This is part of a series: Rituals for Resistance. If we take seriously the idea that churches are to be base communities for resistance then our rituals as communities should strengthen us for the work of resisting the dominant narratives of the United States. I want to think through some of the things a lot of church communities already do and reframe them as tools for resistance. If you’ve missed any, you can catch up!   I think one of…

I find it really difficult to talk about money. For me it brings up all sorts of issues: fear, guilt, shame. When I think about money, I often have a tightness in my chest and I feel like I need to change the subject. So let me be honest up front: I am not always great with money. I sometimes buy things I don’t need. I don’t give away as much as I should. I don’t spend my money as…

When I go into someone’s house or apartment for the first time, I find myself especially drawn to their bookshelves. I want to see the books that they read and the ones they have on display. I like to know which ones have mattered enough to keep, which ones are dogeared and worn, and which are on the stack to be read next.   I had some extra time to read over this past week because of the holiday so…

This is part of a series: Rituals for Resistance. If we take seriously the idea that churches are to be base communities for resistance then our rituals as communities should strengthen us for the work of resisting the dominant narratives of the United States. I want to think through some of the things a lot of church communities already do and reframe them as tools for resistance. If you’ve missed any, you can catch up!   I must admit that…

I thought, with the season of holidays upon us, that it would be good to talk about the way we understand family. This issue is particularly poignant for me at the moment because I am having a tough time with my family of origin. Let’s face it, holidays can suck, especially for queer people. Often we have been turned out of our families, we have been rejected, or we are welcomed but with conditions. You can come to dinner, but…

When I go into someone’s house or apartment for the first time, I find myself especially drawn to their bookshelves. I want to see the books that they read and the ones they have on display. I like to know which ones have mattered enough to keep, which ones are dogeared and worn, and which are on the stack to be read next.   I’ve mentioned on here before, I think, that I am an avid reader. I try to…

If we take seriously the idea that churches are to be base communities for resistance then our rituals as communities should strengthen us for the work of resisting the dominant narratives of the United States. I want to think through some of the things a lot of church communities already do and reframe them as tools for resistance. Read the series so far.   I wasn’t baptized until I was 18 years old. In my tradition, baptism was only done…

I have been thinking a lot about investing lately. What do we invest in and why? What is it that causes us to be people who invest in things?   There are certain groups and types of people that invest really well. They see the potential in a project and they do all they can to make sure that project succeeds, even if it happens to be in the same field as the one they work in. Now when we…

This year for nanowrimo I decided to be a nano rebel and write a memoir. I’m realizing that every year of participating in nano I have been trying to write my own story in a fictionalized way. I need to figure out a way to tell my story true, to be able to make sense of my own journey and to be able to share it with others. I have written down bits and pieces, but never the whole story…

Lately I’ve been talking a bit about rethinking rituals of the church so they can be used to bolster resistance. The ritual I want to talk about today is prayer.   I have always had a complicated relationship with prayer. As a kid I felt like I didn’t pray enough, or that I prayed for the wrong things. I was often afraid to pray because I had a picture of God as kind of a bully and what if God…