Hello, my friends, We have had quite the week as a nation, haven’t we? I just want to start off with a word of encouragement. Things are super chaotic right now, but it doesn’t define our fate. I am reminded every day how many people are committed to the work of goodness and compassion in our world. I’m reminded every day that there are people actively committed to fixing the issues in both our churches and our nation. All of you are among those people in my life! The helpers of the world...
6 days ago • 14 min read
Hello, my friends, There is a few phrases I have heard all throughout my life in the church when it comes to American politics. They are phrases I still hear on an almost weekly basis online from many people. The phrases are "both sides are equally bad" and "don't preach politics, just preach the gospel." If you've heard these phrases as much as I have, you might be wondering why we say these things, especially today when the political stakes seem to be so high. I think it is something at...
13 days ago • 12 min read
Hello, my friends, Many of you responded to my newsletter last week with your mental health journey and untangling yourselves from the bad theology that has contributed to your mental turmoil. Thank you so much for sharing your journeys with me so openly. Hearing from all of you after sharing my own story was so very encouraging. I am pretty convinced that I have some of the best and brightest people following this newsletter. So sincerely, thank you. It has been quite a couple of weeks,...
20 days ago • 11 min read
Hello my friends, Given the uncertain times that we are in, I wanted to share a bit of my personal struggles with mental health in an effort to encourage you to prioritize yours, which includes decoupling yourself from bad theology that can make it worse. I hope you find my story to be an encouragement to take care of yourself as you take care of others. But first, here are some resources to consider: -icuTalks: End The Stigma I shared this last week, but given today's topic, I thought I...
27 days ago • 8 min read
Hello my friends! I want to first start by saying how profoundly grateful I am for all of you. I sent out my two year anniversary email this week with some updates and asking for your feedback on what you’d like to see in my newsletter moving forward. I was then moved to tears by what happened. I hadn’t checked my email the day it went out so I had a ton of responses from all of you waiting for me the day after. In the middle of the night after feeding my daughter and not being able to go...
about 1 month ago • 13 min read
With this being an election year here in the United States, hopes and fears are already rising high. There is this overwhelming sense that there is so much at stake depending on the outcome of November. I think that’s true. So, especially with how Christianity is so often used to justify a particular set of politics in seasons like these, I wanted to look at a particular passage from Matthew, then think together over the importance of supporting the separation of church and state. I hope this...
about 1 month ago • 13 min read
Hello my friends, With June being Pride Month, I thought it would be wise for us to think together about some of the rhetoric we have heard and will probably hear again during this month from those who claim to follow Jesus. Unfortunately, hostility continues to be growing towards the LGBT community, much of which is led by people claiming to follow Jesus. I recently wrote a newsletter on that very topic, which you can read here. As you have probably seen, part of this hostility manifests...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
Hello my friends, Today is a rather special newsletter as I was just able to launch my podcast! So today, I want to feature the same topic my first podcast episode focused on, which shares the same name. My plan is to have the newsletter and podcast focus on different topics more often than not and help fulfill different needs you all have expressed, but with the first episode being launched today, I wanted to have them reflect each other! So, you can find my podcast called, "Into The Gray"...
about 2 months ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends! I’m sure you’ve heard Harrison Butker’s commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College or at the very least seen all the reactions to it. Last week, I provided what I consider to be one of the more important responses to consider from The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, who are founding members and sponsors of Benedictine College. You can read their response here. The speech itself will not be the focus of today’s newsletter, but rather a definition of marriage the...
2 months ago • 12 min read
Hello my friends, I hope you had a wonderful week! Even though Rebecca and I are over tired and still trying to find a stable life and work rhythm with two kids now, we are so enjoying watching them grow. It is true what they say that the days are long but the years go by so fast. I have been thinking a lot about changing our minds and how we tend to feel about it, especially within Christian circles in America. So, today I want to think with you about why I think changing our minds is a good...
2 months ago • 8 min read