church talk & vulnerability

I haven’t listened to a sermon in months. My younger self – from even just a few years ago – would be flabbergasted by this. I was in church for years. I loved church; I threw my whole self into it. The music, the scriptures, the sermons: all of it brought me so much comfort,

Faith and Fear

“‘Faith over fear’ is a toxic half-truth.” Full post from KJ Ramsey: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkjramseywrites%2Fposts%2F189506376333669&show_text=true&width=500 “Faith over fear” seems to have become evangelicals’ mantra during the COVID-19 pandemic. Certainly, this phrase wasn’t new to pandemic times. I’ve heard it throughout my life. But I’ve heard and read it countless times over the last year and a half

When Rest Is Elusive

I have been exhausted lately. It’s not like it’s unexpected or unusual for me. Fatigue has often been a part of my life since I became chronically ill as a 7th grader. Some days I’m more tired than others, but it’s always there, as with my other chronic illnesses/chronic illness symptoms. I don’t always have

Defining Failure

Failure is a part of all our lives. Personally, it has been eating me up lately in various aspects of my life. But I’m learning that experiencing failure does not make me a failure. I’ve been continually reminded lately that having compassion and love for myself is important. It’s oftentimes easy for me to show those things