Awkward Christian
The idea of “controlling metaphors” has been flitting around in my brain lately. For those of you who didn’t get excited about lit classes, a controlling metaphor is sort of an overarching motif that runs through an entire work of literature. For example, a controlling metaphor in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books is Narnia is a version …
Four metaphors for faith I’m putting out of their miseryRead More
I once got a respectful and fraught email from a (now former) subscriber. She said she was unsubscribing because of a swear word I used on a recent post—“shitty”. (And then last week, I didn’t censor that word in an interview…because I thought it was warranted.) My former reader mentioned the verse from Timothy about not having …
D.L. Mayfield’s words about the Kingdom of God blow the lid off my very careful Christianity over and over. I love that she is trying to figure out how to live out her faith out among the poor, and that she’s not pretending the experience is all unicorns and rainbows. She isn’t selling me something–but she does …
“I want to hear what my neighbors say.” Quiet Time Confidential with D.L. MayfieldRead More
I have read the Bible in church and youth group and para-church ministries. I’ve done Bible seminars and one-day trainings and workbooks. I’ve read the Word in another language and culture, read the whole shebang a handful of times. I’ve done word studies and topic studies and inductive studies and Lectio Divina. But the longer …
The twenty-something’s group met at a house, people packed in a small living room, on the floor, couches, chairs, stools at the breakfast bar. I sat sandwiched among these new friends, stomach a little tight. Every week, I wanted the Bible study to be great, to remind me why I’d decided to keep calling myself a Christian. …
About a year ago, Rachel Held Evans wrote “The scandal of the evangelical heart.” She talked about how the tight theological arguments that exalt the genocide and violence of the Bible almost “scared her out of the Church.” Richard Beck calls this “orthodox alexithymia”. We completely uncouple our emotions from our theology. We expect ourselves …
Here’s the moment I stopped reading the Bible. I was on the faded green easy chair in my bedroom. Every night as the light faded from white to yellow to gold, I’d open the Word and read. I’d learned something since college, when reading the Bible was an OCD coping mechanism, a way I proved …
I’m trading my sorrows, trading my shame, Laying them down for the joy of the Lord— My dishrag stopped. I had been wiping down the black granite of my countertop, sweeping up stray ants. Yesterday, I had left a bit of ham on the counter, and I was still reaping the consequences. Now, I listened …
Healing cannot be gotten cheap at the dollar store.Read More
I’ve been inspired by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson’s thoughts on faith and mentoring for a while now–and am so honored to have had her join me for a week on mentoring at SheLoves. She graciously agreed to share some more about her journey towards mentoring with us here. I’m convinced that our journeys towards each other–intentional, brave, …
When I saw the title of Michelle DeRusha’s memoir, Spiritual Misfit, I knew I had to read it. So much of the good things in my faith recently have flowered because I’ve come to terms with having a quirky, mysterious, and cobbled-together faith. I really recommend her book. Michelle manages to make faith and doubt seem everyday, …
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith: One Woman’s Yes with Michelle DeRushaRead More
This post was inspired by Suzannah Paul and the Faith Feminisms synchroblog. Thanks to the organizers for creating space to share. It has taken a long time for me to understand all the reasons why I am a feminist. I am a feminist because my best friend in high school was sexually abused by our youth pastor. I …
Recently, I blithely told one of my friends from high school that my experience in our church youth group had been largely positive. Here’s why I felt that way: the group was my first time in Christian fellowship. I served in leadership for three years, was there for almost every event, made a tight group …
There’s power in naming the truth: for SheLoves MagazineRead More
“I am not the Christian I want to be.” I typed the words on my computer, then I stared at them for a minute. For my hammering heart and the cold sweat I felt slinking down my arms, one would think I were confessing to some kind of felony. No: thought crimes were all I …
For a long time, I thought the reason I didn’t like confession was because facing the things I’ve done wrong during the day–an attitude of entitlement, say, or sheer impatience with my family, or arrogance and vanity–well, it’s painful. It’s like the moment when my daughters come screaming to me with a skinned knee, all …
My kids do something that drives me crazy. I say, “Come here,” and they look me in the eye, turn, and run in the opposite direction. They’re fast. It’s not always easy to catch up with them. And the whole point is that I don’t want to chase them. I just want them to do …
THE BIBLE is an antique volume Written by faded men, At the suggestion of Holy Spectres— Subjects—Bethlehem— Eden—the ancient Homestead— Satan—the Brigadier, Judas—the great Defaulter, David—the Troubadour. Sin—a distinguished Precipice Others must resist, Boys that “believe” Are very lonesome— Other boys are “lost.” Had but the tale a warbling Teller All the boys would come— …
Over the weekend, the #yesallwomen hashtag exploded around the Internet. CNN reports more than a million tweets (and counting) have expressed solidarity for the women that endure harassment, abuse, sexism and sexual assault on a daily basis in our world. And—much to our dismay—in the church. It might be easy to look at the hashtags and think …
Five reasons church leaders must speak up about sexual abuseRead More
Can we talk about the mustard seed verse? (if you’re confused, it’s Matthew 17:20: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”) My Terrible Mustard Seed Math This …
“I am going through another spell of finding it difficult to read the Bible. I never know quite what to make of it. I don’t feel guilty at all about it and I know it won’t be long before I return to it again with renewed zest. . . True, there is always a danger …
Is it dangerous to give believers permission to NOT read the Bible?Read More
I took a public speaking class in college, where we tried all kind of speeches: occasional speeches, debates, educational lectures. Having done a lot of theater as a kid, the class wasn’t that scary. Until the extemporaneous speech. We pulled a topic out of a bag, had one minute to plan, and then gave a five-minute …
In high school, I hated studying Spanish grammar. Hated. (No really, with a passion.) I did not want to memorize whether muchedumbre was masculine or feminine. I did not want to make flashcards of verb endings. I found grammar both tedious and unintelligible. Then two years ago, I started trying to get back my Spanish …
The instructions for passing the peace are pretty clear—and even written in the bulletin: un saludo cordial, mirando a los ojos. Which means, “a cordial greeting, looking into each others eyes.” My first time at the Spanish-language service at my church, I thought I understood those instructions. I stood up and shook hands with the …
I wanted to believe I wouldn’t panic. I started a writing project with a lot of anticipation and excitement. I felt oddly optimistic. I had reasonable expectations, was excited to try something new, and felt thankful for the habits of mind (journaling, weekly prayer with a friend, writing habits, and breath prayer) that have helped …
I didn’t want my seven-year-old to see the painting. A woman lies naked on her bed, her legs spread open, a baby birthing with all the blood and vagina you’d expect. The mother’s face is covered with a sheet like a corpse. The baby has emerged only up to her neck; her head lolls to …
The Unsettling Song of Our Pilgrimage for SheLoves MagazineRead More
