Courage & Candor Newsletter

A welcome and intro + subscribing to this newsletter

I began writing in 2012. I had a private blog that ran through 2017 which held only a few brave thoughts, essays, and poems. I didn’t dare make them public believing I didn’t have much talent to be an actual writer. So I became a closet writer, jotting down my thoughts on my private blog. Then I broke free of my own criticisms and fear and just began to just friggin write! Writing was the way I processed life, grief, and my ever-evolving faith. Writing helped me see my forming theology, process my grief around infertility, and discover my desire for a deeper, more expansive faith. My writing, which began over a decade ago has led me here, to the space where I write about how it takes both courage and candor to embrace life as it is.

This embracing has been the foundation of an evolving faith; to hold the tensions we find in life and faith, without discarding or discrediting them. It all belongs. Hope and suffering, faith and doubt, victory and failure. And what has helped me see this the most is leaning into contemplative practices. These days I find myself longing for wordless prayers, a church without walls, and the unmanageable simplicity¹ of Jesus, who asks us for everything and nothing at all.

The title Courage & Candor comes from a place deep within all of us that calls us to step into the unknown with brave ignorance; Leaving behind all that we know or think we know in order to run full sprint into a life that is riddled with mystery and immersed in Christ. Searching for answers will only exhaust us, embitter us, and separate us. Embracing the Mystery, following our curiosities, and allowing the natural evolution of our souls will only lead to a deeper understanding of love, for self, for others, and for God.

This is what this newsletter is about. My journey. Your journey. Deconstruction. Reconstruction. Contemplation. And ultimately, how an evolving faith doesn’t mean a dying faith but one that is an ever-expansive table of diversity, inclusion, and restoration. A table that nourishes the soul and welcomes life as it is.

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So here’s the deal: I hope to publish here on a regular basis. Sometimes it will be weekly, sometimes monthly. It truly depends on my capacity and what other projects I am working on. The key ideas will revolve around community, contemplation & spiritual practices, and general themes concerning spiritual nourishment, especially for those whose faith is evolving and who feel orphaned by traditional faith practices and communities. Most of all, I want to be a reliable and honest spiritual companion, that is still braving her faith in Jesus despite the mess of the American church and this present age of deconstruction.

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Subscription Options

$0/Mo: Monthly (or more) personal essay on spiritual practices, community, and the occasional rant. (Out on the 1st Sunday of the month)

$5/Mo or $50/year: An extra monthly spiritual direction essay for those desiring to go deeper into spiritual formation. (Out on the 3rd Sunday of the month)

$ 150/year Courageous Patron: Receive all of the above, a gift in the mail, and my overflowing thankfulness for your support!

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Thank you so much for being here and taking the time to read my words!

Much love,

1. A phrase from Cynthia Bourgeault “The Wisdom Jesus”. Chapter 7