(A manifesto, if you will, for dealing with life and politics right now.) I will not turn bitter. I will not be hateful. I will trust my gut reactions to events, but I will also research to be as informed as possible. I will not in any way support the incoming administration. I will not...

One of the most alluring things about Christianity is the feeling of belonging, of being part of something bigger. Of knowing where you fit inside that insular bubble. Of knowing the answers to the fill-in-the-blank questions, knowing what verses to quote, knowing where to find things in the Bible. And one of the loneliest places...

If you read Praying Upside Down, you know that in 2007 my husband and I owned two houses for two years because we couldn’t sell the first one. In the process, I began praying for the woman, whoever she was, who would someday buy the house. Doing so opened my eyes to seeing answers to...

“I am an atheist, but this…” He extends his arms wide and looks around him. “…is my church! Once a year I come here to get filled back up!” Those may not be his exact words, but every year, Matthew Clemens shares a version of this statement at Midwest Writers Workshop. And every year, anyone...

Not long ago, I re-read an old book. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was different than I remembered. I mean, some things made me cringe a teensy bit—but I found myself reading stories I’d forgotten, totally interested to see what happened. I was blown away by the confidence of the...

I was thinking again the other day (as I do daily, ad nauseam) about my struggles with my faith. My doubts, the journey I’ve been on, the losses I’ve experienced as my faith has evolved—my old (and much-loved) church community, friendships, my sense of security. My new church recently has been having intentional conversations about...

I shared this reflection at my church’s Mid-Summer Peace and Renewal Service. The text is below, or you can click the YouTube graphic to go to the starting point of my message.   “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke...

I’m staking everything—my eternity, which I still believe in; my relationship with the Almighty; my soul—on my certainty that there is a beneficent, benevolent, merciful God. A living embodiment of the unlimited grace I believe in. It makes no sense, yet it’s terrifying to let go of this idea I’ve carried of a vindictive, angry,...

It’s lonely. You know you’re not the only one on this path yet most of the people on similar journeys are outside of church, or scattered around the country in different places, and you no longer have the comfort of gathering with other like-minded believers under one roof. Even if you find a new church...

I’ve been pondering that whole scene in the Bible where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary. How did she feel? How much say did she really have in the whole thing? How much did she understand about what it would mean—for her and for the world? I think she was probably strong and courageous. Not...