the remind{h}er podcast

One thing I'm discovering these days is how necessary it is for me to remember God's goodness. When the turmoil and chaos and bad news swirl, the goodness of God holds me steady and keeps me sane. Not in a way that ignores the needs and hardships around me, but in a way that inspires me to be who I am and do what I can to help make it right.   With that in mind, I'd like to offer a reading today o...

There is much in our world and in our lives that can feel like damaged goods—broken hearts, broken people, broken relationships, systems, and communities. And amid those broken realities, it can be easy to lose hope. That is our tendency. I'm learning, though, that our tendency is not always how God prefers to work. What if, in God's hands and through God's love, we are never beyond repair?  If br...

Today, I am offering a simple reading of a familiar passage. It's a passage often read at weddings; but at its core, it's really a reminder of what matters most, in the middle of it all. I find I need to be reminded of what matters most over and over again these days. Maybe you can relate?   There is also some space toward the end for you to consider several reflection questions. Feel free to paus...

Alright, friends, today we are finally marking five years of the remind{h}er podcast. On April 1, 2020, the very first episode released into the world, and even though it's a few weeks late, I'm excited to celebrate with you today. Several weeks ago, I began to collect some of your questions for this very episode and now, I'll share my responses. I'm so grateful to those who contributed questions...

If you are listening in real time, next week is Holy Week, a week when we remember, observe, and follow Jesus' journey to the cross before we celebrate the good news of Easter. With that in mind, today, I'd like to offer a simple reading from the gospel of Matthew, from one of the many passages that gives us a glimpse into Jesus' experience in the last days of his pre-resurrection ministry. After...

In her book, You Could Make This Place Beautiful , author and poet Maggie Smith writes, "How I picture it: We are all nesting dolls, carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside. We carry the past inside us. We take ourselves—all of our selves—wherever we go."   That's how I'm learning to picture it, too.   From the tiniest, earliest version of me, all the way to the person I am today, and...

A reset can be helpful in lots of different circumstances, and a reset can look lots of different ways. For some of us, it looks like tidying up a living space or cleaning out a closet. Sometimes it looks like returning to a familiar routine or a ritual we know well. Sometimes it looks like an apology or like offering forgiveness. Sometimes it looks like breathing in some fresh air or getting a go...

When there is work to do, ground to cover, progress to make, we tend to want to get moving as quickly and efficiently and significantly as possible. We are bound and determined to make it happen, whatever "it" might be. And while we might begin with good intentions, it usually doesn't take long before we run ourselves ragged. We quickly grow exhausted, and end up leading with bitterness, cynicism,...

So often, at least in my experience, we cling so tightly to our plans, agendas, timelines, strategies, and deadlines. We easily become hyper-focused on a desired outcome. Anxiety, pressure, and bitterness creep in. And we begin to forget and overlook the movement and presence of God in our midst. We clench our fists and white-knuckle through, totally unaware of how God might be leading or what God...

I don't know for sure about you, but if my read on our current reality is even a little bit accurate, I imagine we could all use a collective deep breath right now. And so today, as we've done here on the podcast several times before, I thought it might be best to offer a simple reading from Scripture {Romans 12:9-21 NRSV}, reminding us of what is ours to do as followers of Jesus. I'll also offer...

How do we keep going when life and faith and work are so hard and heavy? I'm learning that sometimes, the brave decision to keep going might actually look like taking a break. Like opening ourselves to God's kindness and compassion when we need it most, honoring our capacity, our limits, and the current reality of our lives. It might look like taking the time to take good care so that, eventually,...

As we begin a new year, let's look both ways. Not left and right, east and west. But backward and forward. Ahead and behind. Both are important. And I'm learning that if we only focus our attention and energy in one particular direction, we're missing out. It's incomplete. If the goal is to be whole, we would do well to look both ways and engage the wisdom of both reflection and intention. Looking...

There is so much going on in our world that is heavy and hard. And it can be difficult to know how to approach it all, address it all, hold it all. It's all so very overwhelming. If we want to be a part of the healing work of the Kingdom of God, where do we even begin? As I've continued to work out my faith with God over the years, I've realized the big impact is not always mine to make. Instead,...

In the context of life and faith, it can be easy to lose sight of the main thing. It can be easy to live distracted, disordered, disoriented. Like you hear over and over again on this podcast—it can be easy to forget. To get turned around. To slowly shift our focus away from the center.   And yet, as we navigate the twists and turns, the ups and downs, of our day-to-day lives, I'm learning that ke...

Acknowledging and accepting our actual, lived-in lives and experience is often much easier said than done. It's like our if-only's become our what-should-be's—how we should feel, what we should do, the type of response we should have—and when our reality doesn't match that ideal, well, we turn to filters and facades, forcing ourselves into molds that don't actually fit. And living that way is exha...

In today's episode, we're considering what it means to practice courage. Sometimes courage can look like a big, grand gesture, a response to literal life-or-death threats and danger. That kind of courage is admirable and worth aspiring to. And I'm also learning that sometimes the practice of courage is small and subtle, but no less significant. Today, if you're experiencing fear in some way, shape...

In today's episode, we're exploring what it might mean for us to "wake up" to our lives. To be more attentive to and aware of God's movement and promptings around and within. To expect the unexpected in regular, ordinary days. To trust and believe God is with us and at work right where we are, even when conditions and circumstances say otherwise. To embody a deep presence and attention. To live a...

As I've worked toward becoming a spiritual director myself the past couple years, a question I am asked often is, what is spiritual direction? And it's a great question! If you had told me four years ago that in four years, I would be a spiritual director, my response would have been something like, "Excellent. What is that?" Well, I've learned and experienced so much the past four years, and I'm...

As a person of faith, I tend to assume I'm expected to have this unlimited capacity to believe, to trust, to hold fast to what I know is true of God. And I assume that sort of faithfulness is supposed to be true of me always. For forever.   But I find that expectation can become a bit overwhelming. The pressure of forever doesn't always feel doable. Yes, eternity is set in our hearts {Ecclesiastes...

In Matthew 18, Jesus invites his disciples to  become like children . Which feels so counter to what we're used to, right? We're supposed to become self-sufficient adults. We're supposed to grow up and get ahead, do it ourselves, climb all the ladders, accomplish all the things. And Jesus is saying, "No. That's not it. If that is all you're after, if that is your main priority, if that is what you...

I t is true that taking a photo and trying to capture a moment often ends up distracting us from it. It's a reality we need to recognize, because our screens do often keep us from truly experiencing and even deeply remembering. We say a picture will last longer, but some research shows a picture only skims the surface of all our memory can hold.   In recent years, in attempt to avoid this, I prett...

As we journey with God through the ups and downs, twists and turns, stops and goes of life, I'm learning that the posture we assume, matters. And I'd like to offer that we might do well to bend low. Not in a way that diminishes the fullness of who we are, but in a way that grounds us, that keeps us close to the heart of God. To the way of Jesus. To the promptings of the Spirit. Rooted deep down in...

Today we are celebrating FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast! And we are doing so by engaging in a q+a conversation of sorts. I'll answer the following five questions today: How did I know I wanted to start a podcast? How did I come up with the name? Basically, what is the podcast's origin story? How do you decide what to talk about/cover in each episode? Where does your inspiration come from? D...

With Holy Week in mind, I'm offering a simple reading of a Holy Week passage that has been particularly meaningful in my own life and faith over the years. I'll be reading from Eugene Peterson's The Message translation, and after reading it through, I'll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God's Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words. Feel free t...

What might it look like to use our imaginations in the context of our faith? Well, with wise guardrails and discernment in place, I wonder if our experience and connection with God and with one another can be enriched through our imaginations. Maybe we can channel our imaginations for good. So what might it look like to reawaken our imagination through spiritual practice? Well, there are probably...