When Souls Know
You know I love me a good story. The following is easily top 3. Genuinely one of the most sacred moments I’ve witnessed this side of heaven. I’ve begun typing it out a million times, but never committed. It has always felt too precious to put into words. But I got a text today from the other half of this story and I knew: it’s time. So…. it’s the year of our Lord, 2018. I have gotten deeply invested in a local organization that serves and empowers women coming out of sexual exploitation and trafficking. I literally have no business being in this space except that God has dropped me…
Lanes in the Here and Now
This past week, we saw a lot on social media and in the news about a satan-branded performance at the 2023 Grammy award music show. Admittedly, the performance was alarming, even to several of my non-religious friends who thought the whole demonic worship thing was a bit much. Most of the talk around it focused on how desperately depraved our culture is and how scary it is to be raising kids in this space. Lots of fear, lots of grief. And I get it. There are many realities of our culture for which fear is warranted. The consequences of sin and evil should bring us all to our knees. (Also,…
When Compassion Fails: Social Sabbath Chronicles Pt 1
My armpits were actively sweating – which, honestly, is not *that* unusual since I switched to natural deodorant a few years ago (hello, newfound gratitude for antiperspirant!!) – but that’s not the point. [The point is also not that I haven’t posted on here in over a year and it feels like a lot to come back suddenly with no explanation. (But also, hi!!!!)] The point is: I was actively sweating, my anxiety rising as I scrolled through social media one day. Like, there is a missing child in Tennessee right now. And the kid is DANG cute. Not that it matters even a little, but ohmygosh is this child…
Reeling: my Christian confession
The first time I really, truly came up against theology and ideology that differed from my upbringing was in college. Early in my college career, an LGBTQ advocacy group announced their visit to our Christian university campus. They didn’t ask to come, they announced what day they would be arriving. We were one of several stops on their national protest tour, one of several colleges they had identified as having restrictive / uninclusive language in our handbook. Every college they had visited prior to ours had barricaded them off of school property. Each university had enlisted the help of the police to ensure the group was not allowed on campus.…
Her Name is Faith.
For privacy purposes, we’ll call her “Faith”. She is a stripper, and here’s the part of her story I know: It’s Friday night, and it’s late. Later than I stay up any other time except this night, Outreach Night. It comes once every few months. This particular outreach has been a long time coming. We tried to hit these clubs back in December, but sickness stopped it. We tried to his these clubs last week, but weather prevented it. So, Friday night, we are all on high alert. We know that somewhere, in one of these strip clubs, a divine appointment is waiting to be had. I guess I should…
A Weary World Rejoices
I’m currently sitting at the Local Pastors’ Coffee Shop. You know the one: where all the young, on point church staff come to disciple people and “unpack stuff” and stuff. You know them because they’re all wearing tiny ripped pants, immaculate lifestyle tennies, and the type of glasses that were previously only worn by people featured on the crime watch portion of the news. Speaking of, I’m so sad that I’ve reached the age where I verbally opine on “the crazy fashion trends these days”. I went to a worship concert a few months ago and all I could talk about afterwards was why the main guy looked like Weird Al circa 1985 and the main girl was…
That @#&% Rating System
In a moment of parenting GENIUS, we have created a rating system for curse words. It all started when the boys and I were at the park and overheard two junior highish boys call each other as many names that included the word “ass” as they could think of. To be honest, the whole thing was clunky and painful because middle school, but my boys asked the obvious next question: “Mom, what is a ‘Loser Dass’?” Well sons, a) it is a version of newbie cursing that lacks vision and creativity, b) there’s no D but, I guess more importantly, c) we don’t say that word. I tried to get…
We Might Have to Switch Schools…..but it was worth it
I’m not sure what’s happening in my house, but my kids are reverting back to the Toddler Picasso stage of life. We don’t even have toddlers anymore, yet here I am finding artwork in weird places the past few weeks. The oldest drew all over the backseat of the car – the leather, the window, the cupholder. The middle drew a whole mural on his wall after I told him his art teacher had bragged on how talented he was. (HECK YEAH I AM, he whispers to himself, marker in hand) The youngest drew a nice family portrait on his brother’s bedsheets. I don’t even know. Circling back to the middle, we had a…
Just One at a Time
I learn that a “base” is both a geographic location and a group of people – a sort of mix between a gang and a homeless camp. This base hit all five of my senses at once. The sight of 30 children living and sleeping in a park, the smell of sewage being used as both a bath and a washing machine, the taste of air so grimy and dirty it coats your throat, the touch of a boy – 12? maybe 13? – so high he needs your steady arm to stay upright, the sound of traffic driving past seemingly unfazed by it all. This base was only about 30 kids. “Only” because there are an estimated 60,000 kids – children – living on the…
#Socialing with the End in Mind (+ questions that can help get us there)
One of the questions I hear most from parents in my social media trainings is, “But why do they do that?” (“That” being one of 80-kazillion social media irritants: Snapchat streaks, selfies, spam accounts, 90-minute Instagram caption deliberations.) Fair question, but I think a better one is: Have you challenged them to do it differently? Are we all just frustrated by these things, or are we encouraging our kids to do it better? Are we worrying or equipping? Big difference, right? • • • Social media is often viewed as an Unapproachable Subject. It’s too big of a deal now. The kids are too invested. It is too confusing. Where do you even start to tame a…
