Photo by Jakob Montrasio
By Tina Teng-Henson
When was the last time you did something kind…for yourself? That was good for your body?
Last week, on a whim, I walked into a little beauty school around the corner from where we live, that I’d never paid attention to before. I’d often walked right by it over the past 5 years, nestled as it is between our pediatrician’s office and the Rite Aid pharmacy. I checked their hours and wrote down their rates for a haircut. Continue Reading »
Posted in reflections | Tagged rest, self-care | Leave a Comment »
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By Jerrica KF Ching
The word spontaneity often brings up a complexity of emotions in me that takes some time sorting through and processing. In the past, I would not have described myself as a spontaneous person, and viewed it as the antithesis of being an organized person. Continue Reading »
Posted in reflections | Tagged being in the present, joy, stress | Leave a Comment »
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By Melanie Mar Chow
When is the last time you had a good belly laugh with others? The themes for the AAWOL blog this year comes from John O’Donohue in his book, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom. “Anam cara” can be loosely translated as “soul friend” and yes, we all need a friend, especially for our souls. Continue Reading »
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By Chloe Sun
It is difficult to imagine if we have no imagination. Imagination carries the idea of picturing the unseen in the future. It involves a creative mind – a mind that defies the constraints of the current circumstances to look beyond, to think the unthinkable. Imagination takes one to a different world, a world that transcends the present reality and turns it into a future possibility. Imagination is necessary to cope with a dull or an uninteresting life. Once, I heard someone say “if you can imagine it, then you can see it happen.” I thought to myself, This statement has a lot of truth in it. Continue Reading »
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By Diana Gee
“This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!” thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. “I wonder is that more mothballs?” she thought, stopping down to feel it with her hand. But instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood of the floor of the wardrobe, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. “This is very queer,” she said, and went on a step or two further.
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Continue Reading »
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Photo by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington
By Ajung Sojwal
I am frequently asked this question, “Why did you choose to be ordained in the Episcopal Church?” This was never a question for me through the discernment process toward ordination in the Episcopal Church. Now, after more than ten years of ordained ministry, this has become a deeply personal question. Continue Reading »
Posted in reflections | Tagged ordination, women in ministry, women pastors | 1 Comment »
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By Angela Ryo
A couple weeks ago, as part of our staff retreat, we attended an improvisation workshop led by MaryAnn McKibben Dana. MaryAnn told us that improvisation is really more of an attitude with which we live life rather than something that is performed on stage. It’s embracing everything — both good and bad –that comes our way and building on it before we throw it back out into the world. Improvisation starts with saying “yes” to what lies in our path and working with it to create something of our own before we hand it off to someone else. Continue Reading »
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By Sarah D. Park
I used to be on worship teams, though truth be told, I’m not a pretty singer. My tone cannot carry soft songs that make people cry during the bridge. My range is somewhere on the high end for most men and the low end for most women, forcing me to find a more comfortable harmony. I can barely sing most melodies from start to finish, with my voice trailing off at some point. Continue Reading »
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Photo by Jack Sem
By Grace May
When I accept me at my worst, not darting God’s eyes or making excuses, then I can live into a different reality, where I live not only as forgiven, but transformed. “If anyone is in Christ, [she] is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold! all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). Hearing God’s call of mercy each day invites me to hum a new tune, because I am a brand new person. Continue Reading »
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By Wendy Choy-Chan
A very familiar verse from the Bible is, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). It follows Paul’s pleading with the Lord to remove his thorn, something Paul was unable to do himself. It was a weakness of incapability, of powerlessness. I cannot help but think (cynically): What else can we do but to rely on God’s power, when we cannot do anything to change the situation? But how about when we do have something to fight with and fight back? Continue Reading »
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