If I was good (note my use of good versus perfect!) at anything during my sabbatical, it was sticking to a cycling routine. At first, it was a tool – a return to the routine I needed. Post-pandemic, it was also an easy way to ease back into the…
Personal best, not perfection. ~Bethany Faircloth The best is the enemy of the good. ~Voltaire And God saw that it was good . . . ~ Genesis This is my umpteenth attempt at this blog . . . a blog on perfectionism. In a series on lessons taken from sabbatical….
Everything is hard. That is my mantra these days. I acknowledge that, perhaps, it is not the best mantra. But I am not known among family and friends for being the perpetual ray of sunshine. Instead, I am known for my commitment to speaking the…
I recently led a workshop on rethinking rituals at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While planning out the class, I asked my colleague and friend, Professor Allie Utley, what she thought those attending might want to hear. Without hesitation,…
I have spent the past few weeks laser-focused on rituals – what they are, why we have them, the whole nine yards. Why? Well, I am teaching a workshop on “non-churchy” rituals for colleagues at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa next week, and I sure want…
In the midst of this seemingly never-ending global pandemic, I’ll admit there have been some moments of laughter, lightness, and happiness. I’ll admit to some silver linings and insights. I’ll acknowledge that the slower pace of life has…
My friend, who happens to be the brainchild behind my blog, recently asked me to blog about life 18 months into a global pandemic. As I sat across from her, I told her I likely wasn’t the best person for that blog post. I don’t have much to say, to be…
One of my favorite books in the Christian Bible is Ecclesiastes (Hebrew: Qoheleth). Most people are familiar with the lines “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die . . .” Hey,…
Even before the pandemic, loneliness and isolation were huge issues in our country. The digital divide is more than just an economic issue. These phones and computers that seemingly connect us, also separate us. In April of 2020, as the global…
I had no blog. Again. Every week my job is to post a blog on Thursdays. I have an editorial calendar. I should have blogs “in the can.” Easy enough. But it hasn’t been lately. The muse has left the building. What a surreal time….