You know how there are people who talk about a new kind of Christianity, and then there are people who actually are a new kind of Christian? Or how some people write books about postmodern faith and some people live it? (Not that they are always mutually exclusive, but there is kind of a trend there.) Kevin Rains is one of the latter – a top notch practitioner of neo-monasticism and part of the first wave of folks to explore alternative pastoring in the late nineties and early 2000’s. Kevin and his family live with other families, singlets, and pilgrims in an old vicarage and the neighboring re-built convent house. Together, the community acts as caretakers to a … {read more…}

Ah, it’s 86 degrees and Summer is upon us.

If I were convinced of the cause-and-effect nature of prayer (an idea to which I am only intermittedly a convert), then I would say the now-sunny weather has everything to do with the fact that we remembered on Solstice.

Our annual Monkfish Abbey Solstice party/worship fest was all candlelight and fire light and spinning torches. Fire and flame in the back yard — our burnt sacrifice offered as an act of thanksgiving for the Sun and her Source. We are a pagan-y people.

It strikes me, in the afterglow of this fire-ringed night, that perhaps there is no better a metaphor for God than our ever present guiding orb — transendent for … {read more…}

Hello my blogginng lovlies!

The Urban Abbess has been sorry to be gone so long, long, long. But I’m afraid I’ve submitted to the call of the wild – which being the urbanite that I am, means I’ve been lured into the “great outdoors” of our front and back yard. Right now I’m writing to you from the porch swing, wearing my floor-length India-print wrap around skirt ($5 at Goodwill) and a tank top — and I am not even cold! It’s 80 degrees and breezy, last night we slept with the windows open, and people have been boldly venturing out in sleeveless things and flip flops without fear or trepidation. If you live in Phoenix, or maybe Alaska, you might … {read more…}

Here are my notes from the Blessing Rite we did for the Powerhouse — worskhop to the amazing Fremont Solstice Parade. Liza, one of the parade organizers, asked me to bless the space with light and peace. Enjoy!

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Welcome to all! Intro: Rachelle, Abbess and Monkfish Abbey (a generous soulcare community) and Jen, one of our community members. My family and I have totally adored the last four years of celebrating the Summer Solstice with this community, and we’re honored to be invited to bless the workshop space. Thank you!

This is a three- part rite of blessing:
• Invocation
• Personal blessing
• Infilling of the space.

If at anytime you feel uncomfortable, feel free to opt out and simply observe.
Non-sectarian rite …we’ve tried to … {read more…}

I wrote a piece for the Fremont Art Council (FAC), and I’ll be damned if they didn’t up it smack dab on the front page of their annual newspaper, the SOL. The kids are totally excited because their picture is right on the front page! There isn’t a weblink, but I’ve posted the text below.

Speaking of press, Monkfish Abbey got another nod last week when we were mentioned in a front-page story for the Seattle Times. There’s a bunch of other intriguing groups mentioned in the article, which you can link to here.

In other exciting news, the FAC folks also invited me to bless the workshop space for the Solstice Parade. I am unbelievably excited! … {read more…}

What’s a pastor’s kids doing at the Solstice Parade? Having the time of their lives!

My kids, ages 3 and five, are laughing and screaming at the top of their lungs. They are seated on either end of a giant see-saw, one of them embraced by a man in drag, the other seated with a fellow wearing a leather vest and holding a wine bottle in one hand. In addition to being flung up and down through the air on an enormous piece of wood, the entire see-saw is on huge wheels and two FAC folks are whipping the thing around in circles. It’s a playground experiment in centrifugal force – supersized!

This certainly isn’t the childhood I grew up with! In … {read more…}

Today I kissed a lot of white guys goodbye.

I have been working with an all-female writing group for the past six months or so. This Monday, after a month long migraine-induced dry spell, I finally gathered my wits about me and returned to the group. It was my turn to submit some pieces to be work-shopped, but I hadn’t been well enough long enough to write anything new. So instead I searched my blog and printed out five or six pieces that had been filed under priestess-y things. My hope was that in this mis-mash of thoughts, ideas, and images, something might float to the top that would serve as an article.

My group said no. They said, “This … {read more…}

1) It’s amazing to me that some people simply cannot see that the Bible was written in a specific time, context, and culture and therefore speaks out of that time, context, and culture. Are the underlying truths held within universal and timeless? Of course. Are many of the specific instructions informed by the culture they were written in? Of course. It’s beyond me that this reality is ignored by so many.

2) I’m not opposed to debate. Debate is fine. Sometimes people are called specifically to debate. I don’t really enjoy debate. I like to be in places where each side is willing to really hear from and learn from the other. Most the time this happens in dialogue, not … {read more…}

Mr. Jim (who, btw, has been on the cover of the Wall Street Journal and the Seattle Times in the past week) called me today to do his mentor-y thing. He asked me what I thought of the Gridblog experiment. It was the standard trifecta: 1) what worked, 2) what didn’t work, and 3) what would you do differently. I haven’t got a hold of him yet, but I’ve been chewing those things over a lot the last couple days and here’s what I think.

The Good
I made a call for a gridblog on International Women’s Day. Although I haven’t been able to read all the comments, I have read most of the other gridblog posts, and … {read more…}

and other round of applause for fellow monkifsher Ingrid Buchan as she tells it like it really is….

The Myth of the Virgin Bride
…..well it is for me anyway.

I’m 27 years old and have absolutely no friends that were virgins before marriage. Even in my church community I’m barely aware of anyone that didn’t have sex before they tied the knot. I, and many of these friends, grew up in church and most of us were told that sex before marriage is a sin, so why do so few actually abide by it.

I read an article in Christianity Today, by Lauren Winner, that stated that 75% of women have sex before marriage and 2/3 of Christian singles aren’t virgins, … {read more…}