If there’s one thing I know the power of, it’s a name. For the better part of a decade I suffered from a chronic mystery illness that was attacking me from the inside out. Countless doctors and specialists couldn’t diagnose me, couldn’t give me a name for what was happening. They told me it was all in my head — that I could pull myself out of it if I just tried harder. I believed them. Debilitating fatigue and pain... Read more
For me, strange coincidences are real life, unexpected miracles and occur when we allow intuition and openness to intertwine in the most intricate of ways Post by Guest Contributor Julie Cline I was traveling on business last week to Jersey City, NJ for a full day meeting that started at 8am; then into New York City for a function that evening, back to Jersey City to sleep and back to Ohio by 8:30 the next morning. Traveling in and out... Read more
This week’s Podcast Sunday features Doug Pagitt: leader of the Emergent Church movement, pastor, author, and convener. Doug seeks to be a goodness conspirator & possibility evangelist who finds reative, entrepreneurial and generative ways to enlist people to join in the hopes, dreams, and desires of God for the world. He is the pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis (a place I have been and HIGHLY recommend visiting if you are in MN!), speaks and writes about spirituality, leadership and the OPEN Network – a collective seeking to bring about... Read more
I don’t necessarily recommend giving up on your marriage and your religion in the same year, but I recommend that you learn to make spaghetti carbonara if you do. Post by Contributor Susan Gray Blue Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in my early 30s, I left the church and my marriage. I’d been devoted to a man for a decade and to God for as long as I could remember. I’d built my world around both. So between tearing my... Read more
I run out of words to say how much I adore Jana Riess. (My enthusiasm embarrasses Jana to no end, but if you enjoyed Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome, she is the reason. Jana took my messy second draft through innumerable edits, and taught me how to write a book in the process.) I first found Jana because of her funny, poignant memoir Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor, a book I highly recommend–both for its humor... Read more
Post by Contributor Susan Gray Blue If I emerged from fundamentalism, anyone can. I know I’m not alone. Maybe not everyone was sent to a Jesus-branded charm school, but religion plays a significant role in the lives of most Americans, even in our shifting spiritual landscape. Seven years ago, roughly 78 percent of the country was Christian. Now, researchers estimate that portion is closer to 71 percent. In that same time span, the number of Americans who say they aren’t part... Read more
Post by Contributor Julie Cline “I need to do nothing.” How often do you hear that phrase? Typically, the phrases I hear most often in my world sound like this: ” I have so much to do, I don’t know where to start.” “I feel like I’m drowning!” “I have 10 places to be at once” “There are too many deliverables!” “I feel like all I do is run my kids all over the place!” “Let me check my calendar.”... Read more
In this second installment of Podcast Sunday, we hear from Brian McLaren, author, speaker, and activist, who Mark interviewed while Brian was speaking in New Zealand earlier this year. If you have ever struggled with lost faith, you will be encouraged by Brian’s open, honest reflections on suffering, fear, and life’s tough questions: “I’m sure I am wrong about many things, although I’m not sure exactly which things I’m wrong about. I’m even sure I’m wrong about what I think I’m right... Read more
Post by Contributor Susan Gray Blue I was born the year we landed on the moon, but I grew up on another planet entirely. Sheltered in a city nestled among Midwestern corn fields, I thought drinking wine was sinful and listening to rock ‘n’ roll put you on a fast track to hell. I’ll just go ahead and tell you: I was raised to be a particular kind of Christian that’s fundamentalist, literalist, evangelical and earnest. No going through the motions,... Read more
This is the blessing I wrote for today’s Thanksgiving meal at our home. I share it here because I know holidays can be difficult for families of different faiths, or no faith, because we want to acknowledge the sacredness of togetherness, but often we aren’t sure how to do so. Enter this blessing, which may be read aloud as you would read a prayer. May it be offered with peace and joy in your home. Happy Thanksgiving– Love, Reba A Thanksgiving Blessing By: Reba Riley... Read more
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome
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