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May 12 2023 
Regeneration + The Holy Spirit
Reading Time: 9 minutes“Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” | 2 Corinthians 4:16, NIV
There can be a tendency to reduce the work of the gospel to simply to a culture of ‘making us nice’. That is to say, that being a Christian equates to a program of basic self-improvement. Yet there are plenty of nice people who aren’t Christians; people who do good things for others without having Jesus in…
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Apr 29 2023 
Stop Promoting Gendered Hierarchy!
Reading Time: 16 minutesOne of the more detrimental teachings that I believe has defined the church throughout her history and which continues to exert influence today is the idea that God established some kind of hierarchy of men over women at creation. Hierarchy, it’s claimed, was, one; either part of God’s original plan for humanity, established from the beginning or, two; God’s prescriptive punishment (primarily upon the woman), because of sin.
(Not a reader? Take a listen instead ⇓)
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This article… -
Feb 22 2023 
Judging // Discerning
Reading Time: 9 minutesIt seems to me that it has become increasingly difficult to speak into many issues or situations that the church faces today; not because the Bible is silent, not because the church doesn’t have or hasn’t held a historical position on a matter, and not because we, as Christians, don’t know what we ought to be doing. Rather, we are feeling pressed into silence, in many instances, simply on the basis of one little verse…
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Feb 14 2023 
What The Church Is (And What She Isn’t)
Reading Time: 6 minutesI really love talking about church.
Not, as in, my church or your church.
Not, as in, what flavour of church, in a denominational sort of way.
And not, as in, which kind of church; mega church, home church, missional church, or cell-group church (and, oh boy, I wish whoever had come up with that last descriptor had really given it a bit more thought…).
I love talking about church, as in, The Church. The bride of the lamb, the… -
Nov 16 2022 
Loving The Church
Reading Time: 5 minutes“You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour.” | James 3:18, MSG
It can be hard to love the church. Frankly, at times, she can seem like a big, fat disappointment.
Infighting. Divisions. The failure of leaders and the apathy of congregants. The assimilation to culture. A preoccupation with… -
Nov 09 2022 
Ruth: The Inconsequential Outsider
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Weft And Warp Of Scripture
The word of God is like a vast tapestry, its main theme interwoven with many sub-plots and side stories that run like golden threads through an intricate design. Each of these threads complements the complete telling of God’s story and narrates again and again to us the way in which God views our world and us, the people who inhabit it.
The story of Ruth, a seemingly inconsequential outsider, is one… -
Jul 30 2022 
Dual Citizens
Reading Time: 7 minutesI was born and raised in New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud and a ratio of nearly six sheep for every one person. I often remember as a child watching the sun in summer sink below the horizon late at night, and, in winter, layering up as warmly as possible through the short, dark, freezing days of relentless rain and oftentimes snow.
My husband and I moved from New Zealand in 2008, the… -
Jul 16 2022 
Beyond The Pale
Reading Time: 9 minutesI recently wrote about my separation from the religious community I grew up in and the overwhelming response to my article was both encouraging and thought-provoking.
Many people wrote to me, both publicly and privately, to let me know that the article had deeply resonated with them. They expressed that they, too, have had many questions over the years, wrestling with inconsistencies while attempting to find their place in a system they secretly suspected they didn’t… -
May 09 2022 
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Reading Time: 6 minutesI don’t know about you but sometimes I feel bad for not knowing then what I know now.
Bad, as in, I wish I’d known better, I wish I had known more, I wish I had known sooner or responded better or chosen differently.
But here’s the thing. We only wish this because of what we know now. Which is to say, in all the time that’s passed from then until now, we’ve learned something, we’ve grown, we’ve become more equipped, less reactive, we can make better choices only because of what we’ve… -
Dec 09 2021 
Leaving
Reading Time: 8 minutesLeaving is never because of just one thing. Not really.
It’s the result of a thousand, inconsequential one things that all converge in a single moment of sudden, irreconcilable difference.
For me, the eventual leaving of the religious community I grew up in began as a tiny question fluttering at the back of my mind.
Back then, I’d never met a question I didn’t want to take apart, examine, rearrange and then carefully reassemble, perfectly ordered, and satisfactorily…
