THIS!! --> This, by the way, is my sort of spirituality. Very lumpy and inconsistent, filled with praise of God but with little sprinkles of doubt and wanting my enemies destroyed on top.
Lumpy and inconsistent. Sooo relatable. THANK YOU!
And thank you for the reminder to put down my phone and let go of some of the mindless scrolling and focus on the real truth.
Hi Nadia. It's me again, Lanny. I appreciated your piece on the 27th Psalm. But more . . . your writing is powerful. Words like, "defiantly hopeful," and "as many fresh starts as we need."
Awww another good one, thank you Nadia. Remember the 7 Mountain Prophecy from a while back, the media one was the one that always got me and still does; like the modern day serpent - insidious, slimy, unable to quite pin down and very damaging. Thanks for shattering that mirror in the fun house.
The truth of this resonates in my bones - I and everyone else with a ‘device’ (including now our youth) is fed the information that confirms that we’re ‘correct’. It’s no wonder we are all so divided. We are all fed our own curated version of ’truth’! And who profits from this? Those who’ve created the algorithms! Does anyone wonder why our current president had the big tech brothers front and center at his inauguration?
I have been told since I stepped into vocational ministry (just in time for a pandemic) that a pastor needs a pastor. You are my pastor, Nadia. Thank you, from the bottom of my chronically broke, often dark heart to the depths of my messy, prone to wander spirit. You are a gift and I thank God for you!
Oh Jen! Congratulations and also hang on with both hands. I don’t know what faith tradition you identify with, if any.
And at the end of the day I don’t think it matters…service to your fellow humans is service in the name of humanity’s greater good. If I could share any advice it would be this…keep your mind/intellect open (because what we think we know isn’t usually true knowledge or everlasting wisdom). We can always learn.
Keep your heart open (because your life experiences could not possibly encompass the entirety of all human experiences) and perhaps you are still called to show up for those you may not understand. And beyond all else…and I have messed this up more than my fair share…
Every…like EVERY SINGLE spirit…every person, every story, every situation…every single human soul (no matter how dark, depraved, or debilitated) is worthy of unconditional love, grace, and mercy.
It’s hard to hear when we’ve been harmed and it’s hard to do when people remind us that we’ve not always been extended the same. The thing to remember is that YOU do NOT have to be the one to do all the love. And if the situation is bad/unhealthy for you, refer the situation to a specialist.
Also know that a specialist may be nothing more than someone who is (not personally involved or somehow harmed by involvement) aka NOT YOU.
That is the best I have, my new friend.
Continue to lean your attention to that thing that calls you to this work. I promise it is NOT easy…but it is the most fulfilling/rewarding work I have ever done. Blessings on your journey! 🫶🏼
No worries! I appreciate you leaning into that healthy habit. For context, I'm looking to pursue more formal training/learning in spiritual direction coaching, being open to what evolves form that course of inquiry. Thank you!
Excellent! This is what I am looking for. Something that makes the ancient writings of the Bible relate to the present. I get that so rarely in church. And Nadia, you are so right about fake news. I always have to remember that the pundits who claim to be broadcasting the "news," but are basically broadcasting the agenda of their networks, have a vested interest in keeping us divided...in keeping us thinking, "Us vs Them." Their jobs depend on our outrage.
Thank-you for your 'content'. I live in Belfast N.I. and confirmation bias is a very prevalent issue. I recently watched a disturbingly real docudrama called Adolescence it is brilliantly written and wonderfully acted. it mentions the "echo chamber effect" which is very much the same thing.
I enjoy reading your posts and some other things like it but the internet algorithms have sussed me out and I find I get recommendations to read similar things all the time. This is stokes my ego like very little else because Im left thinking "see I must be right, everybody thinks the same". When unfortunately this isn't the case (mostly). Your words come as a timely 😂 reminder not get too 'upitty' or full of my own sense of self importance. Grace and peace missus.
Thanks for the note Paul. I've loved my visits to Belfast. Glad you're here in The Corners - I bet folks from NI could have some wisdom for us right now.
In our imperfect fallen world, God works thru imperfect people. Maybe even through our perceived enemies who may or may not be enemies. Thy will be done, thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
Your sermons illuminate the reality of what’s taking place in our world and my life, lumpy and inconsistent, with a solid scriptural mirror that reflects God’s grace and mercy at work in my and our messiness.
Last week Diana Butler-Bass wrote on the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness stating that they weren't actually three separate temptations, but one; Empire and to become a new Caesar. I replied with a quote by Jacques Ellul, “When Satan offers to give him all the kingdoms of the earth, Jesus refuses, but the church accepts.” The church, though not the entire church, is the one group that should have called false witnesses out. The devil is the father of false witness, for they are all lies. Unlike many, I have found myself not being fearful during these times and it's taken some time to begin to put words as to why. The first words were that God knows best. But more than that, God Knows. I am now thinking that our current turmoil won't turn into entire chaos and collapse, but transformation. Our faith may be lumpy and inconsistent, but not in the end, because Faithful is He who called us..."And all creation cries, Holy!"
Thank you for the video. I always watch those and love them! I really hope I can make it to Boise!
You articulated what I've been trying to articulate. I read the news and then feel compelled to jump on social media to "read the comments." But they aren't balanced opinions, they only reinforce my own, and then go incrementally more angry and paranoid. Every time I come away more anxious, angry, and hateful. It's not real. It's manipulation. This past weekend, I went to a new church, attended a local theater production, got out into the land of the living. You reinforced I am on the right track.
Nadia, I've been reading you for quite some time, and it helps me. This post helps, but it also brings up for me some truths not expressed. The first is that I was not raised (as a Jew by the way) that there was just one psalmist, as the way you've written this post suggests. More importantly however, the psalms are both our way to yell at God when things are horrible, a way to ask for God to intervene in (Psalm 137, yikes), and one way in which we praise God. It's kinda like how my mind works when I'm in my worst or best place! The Bible is such a complicated instruction manual, and you help me navigate it all, so thanks again.
THIS!! --> This, by the way, is my sort of spirituality. Very lumpy and inconsistent, filled with praise of God but with little sprinkles of doubt and wanting my enemies destroyed on top.
Lumpy and inconsistent. Sooo relatable. THANK YOU!
And thank you for the reminder to put down my phone and let go of some of the mindless scrolling and focus on the real truth.
Hi Nadia. It's me again, Lanny. I appreciated your piece on the 27th Psalm. But more . . . your writing is powerful. Words like, "defiantly hopeful," and "as many fresh starts as we need."
Thanks, Lanny. I hear you guys had brunch with my folks yesterday!
Thanks for the cloud clearing lens cleaner. Appreciate your writings as does my 93 year old mother. Thanks…just thanks
Awww another good one, thank you Nadia. Remember the 7 Mountain Prophecy from a while back, the media one was the one that always got me and still does; like the modern day serpent - insidious, slimy, unable to quite pin down and very damaging. Thanks for shattering that mirror in the fun house.
The truth of this resonates in my bones - I and everyone else with a ‘device’ (including now our youth) is fed the information that confirms that we’re ‘correct’. It’s no wonder we are all so divided. We are all fed our own curated version of ’truth’! And who profits from this? Those who’ve created the algorithms! Does anyone wonder why our current president had the big tech brothers front and center at his inauguration?
I have been told since I stepped into vocational ministry (just in time for a pandemic) that a pastor needs a pastor. You are my pastor, Nadia. Thank you, from the bottom of my chronically broke, often dark heart to the depths of my messy, prone to wander spirit. You are a gift and I thank God for you!
Oh Jen! Congratulations and also hang on with both hands. I don’t know what faith tradition you identify with, if any.
And at the end of the day I don’t think it matters…service to your fellow humans is service in the name of humanity’s greater good. If I could share any advice it would be this…keep your mind/intellect open (because what we think we know isn’t usually true knowledge or everlasting wisdom). We can always learn.
Keep your heart open (because your life experiences could not possibly encompass the entirety of all human experiences) and perhaps you are still called to show up for those you may not understand. And beyond all else…and I have messed this up more than my fair share…
Every…like EVERY SINGLE spirit…every person, every story, every situation…every single human soul (no matter how dark, depraved, or debilitated) is worthy of unconditional love, grace, and mercy.
It’s hard to hear when we’ve been harmed and it’s hard to do when people remind us that we’ve not always been extended the same. The thing to remember is that YOU do NOT have to be the one to do all the love. And if the situation is bad/unhealthy for you, refer the situation to a specialist.
Also know that a specialist may be nothing more than someone who is (not personally involved or somehow harmed by involvement) aka NOT YOU.
That is the best I have, my new friend.
Continue to lean your attention to that thing that calls you to this work. I promise it is NOT easy…but it is the most fulfilling/rewarding work I have ever done. Blessings on your journey! 🫶🏼
Shanna, this may seem like a random request, but will you tell me/us more about vocational ministry?
I’m sorry I just saw this…and I’d be happy to. It may take me a day or two. I’m learning healthy time management 😉
No worries! I appreciate you leaning into that healthy habit. For context, I'm looking to pursue more formal training/learning in spiritual direction coaching, being open to what evolves form that course of inquiry. Thank you!
Excellent! This is what I am looking for. Something that makes the ancient writings of the Bible relate to the present. I get that so rarely in church. And Nadia, you are so right about fake news. I always have to remember that the pundits who claim to be broadcasting the "news," but are basically broadcasting the agenda of their networks, have a vested interest in keeping us divided...in keeping us thinking, "Us vs Them." Their jobs depend on our outrage.
Thank-you for your 'content'. I live in Belfast N.I. and confirmation bias is a very prevalent issue. I recently watched a disturbingly real docudrama called Adolescence it is brilliantly written and wonderfully acted. it mentions the "echo chamber effect" which is very much the same thing.
I enjoy reading your posts and some other things like it but the internet algorithms have sussed me out and I find I get recommendations to read similar things all the time. This is stokes my ego like very little else because Im left thinking "see I must be right, everybody thinks the same". When unfortunately this isn't the case (mostly). Your words come as a timely 😂 reminder not get too 'upitty' or full of my own sense of self importance. Grace and peace missus.
Thanks for the note Paul. I've loved my visits to Belfast. Glad you're here in The Corners - I bet folks from NI could have some wisdom for us right now.
In our imperfect fallen world, God works thru imperfect people. Maybe even through our perceived enemies who may or may not be enemies. Thy will be done, thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
Your sermons illuminate the reality of what’s taking place in our world and my life, lumpy and inconsistent, with a solid scriptural mirror that reflects God’s grace and mercy at work in my and our messiness.
Last week Diana Butler-Bass wrote on the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness stating that they weren't actually three separate temptations, but one; Empire and to become a new Caesar. I replied with a quote by Jacques Ellul, “When Satan offers to give him all the kingdoms of the earth, Jesus refuses, but the church accepts.” The church, though not the entire church, is the one group that should have called false witnesses out. The devil is the father of false witness, for they are all lies. Unlike many, I have found myself not being fearful during these times and it's taken some time to begin to put words as to why. The first words were that God knows best. But more than that, God Knows. I am now thinking that our current turmoil won't turn into entire chaos and collapse, but transformation. Our faith may be lumpy and inconsistent, but not in the end, because Faithful is He who called us..."And all creation cries, Holy!"
Thank you for the video. I always watch those and love them! I really hope I can make it to Boise!
You articulated what I've been trying to articulate. I read the news and then feel compelled to jump on social media to "read the comments." But they aren't balanced opinions, they only reinforce my own, and then go incrementally more angry and paranoid. Every time I come away more anxious, angry, and hateful. It's not real. It's manipulation. This past weekend, I went to a new church, attended a local theater production, got out into the land of the living. You reinforced I am on the right track.
Nadia, I've been reading you for quite some time, and it helps me. This post helps, but it also brings up for me some truths not expressed. The first is that I was not raised (as a Jew by the way) that there was just one psalmist, as the way you've written this post suggests. More importantly however, the psalms are both our way to yell at God when things are horrible, a way to ask for God to intervene in (Psalm 137, yikes), and one way in which we praise God. It's kinda like how my mind works when I'm in my worst or best place! The Bible is such a complicated instruction manual, and you help me navigate it all, so thanks again.
So much this!
My husband and I just had a similar conversation the other day. And I absolutely relate to the lumpy and inconsistent, hahaha.
This hit me straight into my soul♥️
Beautiful words. Much needed today.
Thank you