This week's post is Part One of a series that will continue over the coming weeks. "What We See" is worth considering, whether it's our town, our lives, or our churches. Stay tuned as we continue this conversation. Imagine my surprise that day, walking around my hometown with my husband. As we talked, I realized we were experiencing two very different towns! I grew up in Prairie City, Iowa, a town that was home to my parents since 1956 (and my mom even earlier). My family has roots here all the way back to 1868. I went through school in the Prairie City Community Schools. Growing up, my … [Read more...] about What We See: different towns (Part 1 of 3)
Lee’s Blog
Downward Dog
It was my first day at a yoga class at the gym we just joined. Coming over to me afterwards, what the instructor should have said was, "You really hung in there." Or "You made a great start. I'm glad you came." Instead, she said, "There's another class that's a little lighter yoga, that you could try." She went on, "You can go online and find out a lot about the poses we do in here." Now, I get it; both of these statements were totally true. Check out this article from the Houston Chronicle; they did a whole series on basic yoga earlier this summer. I know my downward-facing dog was … [Read more...] about Downward Dog
The Complicated Art of Hello
I didn't like it when that woman at the cafe didn't bother to say hi before she took the check, and my credit card. And that guy who started running--fast--on the treadmill next to the one where I was walking? I'd rather he hadn't said hello. It was my first visit in an unaccustomed place, and I preferred to imagine my slow self unnoticed among the fit, experienced people around me. That man's greeting created a bridge between us that made it harder--for me at least--to ignore his presence, just a few feet away. Last week I waited outside someone's office, waiting for the hello that … [Read more...] about The Complicated Art of Hello
Protecting (?) the Church
When the church starts locking people out, I start getting twitchy. And I was definitely twitching, that recent July morning in Dublin. I had noticed it in various ways through the ten wonderful days I had spent in Ireland. I had learned, during my travels, some of the history of religious conflict there. There are deep, beautiful faith roots, but also a long history of adherents of one faith claiming power over those who dare to believe differently. Excluding them. Restricting their rights. (I have no illusions, by the way, that this history is unique to Ireland. That's just where I … [Read more...] about Protecting (?) the Church
The Rest of the Days
So what happened to the rest of the Days of Christmas, in early 2018? If you go back very far in this blog, you'll find yourself wondering what happened to the 9th day, and the tenth, eleventh and twelfth? There should have been ladies dancing, and lords a-leaping, and more! Or, in keeping with the rest of my posts in that series, products or sites or songs that were warming my heart on those cold winter days. Like many who embark on a blog, or on a series of posts like those unfinished Twelve Days, I look back at my blog and--well--it's a wreck, of sorts. What I thought would grow into a … [Read more...] about The Rest of the Days
A word before leave(ing)
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog on making room. I've got exciting things planned for this space come August, including how you can be involved in the launch of The Fools' Manual, my new companion guide to Foolish Church. By signing up for updates via e-mail (see the form to the right of this post), you'll be the first to get inspirational stories of #foolishchurch in action, practical advice for how to embody #foolishchurch in your hometown, and personal reflections from my own experience leading #foolishchurch in an Iowa women's prison and beyond. Until then, I'm going offline … [Read more...] about A word before leave(ing)