I have noticed in my decades as a pastor that more people than not have a troubled relationship with God. Rather than experiencing God as love and loving, we experience God as judgmental and judging. This dramatically impacts how we live, whether we realize it or not. A couple quotes got me thinking about this. […]

My favorite Irish poet, Padraig O'Tuama, in his book In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World, writes: Gulp. Yes, I know that sin, in the original biblical languages, is an archery terms that means "missing the mark." Yes, I know that. And I am aware that this definition can leave us with feelings […]

Another repost: Thursday night we ordered wood-fired pizza from our favorite local spot. My husband (whose permission I have to tell this story) crisps the crust in our cast iron pan while I whip up a salad. We have this meal down to a science. We sat down to watch Netflix and enjoy our meal. […]

For all my female friends facing the trauma of buying a swimsuit. A repost ... ********************* Spring may finally be spring-ing. You know what that means? Swim suit season is just around the corner. The catalogs arrive and women shudder.  Men, I have to believe, don't give it a second thought. Have you ever heard […]

Another repost ... ********************** I have written a couple posts about body shaming I experienced during my childhood. I could write a thousand more; many more recent.  There is a toxin in our culture that provides men both the freedom and permission to comment on women's bodies.  I, in no way, believe that young boys […]

As swimsuit season approaches here in the Midwest, I want to revisit some posts about girl's and women's bodies from a couple years ago. Posts about shame, about the male gaze, about the hidden trauma women often carry in our very souls about our beautiful, glorious, powerful bodies. Men, I love you, but please pay […]