I originally published this post on BlogHer 2 1/2 years ago in the midst of the conflict with my church about my blog. I republished it at the end of last year, and I’m sharing it again today because it is my writing manifesto. Ssometimes I need to remind myself what is the heart and soul…

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We left an abusive church in May of this year, and spent most of the summer visiting other churches. Not pleasant. All the pain and all the wandering prompted me to ask “What IS church, anyway?” in this post, originally published on June 11, 2012. *** Another Sunday morning, another room full of chairs all facing…

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An organization called “Faith Biblical Counseling” tweeted this today: “Hurting and grieving parents are often comforted by remembering that Jesus loves their children more than they ever could.” Reading statements like this makes me see red. This idea diminishes the grief and loss that those parents face. It refuses to name evil as such. It…

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candles lit for grief

These last few weeks of December, I am going to highlight some posts from my archives. In light of the national (and even international) mourning for the children shot in Connecticut last week, I wanted to share this letter I wrote to a friend whose son died at a very young age. I originally posted…

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It is so easy to second-guess my response to the heat I’ve taken from church leaders over my blog and social media activity. Sometimes I want to tell the me from three years ago to grow a pair and walk out. But then I remember the person I was at the time. I was, in…

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I am so heartbroken. I was working on a post this morning, but I will not post it today. I will observe a weekend of silence as we mourn the loss of these precious children in Connecticut. A note to all who are angry and upset I am  beside myself too. But please, before you…

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