“I believe God is a fan of people connecting and I think the enemy of God is a fan of people breaking off into paranoid tribes. And I think all the clanging pots and pans in the kitchen to scare people from the territory we feel compelled to defend is playing into the hands of dark forces. I think a lot of the shame-based religious and political methodology has more to do with keeping people […]
What if, in our relationships with others, instead of being driven by a need to be ‘authentic’ we instead tuned our senses to moments of vulnerability? Sometimes I wonder if we are more concerned about striving to be authentic in the presence of others than we are about allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in the presence of others. And I wonder if we forget there is a difference between the two – that they aren’t […]
“If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in.” – Brené Brown It’s pretty easy to absorb as true whatever are the social norms we are surrounded by. But when we do that thoughtlessly, we run the risk of discarding any experience or knowledge we feel and/or hold that lands outside of said social norms. What we want, though, in the communities of which we are […]
“Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough.You will always find it (the evidence)because you’ve made that your goal.” -Brené Brown And to build on this, I would further mention the sort of evidence you use to qualify the degree to which you belong any such place could also be the same information that has you isolated from a sense of belonging anywhere. Over the time I have spent as a counsellor, and […]
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” Matt 5:5 MSG I was thinking about how readily we absorb as our own whatever are the social norms that we are surrounded by, and how if we don’t do that mindfully, we run the risk of completely discounting any experience we feel that lands outside. Why does […]
It’s a strange reality. The notion that Jesus, who is Good, endorsed denying ourselves. At first hearing, that seems not all that good for our becoming – for our flourishing. I think the way that message has been communicated over the years has actually lead to some less than helpful understandings of who God is, and perhaps, of our understanding of who we are, to him. But – to deny ourselves in light of the […]
Maybe wisdom doesn’t always ask you to wait until you know. Maybe wisdom doesn’t ask you to know what is wise Before you know what is wise. Maybe sometimes, she comes as you choose to move With eyes that are open And a heart that is soft. Maybe only there, does wisdom impress her knowledge onto our hearts. Why were you so afraid to move? // “Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set […]
I am grateful for the anchor point he offers, You know? All too often, I find myself trying to be more impressive than I am. But then, after a little time, with a much gentler tug on my hand, Than the tug I would give myself He draws me back to the middle. Tells me it’s okay to drop the act, To step into the light, unmasked. With all that I am not, As well […]
Could it be that when we commit to being authentic, we experience more tension than we would if we hadn’t made such a commitment? Rather than seeking to be the impressive idea of what we think others think we should be, we represent what we are, which is something that might often fall short of what we *should* be? It’s less neat. Less perfect. It makes mistakes. Says the wrong things. Wobbles lots. Is selfish […]
With the rise of the internet and social media – we have access to so much information, all of the time, and not only do we have access to it, it’s practically always in front of our nose – without our asking. I sometimes wonder if whatever we have come to know of the various ‘hot topics’ through these mediums, not only influence us, but, at times, override the valuable insight that the nature of our […]
anne-marie elizabeth 