There are many reasons that people stop going to church. Reasons that people still inside the Church often don't seem to understand. Because of this, people can feel - or fear being - misunderstood, marginalised or otherwise maligned for leaving their faith community. The Church may not mean to treat people this way, nor is its intention for the most part to cause harm of any kind. Yet the experiences are many, varied and valid. Maybe you felt like people didn't see you or hear you. Perhaps your search for connection and community was left unfulfilled. Maybe the ways that the church served its members and community had an underlying agenda that treated people as ministry opportunities more t

In the midst of this pandemic some think it is spiritual to show they are not afraid - that they can ignore all that is being said by health experts and professionals because God will take care of them. They tend to think it shows a lack of faith on their part to take the precautions many are calling for. Many say trust God and throw caution to the wind. I do believe we will make it through this time and I do believe we can trust God to provide for us. Yet I do believe we have minds and common sense to do what we can, without panic to protect ourselves and to protect others. The one statement that so many pastors and church organizations use to promote church attendance is found in Hebr

The sun rose. I have a gift for you, a perfume I prepared. I know – it’s pointless, really. But I just want to give You something for all You are, or were to me. I came to see You. But You were gone. They had stolen You, even now. I laid were your body was, and I wailed, I wailed and wept. And then I felt a presence. The touch of peace. Warmth. “Why do you weep?” THEY HAVE TAKEN MY LORD. My hero. My person. My protector. “He is not here. He has risen.” How? What? When? I can’t… This cannot be true. I cling to the hope. And then I see You, although You see me first, because that is how You are. You see me. I run to You, jump into Your arms. It IS You! I cling to You. The world

And we sit in the tension: Between despair and hope Bondage and liberation Death and life. The here, but not yet. The place where you're almost sure it's finished, but you're willing to give just one more shot. Holding out hope that maybe, maybe this time it will be different. It's the darkest of nights but the awareness that the sun will still rise, eventually. It's a child learning to walk: still crawling. He has the faith to try a few little steps, only to be rewarded by falling spectacularly on grazed knees. It's the 10th hour of labour -- when the doctor informs you're only halfway. The exhaustion. The despair. Yet knowing what joy will arrive from this pain. The promise of cha

I cannot imagine what you endured. I cannot. But I know darkness – darkness so thick, like a fog you cannot see through. I know pain – debilitating, heart wrenching, gut turning, tears burning pain. I know betrayal – to believe and trust, for that person to show you again that you walk alone. I know isolation – to walk a path that nobody understands, to sit with such a heavy weight that it is impossible for someone else to understand. I know injustice – what is stolen from women against their will, children slaughtered, religious folk posing in Your name – for self-interest, pride and privilege. I know anger – I’ve turned a few tables over myself. I’d have loved to drive them out too.

There comes a time in life when uncertainty camps out on your doorstep. For some, it comes knocking more than once, in a manner that is initially disconcerting and unnerving. But with enough experience, some of us are eventually able to embrace it as a welcome guest. So how do we come to terms with uncertainty in our lives? How do we embrace the void of unknowing, the fear of unpredictability, the vague and precarious nature of an indeterminant future? How do we step into that unpredictable black hole that sucks up all that we’ve come to rely on in life, leaving only ambiguity in its wake? Is faith enough? Ultimately, this uncertainty comes from a lack of hope, a fear of missing out or los

Namaste. I honour the divine that is within you. The divine that is within us all. The divine that weaves its way through our veins, bringing us to see beauty through pain and joy after sadness. The divine that is you. Namaste. I honour the divine that is in our world. The sun rises after the darkest night. The colour of the autumn leaves as the seasons begin to change. The flowers that flourish and grow out of cracked concrete - places that were made to restrict them. Nature teaching us the divine. The divine that is earth. Namaste. I honour the divine that is in you. Love. Hope. Creativity. Rebellion. Laughter. Pain. Lament. Tears. Joy. This is the divine. I am divine. Y