In recent years, authenticity has become both an ideal and a polemic. Social media users have labored to capture the mundane in beautiful ways. However, social media users have also distorted and feigned authenticity by staging the mundane. Filters and iconic captions have been used to present a particular style of life that is filled with explorations into nature, scenic mountaintop picnics, urban renewal (and gentrification), and lots and lots of coffee. However, most people...
After submitting my PhD thesis a few weeks ago I was able to spend some time at the Swiss L’Abri as a guest lecturer. Everything about my experience there was wonderful and I thought I’d share a little bit about it. If you’re not familiar with L’Abri, which was founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer, you can read more here. The L’Abri community is genuinely one of a kind. Students of all ages, backgrounds, and...
The “potluck” is one of the greatest things about going to a small church. For those who have never experienced it, it is a full range buffet with only the most delectable foods made by the moms and grandmas of your church. Tables are set up so that all of the congregation may have their fill and then enjoy the company of one another. This usually happens right after the traditional “service,” however it should...
It has been said that we must perform at a certain velocity to achieve worth, success, and security. Many things have been promised to our generation, but it seems that only a select few have achieved them. We hold these success stories up as a championing call to work harder, be better, and to not stop until we become like them. Eleanor Robertson recently wrote about the contrasting self reflections between the Baby Boomer generation...
Mark Driscoll is trending again. This past week I read an interview transcript by John Piper on the subject of Mars Hill and Driscoll. I also read that Driscoll is beginning a new bible study series on Ecclesiastes that will be hosted on his website. I have often wanted to share my own experience at Mars Hill, and now I have the chance to do so. This is my personal story about Mars Hill. Just over 3...
Joy. Sadness. Anger. Disgust. Fear. These emotions are the key figures in Disney’s film, Inside Out. Last week, I watched the movie and enjoyed the interplay between the different emotions as characters inside Riley’s head. The movie shows how the different emotions operate and communicate inside of her, and how each of her memories are categorized by a particular emotion. As the simplicity and happiness of childhood gets overpowered by pain and hardship as Riley...
Last Friday, I had the awesome opportunity to speak in Biola’s undergraduate chapel about my thesis on shame and how it affects our relationships with God and others. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share about what I’ve learned about shame and grace, and also my own struggle with shame and depression, and the hope and healing that I’ve found in my life through community. It all came about quite organically and it was...
Yesterday, in honor of the martyrdom of St. Valentine, I hosted a dinner party with a few of my girl friends. It was a good time of delicious food and engaging conversation. While Valentine’s Day can be S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day), I wanted to celebrate the holiday in the truest fashion with having a feast day celebrating St. Valentine, as was the origins of the holiday on the liturgical calendar. While romantic love is often...
When you’re learning how to knit, you need to learn to read a whole new language: K1, m1, p2, CO, k2tog. You learn to decipher charts and take something that looks good on paper and bring it to life. And you learn, through experience, that knitting takes time and requires a good deal of patience if you’re going to see a project to completion. A few weeks ago, my husband and I opened our home...
A friend made a comment about a blog post that I recently “liked” called Hearing God in the Midst of Suicidal Thoughts by Matthew Wireman on The Gospel Coalition blog. In jest, he asked if me if I was doing ok, and wanted to make sure to talk me off the ledge. In my response to him, I told him that I was currently doing alright, and to not to worry about me, that I...
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