We're taking a break from our regularly scheduled program to mark the milestone that happened in the middle of our #FourFoolishRules series: I've posted on this blog every week for a year! I chose just that little sparkler to mark this accomplishment, rather than big fireworks or even a bonfire. Still, I am celebrating the work and your responses and the foolishness all this represents. I really started this blog clear back in April of 2015--five years ago! For a long time it was roughly connected to the ideas that grew into Foolish Church. When I started writing that book in earnest, … [Read more...] about A Year of Foolish Posts
foolishness
Rule #1: Everything Belongs
The first rule for our life together is: Everything. Belongs. Say it. Out loud, I mean. Now say it to another human being. Even one that you've just exchanged harsh words with, or you don't like very much right now. Tell them, "Everything belongs." Why? Because even that person does. Belong. Even their opinion that you disagree with. Even the emotion that arises in you and in them as you think about what just happened between you. There's a place for all of it. It belongs, in a very deep and true way. This doesn't mean that it's all good. "Everything belongs" doesn't mean … [Read more...] about Rule #1: Everything Belongs
#FourFoolishRules
I can give you lots of angles that illustrate what I mean by #FoolishChurch. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know a lot of them. (Scroll, baby!) Many of you have read my book, Foolish Church where I make the case for a church that's more messy, raw, and real than we have generally known. Over time, though, I've sensed that we need some specific, simple rules that'll help us implement this foolishness. Guidelines that will help us navigate specific, living situations, to guide our thinking and help us decide what to do next. I'm getting ready to share these rules in the … [Read more...] about #FourFoolishRules
A Time for Foolishness
It tickles me that there's a day set aside for foolishness. April Fool's Day is a favorite tradition in my family. Or, if you asked my (now-grown-up) boys, it might be more correct to say it's a favorite tradition for me. Every year, I make it a point to see what I can get someone to fall for. One year, my husband was flattered that I had submitted his name to be a contestant on an IPTV "Chopped"-style competition for local chefs, and I had just gotten word that he was "in." My oldest son thought that was amazing, too, and was so proud of his dad. Until I told them it was an April Fool. … [Read more...] about A Time for Foolishness
Cross Generations (and the Invitation for March)
The promise of the church has always included connection across generations, people of all ages getting connected and practicing relationship and genuine love with one another. I can testify to the truth of that happening across the decades of my life. It has always been one of my favorite things about church. Trouble is, it's barely true anymore. It is no surprise to most of us church folk that our churches are aging, and we aren't connecting well with people of younger generations. (Here's one among a multitude of articles on this phenomenon.) I see it in person among the many dozens … [Read more...] about Cross Generations (and the Invitation for March)
Practicing Foolishness: An Invitation
I've been thinking for awhile about how to bring you into this blog. I have a plan, and this is your chance to take the next step into my brand of foolishness. You ready? Starting next week, once a month my blog post will be a reflection on a specific thing that I've invited us, collectively, to practice. (Read on, for this week's!) Many of these "foolishness prompts" will be drawn from my Fools' Manual. Sometimes they'll be something new that you'll see here, hot off the presses. So here's how it will work: I'll post a "practicing foolishness" activity, here and on my various pages … [Read more...] about Practicing Foolishness: An Invitation