How to Practice the Presence of God
I sit in the waiting room, hand on my heart, saying in my mind, Lord Jesus, you live within me. Come, Holy Spirit and calm me. Give me your peace. Thank you, Jesus, that you’re with me. I shift in …
Go
How Jesus Sees My Buddhist Manicurist and My Lesbian Friend
I have the best manicurist in the city. Her name is Annie, and I send all my friends to her for their manicures and pedicures. I told my friend Sharla about her, and she became a regular customer. I also …
Read moreHow Jesus Sees My Buddhist Manicurist and My Lesbian Friend
Four Steps to Holy Reading and Listening to Scripture
Traditional holy reading and listening to the Scripture has four steps, with a leader guiding the process. But people can also practice this pattern on their own. (I use it regularly in my devotional practice.) To incorporate holy reading and …
Read moreFour Steps to Holy Reading and Listening to Scripture
What Happens When The Church Becomes Outwardly Focused
In Santa Barbara, California, in 2005, Shoreline Community Church was experiencing a radical change in their community and in their church. The city’s demographics were changing rapidly as more immigrants moved in and white people moved out to the suburbs. …
Read moreWhat Happens When The Church Becomes Outwardly Focused
Four Etiquette Guidelines for Asking Spiritual Questions
Having good manners at home is a way to show respect. I always had my children wait to serve themselves and eat after everyone, including the cook, were seated at the table. I wanted my children to respect the time …
Read moreFour Etiquette Guidelines for Asking Spiritual Questions
Practicing Embodied Faith
The negative and life-diminishing ways we manage our brokenness and uncomfortable emotions are physical—things we do with our bodies in hopes of making our minds and hearts feel better. We can tell that these coping practices are unhealthy because they …
How to Be an Encourager in Today’s Cancel Culture
I must start with a confession: Encouraging others is very difficult for me. I’m not 100 percent sure why, but when someone I know accomplishes something great—especially in my own areas of perceived expertise—my natural instinct is not to immediately …
The Lie of Comfort
I’m nineteen years old, and I’m choking on my comfort. The very thing I thought would bring me freedom is tying me down tighter every day. I’ve chased comfort as though it’s the goal of my life. But every time …
What I Learned About Transforming Grace When I Listened to My Shame
It was my father’s eighty-fifth birthday. My brother and I arrived early and set up the tables and chairs. We worked efficiently. We tied a few balloons to a lamp post in front of the retirement community center and Presto! …
Read moreWhat I Learned About Transforming Grace When I Listened to My Shame
What Really Sickens Our Savior
What is it that makes Jesus want to puke? When those who call themselves Christian decide to play it safe and compromise. When people grow so satisfied with how they’re doing in this world that it never occurs to them …