Faith That Is Afraid of Others Is No Faith At All
Luke’s Step Three leads us to wonder how faith might look like mystery and all that can’t be understood without the dissonance of hypocrisy. Thomas Merton’s words about faith here show us that the greatest problem with Christianity is not those who “no longer believe” but those who “believe” but have warped the faith and tradition until it is everything Jesus came to dismantle.
Power of Congregational Singing
As we see in Luke’s story, music has transformative powers for those who make it and those who receive it. John O’Donohue once said, “Music is what language would love to be if it could.” Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann has multiple blogs sharing how music in church is its most radical offering.
Cognitive Dissonance as Mental Discomfort
Luke’s story reveals how much cognitive dissonance weighed on him until he eventually had to walk away from all religion so he could find some peace. Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson’s writing highlights all that we do to reduce cognitive dissonance and the effects when we can’t.
Paying Attention to Intuition
Luke’s Step One shows us how he worked hard to swim with the tide for all those years, yet it proved more and more difficult as the years passed. On her journey leaving church, Barbara Brown Taylor describes this same gnawing, persistent intuition that kept raising its voice within her, demanding some attention.
Sue Monk Kidd’s “Finding Inner Authority”
As we watch Frances lean into her authority in Step Three, we lean on others who explore this challenge of finding your authority after years spent looking to others for approval, purpose, and belonging. Sue Monk Kidd’s spiritual memoir, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, shows us what it looks like to move forward in faith.
Carlyle Marney’s “Untying the One Christ Jesus Freed”
I’ve always loved how Carlyle Marney describes the spiritual life. Our task is to uncover our true self, which is already true (and always has been). Frances leans into her healing because she believes God loves her and knows her beyond her trauma.
Howard Thurman’s “Deception as Coping Mechanism, Sincerity as Liberation”
Howard Thurman’s classic, Jesus and the Disinherited, casts Jesus as one whose ministry is for all whose backs are against the wall. Published in 1949, Thurman’s book addressed Jesus’ ministry in light of African Americans’ suffering under racial oppression and became a favorite of Martin Luther King, Jr.
John O’Donohue’s Blessing “For Someone Awakening to the Trauma of His or Her Past”
Frances’ background shows us the resilience of the human spirit as she has spent decades bravely facing the trauma of sexual abuse at home. John O’Donohue’s blessing is so beautiful, offering sacred words for the terrible and liberating healing journey.
Paula D’Arcy on Grief & Our Images of God
Paula D'Arcy explores how our beliefs impact our grieving
Ted Loder’s “I do not know myself yet”
Ted Loder's poetic prayer reflects on the seasons when we don't yet know who are now that life has changed.
Rilke on Living the Questions
Ranier Maria Rilke's advice on patience invites questions to be lived rather than an end in and of themselves.
Brené Brown on Heartbreak
Turning to Brené Brown to expand our understanding of heartbreak so that we can have compassion for ourselves as life changes.