A letter to exasperated Christians on the verge of calling it quits

I’ve written a lot lately on the state of Christianity in America, and to be honest, I’ve gotten more discouraged about it with each passing day. I know where I stand on issues and facts and the tenets of my belief system, but my actual practice of faith has felt anything but solid. Sometimes it feels like sand passing through my fingers as I try to sift out what is important and worth holding onto. Yesterday, I got an email from Evan, a young man who read one of my recent articles, and it stirred me to a response that took me somewhat by surprise. …

AN OPEN LETTER

I’ve always been part of the problem

Being a Christian in America has a definition of its own

Until a few years ago, I could never imagine writing an article like this from personal experience.

I was your basic white-evangelical-church-lover and church-goer whose practice of the Christian faith was the most visible and prominent part of who I was. I attended the same church (with my husband and kids) for more than twenty years, and was active in every possible way a person could be over that duration. I led Bible studies and sang on the worship team. I served on the missions committee, went on numerous missions trips, helped plan holiday services, even preached a sermon one time. …

Wake Up Call

If Not Now, Then When?

I know we are right smack in the middle of a pandemic crisis, racking up weeks upon weeks being ‘sheltered in place.’ Absolutely everything feels uncertain, and there are so many more questions right now than answers.

For me, the wide-scale ambiguity and confusion are pushing my buttons and I’ve constantly had to battle my anxiety. I’m winning, for what it’s worth, but to be honest, it’s getting kind of exhausting. I like making plans. I like schedules and routines (to a point) and I like…well…control.

Don’t we all? That’s part of what is making this crisis so maddening. There’s so much outside our control and influence, and what little we do have is wrapped up in staying put, where we are. I think it’s safe to say we’re all pretty sick of it, but I grow more and more concerned about life after COVID-19 when I see and hear the opinions, outcries, and objections spewing forth from some people. …

Focusing on These 5 Things Will Change Everything

These are dark times we’re living in. Some of us are more than aware of this cold reality, while others need a reminder — a witness — to what they are afraid to acknowledge. Not since WWII has anything overtaken life as we know it on a global scale. You could even argue that this current pandemic has had a farther, deeper reach than a world at war. We all are fighting the same enemy this time, and for better or for worse, we are truly all in this together.

Like all tragedies and crises, these times bring who we really are and what we’re made of into the spotlight, whether we like it or not. Some are using this situation for self-preservation and promotion — hoarding, stealing, taking advantage for personal gain. Some gaslight, point fingers of blame, or turn a blind eye to the suffering outside their safe shelter. …

The Wildly Unpredictable Path of Grief and Healing

I’m going to try really hard to not make this a stream of consciousness type of thing, but this whole pandemic/quarantine/epic-world-crisis situation is sending my emotions into overdrive. I’m feeling all the feels pretty much every day, but my biggest recurring “feel” has to be grief.

It’s understandable, I guess, considering the times we are in.

So, today, I was out taking a walk, listening to my music — my music being BTS, at the moment. Yes, I’m a grown-up, but my Korean daughter has recently turned me on to K-Pop, and I’m smitten. Anyway…I’m listening to their latest album and a song called, “Friends” comes on. It’s about the friendship between two of the band members and at the end of the song, they start singing, “you are my soulmate,” to each other. At first it struck me as a bit odd. …

6 surprising and profound things I learned from making this difficult decision

It’s quiet today.

There’s no shuffle of little feet in the next room, or the sounds of random objects being chewed, dragged, or sniffed. I’m not on high-alert for the signs that will send me on a mad dash outside with treats in my pocket. The dog toys have been picked up and put away. Food and water bowls gone.

I brought him to his new home yesterday, amidst gut-wrenching sobs on the hour-long drive. He had never seen me cry before, and so he sat there, with his head resting on the console, staring at me with worried eyes. …

The Future of the American Church

How the Christian church can move forward in the wake of #metoo, #churchtoo, and the Trump presidency

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; no city or house divided against itself will stand. Matthew 12:25

Recently, I wrote an article about the impact of Christians supporting President Trump, and in response, one reader suggested I should next address where I thought the Church should go from here. After I stopped laughing at the notion of somehow being qualified to do that, I thought, well, who IS qualified?

Nobody, I guess — except maybe someone who deeply cares about the state of the American church and doesn’t really stand to profit or lose anything by just speaking the truth as he or she sees it. …