Birthing pains. The agonizing pains a woman endures as the life inside desires to purge herself from her amniotic cocoon that’s been her incubator. Pain indicates the fullness of time. Time to exit a space no longer hospitable to life. Dying pains. Remarkably they mirror birthing pains; reluctance, fear of the unknown, purgation, and fragility. The guarantee of human existence is that we enter and leave in much the same way–– through birthing pains. Birth…
Spiritual direction is becoming more well known, and I think that’s a good thing. However, it’s not always clear what it is or why someone would engage in the practice. For a brief introduction on spiritual direction click here to learn more. When people discover I am a spiritual director, and they’ve heard enough to be curious, I get a few questions. A common one is: How do I know if I should see a…
Life is a story. Perhaps yours reads like a drama, or a historical account, maybe it feels like a self help or a how-to book, it may even be a great love story or a tale of adventure. Maybe you feel like you’re living a tragedy or divine comedy, perhaps a great escape. Stories reveal the environment that’s shaped us, our perspective of the world, and where God’s been present all along. In many ways, they…
I spent time talking to an old friend and former China teammate last week. As we reminisced and caught up, I asked her if she had plans for Lent this season with her family. Before she answered, she immediately went back to her experience of Lent in China describing how hard it felt to lean into Lent with intention when daily life overseas already felt like and ongoing season of Lent. I immediately understood her…
Can God set a table in the wilderness? Psalm 78:19 Autumn is my favorite season. Those who come to my house know that during this season my table is set and my home decorated with orange, yellow, gourds, corn, leaves, and turkeys. Though it appears I overdo it, or as my husband calls it, “crazy,” the truth is the idea of a season vibrant with colors that pierce the eye (at least in Michigan) is,…
