December 31, 2023

Based On Your Depression

“Our decision is based on your depression.” I can’t say I was surprised, but I was disappointed and saddened to read these words in a rejection letter for the supplemental disability insurance policy I applied for through my workplace. In January of 2023, I went for a routine physical exam with my new primary care doctor, and I screened positive for depression. After discussing my options with her, we decided that a low-dose SSRI in combination with high-quality therapy would...

December 22, 2023

Eye Level

I recently took care of a patient who went out of his way to thank for me crouching next to his bedside to speak to him. “I like you,” he said. “Actually, I don’t just like you, I trust you. You didn’t stand over me like some ‘lord’ like most people do. You got down and looked me in the eye.” It’s true. I did. His bed seemed to be extra low to the ground and for some reason my...

November 5, 2023

A Christian Nation?

So here’s my hot take: As a Christian, I don’t believe America is a Christian nation, nor do I want it to be one. Christian Nationalism is a threat to democracy and is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. There is a lot to unpack here! So let’s take it one bite at a time. “As a Christian” What does it even mean to be a Christian? This is a question I have been significantly wrestling with recently. The term...

October 18, 2023

Angsty

“You ok?”, my husband asked. “You said you’ve felt a little…angsty…lately.” Yeah. I’m ok. And yeah, angsty is probably the right word. I’m a Gen X girl. Angst is the stamp of my life. Let’s see…we have Russia still pummeling Ukraine; Hamas killing innocent Israelis and Israel creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We have firearm violence as the number one killer of children in the United States and a House so divided they cannot even complete a simple junior...

September 24, 2023

Tell Me a Story

As a very young child, my dad would lie next to me as I was falling asleep, and I would say to him, “Daddy, tell me a story.” It was in those twilight moments when I learned about my dad’s childhood, my grandfather’s bakery, and my aunts and uncles. I believe most of those stories were true, but from time to time, I am sure there were embellishments or made-up stories to intrigue yet soothe me as I found peaceful...

August 21, 2023

Detangle: Part 10: Listen to What They DON’T Say

I am trying to be open minded, and humble enough to listen to disparate views, but if I am honest, I am just plain curious. So, I have been tuning into the sermons from the church we left in Indiana; left partly because we found ourselves questioning, frustrated, and even hurt by what we were hearing, and partly because I took a new job hundreds of miles away. Anyway, I’m in the midst of listening to a series on “deconstruction“....

July 2, 2023

SCOTUS Wrote a Blank Check

This week, The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) handed down two decisions that synergistically amount to a blank check to legalize discrimination and embolden divisiveness and hatred in the name of religion. In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis the court ruled in favor of a Christian woman who claimed her religious convictions would be violated if she had to develop a website for a gay couple. Of note, this case was based on a hypothetical gay couple. This...

July 2, 2023

Detangle: Part 9: Rest For Weary Souls (quick read!)

Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP) 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” For years I have read these verses and considered them as some kind of personal promise...

June 28, 2023

Dying Well

Seven days ago, we said goodbye to our very sweet 12-year-old Goldendoodle, Einstein. A few weeks ago we noticed that he was having trouble maintaining his balance, his back legs sliding out from under him. A week after that, he had a seizure. It was traumatic for all of us. We took him to the emergency vet who offered admission, sedation, MRIs, and continuous IV anti-seizure medications. I sat in the sterile confines of the vet ER office with my...

May 27, 2023

Detangle: Part 8: From Perplexity to Harmony

Alright y’all, welcome back to my crazy little brain. Yesterday, my dad sent me a podcast about the Four Stages of Faith. It’s worth a listen. If you don’t have time, check out this great summary chart. The Four Stages of Faith are simplicity, complexity, perplexity, and harmony. Author Brian McLaren obviously knows there are a lot of us doing this deconstruction/detangle thing. And it’s bewildering. His framework helps me see that I am normal, this is a process, and...