deconstructing – Widowed and Writing

A Youthful Affirmation of Faith

Recently my church celebrated confirmation Sunday. This is the Sunday where the confirmands (who are usually 12-13 years old) profess their faith and become full members of the congregation. It is a culmination of one year’s worth of study, mentorship, and discussions. The fruit of those discussions are complied into an affirmation of faith thatContinue reading “A Youthful Affirmation of Faith”

What Can Widows Teach us About Easter?

Short answer: everything Easter is God’s ultimate redemption. We say, “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.” We sing, “Death where is thy victory, grave where is thy sting?” As K.J. Ramsey recently posted, “God hangs on the hard wood of humanity’s hatred and death becomes a door.” I see this so clearly in theContinue reading “What Can Widows Teach us About Easter?”

I Wonder: Luke 4:1-13

We have entered the season of lent aka that sad time in the church year. But Lent is more than just a sad time, it’s a time of preparation a time when we remember Jesus’ life-especially the days leading up to his death. It can be a wonderful time of renewal, a time when weContinue reading “I Wonder: Luke 4:1-13”

Tis the Season

Of Advent. The season is Advent. Not Christmas, Advent. I’ll admit, growing up, I didn’t truly appreciate the difference. Someone would say, “don’t you love the Christmas season?” and I would sanctimoniously reply, “Actually, it’s Advent” (y’all know how much I love a high horse). Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday and I leaned hardContinue reading “Tis the Season”

The Liminal Space

I love words-especially words that somehow capture an entire concept. I’m a sucker for lists like this that show you words in other languages that perfectly encapsulate a feeling we can only awkwardly describe in English. One of my favorites had a real moment a year or two ago-it’s the Danish word Hygge meaning aContinue reading “The Liminal Space”

Toxic Positivity

I used to have a poster in my classroom that said “Good Vibes Only.” It was one of the free posters from the book fair-teachers will know what I’m talking about. (For the rest of you, they send display posters with the book fair that you get to keep. The veteran teachers will call dibsContinue reading “Toxic Positivity”

A Tale of Two Churches

I will never go back to a contemporary church. But Sarah-never say never. In general, that’s wise advice; but in this case I feel pretty confident with my never. I’ve attended a large variety of churches from United Methodist to Assembly of God to Baptist to Presbyterian. I’ve been to big churches and small churchesContinue reading “A Tale of Two Churches”