How to Sit With Hard Stories.

Recently, my friend Molly spoke at a women’s event. The theme was The God Who Sees You, and she shared the story of the Egyptian slave Hagar.   Hagar’s story is found in Genesis chapters 16 through 21; if you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a really challenging story to read. It is tempting to skip…

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The How And Why of Learning

My Dad has always said, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” as a reminder not to throw something good or valuable away because you are trying to get rid of something unwanted.  I’ve been thinking about that phrase and reflecting on how, in our attempts to progress and make improvements, we might…

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Defining Celebration

When you hear the word celebration, what words come to mind? I imagine many of us conjure up images of parties, events, balloons, decorations, food, and large gatherings.  And while the word celebrate can be defined as marking something with festivities or parties. Search the word “celebrate” in Merriam-Webster, and you find the first two…

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Live Local, Love Global

I recently shared some words on social media that resonate with people. A reminder that in a world that celebrates bigger as better, we have permission to live small and grow deep roots.  Later, I was watching my favorite fall movie for the second time this season, You’ve Got Mail, and the words of Kathleen…

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The Heart of the Matter

Thoughts come and occasionally turn into words or phrases that we share out loud with others. (For me, sharing words frequently takes the form of social media posts.) And as we share out loud, we hope our heart behind the words is understood. That others gather the full intent of what we are trying to…

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