In the Secret Life of Bees there is a character who has a unique affliction. She cannot decipher which sorrows are hers to carry and which are for others to bear. So whatever she hears, whatever sad tale she is told, it strikes her with its full grief and terror. Her sisters, good shepherds all, give her a way to express and reign in her sorrow. They help her build her very own wailing wall. With each fresh pain they add a stone, and the afflicted one is allowed to sit and sob, to write her sad tales on small scraps of paper and slip them in the hallows between the rocks. … {read more…}

Jenell asked about Lauren Winner’s tips on writing a spiritual autobiography. Here’s the few that I remember:

-Before writting Girl Meets God, Lauren outlined her favorite memoirs from several perspectives . She went through each one and outlined the flow of the story, how the characters were developed, what overarching metaphors were used, etc. This helped her get a sense of what goes into a good memoir.

-So what is truth in a memoir? Who’s truth? If I tell a story about my Mother and I’m telling her truth or my truth? What if I take a bunch of memories about my mother and create a composite scene? Is that okay? What if I just plain make something up because I feel … {read more…}

Mike Wrote:

I was really intrigued and encouraged by your seminar on neo-monasticism (spelling optional?… though i might have gotten it right). Our staff of 4 own 4 multi-family houses here in Rochester, NY… and all on the same block. We’ve been tossing around this ‘communal living’ idea for some time now… thus your seminar was that much more fascinating for us. I was hoping to ask you about your boundaries… things like ‘personal space’… ‘moral conduct’…’accountability’. Do you have guidelines for such things? and are they different depending on one’s connection to Jesus (ie. if a non-christian member of the abbey is shagging all over town, is that dealt with?… and would it be different for a professing christian member … {read more…}

Nefarious T’s
shirts for the emerging smart ass in all of us

For those of you who have been drooling over the thought of having one of our really bitchin’ tees, we have a little proposition for you. If you weren’t in Nashvegas you can still get one of our personalized cotton dreams for just $15 plus $2 shipping.

Here are some smart ass comments you can choose from, or come up with your own unique quip:

emerging my ass off

the t-shirt we find ourselves in

a new kind of t-shirt

WWBD?

god does not have a penis

i speak patriarchy,
but it’s not my mother tongue

gay? fine by me!

god reads my blog (front)
___your blog address here___ (back)

my hubby/wife/partner went to the emergent convention
and all I … {read more…}

Alright already! I’ll write about Nashville. The truth is there’s not that much to say.

My seminars were well attended and I had fun doing them. Great crowd, v. interactive and only a teensie tiny bit of worried-ness re: our lack of focused Bible study. (Monkfish folk only like to do lectio divina with scripture right now – the sermon and “devotions” have certainly been put on ice.) I even got a few laughs at the gig, so that was nice. I don’t usually think of myself as a funny person, so I’m always pleasantly surprised with that ripple of laughter passes through the crowd.

The Emerging Women’s Leadership Initiative (EWLI) had a great two day course on Power … {read more…}

Well I’m off to Nashville. I have to admitt I’m loathe to leave my little ones this trip. Because the travel is longer I’m gone just one extra day, but it seems like a whole lot more. Still, if I have as much fun in Nashvegas as I did in San Diego the time will speed away.

Jen Lemen and I are up to our usual nefarious plans. In a light-hearted effort to stimulate some much needed conversaion, we’re setting up a little shop in our hotel room where we’ll be pressing a series of custom made t-shirts with witty little slogans. Curious? Ring us up at the Reinissance, call our cell, or grab us in the halls. Bring an … {read more…}

Looking at my RX bottles, sitting there so smug on the bathroom counter fresh from thier mailing bag, I felt a surge of anger. A moment later I was sane and practical. “A lot of people take daily meds,” my inner reasoned person said, “it’s no big deal.” But for a moment I was pissed — angry at the brokeness in my body, at my over active mind, my hyper funtioning synods. I was tired of ruining my liver with shit that comes with warning labels and child resistant caps.

That moment was vital. It was real. So I document it here.

Live in Seattle? Want to help hungry families? Set some food out by your mailbox this Saturday for the National Letter Carriers Food Drive.

The proceeds go to FoodLife…a great agency that actually hired me right out of college. I got to help set up the first Letter Carriers food drive and it was such a boon to this great agency. This is an important drive that helps food banks stock up for the Summer. Summer is a tough time for low income families because kids that would normally get fed twice a day at the free school meal programs must now eat all three meals at home. So go ahead…weigh down your letter carrier. Our letter carrier, the … {read more…}

I have been writing like a maniac today. I’ve got about six blog posts backlogged in my brain. I decided two of them were too private for the blog, so I sent them off to my writers group (aka Jen Lemen). But here’s one I’ll share with y’all –especially since I kind of left you hanging with the Fuller/Allelon journal posts.
____________________________

“the church, as an institution, tends to eat its young”

Day two of the Fuller/Allelon consultation was even harder for me to bear than the first. Truthfully I’m not really sure why. Maybe it was all those leader-types (myself included) trying to be heard. Or maybe it was because I just wasn’t clicking with the format. Or maybe … {read more…}

I hate Relevant magazine. Seriously, I get angry and nauseous every time I look at it. I call it the “white guy magazine” because there they are, goateed and slightly unshaven on virtually every page. It’s like a fast forwarded version of Campus Life cross pollinated with Christianity Today. I mean how progressive can it be when one of the big questions o the day is “Is it okay to get a tattoo?” Give me break. On their website today, which I went to see if I could link to the Moby article, they were actually selling tin covered Bibles that looked like they wrapped in ipod-style jackets. It was straight out of Saved. I cringed.

I ordered Relevant because … {read more…}