Meet a Member Podcast: Jeni Lowery
It's always a delight for me to talk one on one with our members. Talking with Jeni Lowery was no exception! I've always been intrigued by Jeni's spiritual makeup. I once told her that she's a Christian trapped inside a Hindu's body. Or maybe it's the other way...
Letter: Can I Share My Grief With You?
Sometimes things seem so surreal. The last church I pastored, a Vineyard church (the one pictured here), just closed its doors and sold all assets, including the building, all the people have dispersed, and the pastor I’d left in charge moved away. Gone. All of it....
Sophia: Solitary
I abandoned everyone. I therefore felt abandoned. Because I was. I became solitary. Like a hermit. Solitude is lonely. It’s supposed to be. But sometimes the loneliness is felt so severely like a cold fog seeping into the marrow of your bones. But solitude and...
Sophia: Distant
Sometimes I process things by talking about it. Or writing. Articulating it helps me know what it is. Words smith what I’m thinking into shape. One of my most common coping mechanisms is to go distant. Ever since I was a child I remember being told that. “You’re...
Sophia: Defiance
The lion cowers not. I came in like a lamb. I will go out like a lion. For so many years I complied. For so long I restrained myself under the constraints of the expectations and demands of others. In order to keep their peace I kept my tongue. This, I was told, this,...
Old Versus New Commandments
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees when they were banging on about who would be married to whom after the resurrection, the Pharisees got together (both groups liked nothing better than to test Jesus, except for their dogma that is), one of the Pharisees,...
Sophia: Tracks
Few people want to follow where I go. I remember reading about a Canadian explorer, David Thompson. The further he travelled into the wilderness the less men would accompany him. He would begin with an entire team with lots of food and gear, but end up with just...
Letter: How to handle your secret identity
HOW TO HANDLE YOUR SECRET IDENTITY I’ve noticed lately in our private Facebook group that many of us are dealing with the fear of coming out to our families, friends, and acquaintances. When we change our beliefs, our faith, our religion, or lose them altogether, many...
Sophia: Bridge
This was one of the most difficult things I’d ever done. Burning that bridge. Cutting it down. Separating myself as if permanently. This didn’t necessarily mean forever. But I had to act as if it was. Like an axe! Look at all those people on the other side. All those...
