorous efforts have an important place—yet, sometimes we rely so much on our own tenacity that we cut ourselves off from other ... Continue Reading ›

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Reawaken

The burdens of life press in on me. The responsibilities of parenting and marriage, work and finances can keep me running from one task to another, leaving me exhausted and distracted. A short time ago, my children rescued me from the dreary landscape of obligation, and ... Continue Reading ›

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