Reflection

Crossing The Chasm of Race

September 10, 2019

Recent events in Colorado Springs have stirred up social issues like race, discrimination, law enforcement, inequity and justice. How does one navigate such complex issues with grace and compassion and the heart of Christ? Sarah Tinan is in a unique place to speak on these issues.

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Sweat, glitter and the hug I postponed for several years.

August 28, 2019

Recently, a large gay man in head-to-toe black leather gave me one of the best hugs I’ve ever received. It was a hug I had been postponing for several years. Because I am a very big coward. But Christ’s love is wide and it defies boundaries. It is risky and may even feel scary. But leaning into that scariness with love feels a lot better than crouching in fear.

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Bible open with red ribbon

9 Truths from the Table Manners Series

July 31, 2019

Life regularly presents us with people who are very different than we are. And part of loving each other well is understanding and accepting – and even celebrating – our differences. Our recent Table Manners series gives us nine truths to remember as we practice love.

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A knife cutting through rare cooked meat while a fork holds it.

Peter, God’s Chosen Radical Curmudgeon

May 30, 2019

Could it be that Peter, in all his spontaneity and impulsiveness and filterless outbursts, was made this way for a reason? Perhaps God specifically chose him, in concert with Paul, to announce the most radical religious idea since Jesus was declared Son of God. And perhaps those of use who relate with Peter were made with a purpose too.

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This is what happened when I stayed silent.

May 15, 2019

My journey over the past nine months has been one of brokenness. I realize that I had been broken alone — and now what I really wanted was to be broken but with others. I believe Thomas. I think he will welcome the “outlier” with open arms. The true question, I think, is – will we follow that example?

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What happens when doubts are silenced for too long?

May 4, 2019

Church has not always been a safe place for me, or those I know and love. That’s why I have been silent—for years. Silent as I have questioned everything I once felt so sure about. But the cost of silence is great.

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The Space to Breathe

April 30, 2019

It’s April, so the essays are pouring in. There are exams to write, grades to enter, emails and phone calls to make, and all of that is coming from a job I love but one that’s currently drowning me. In the midst of the storm, the Good Friday service created space for me to breathe and be.

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hand reaching in water with bubbles

Losing Myself

March 14, 2019

You may have watched the interview where Thomas Thompson and I talked about God being at work in public schools. What you didn’t see, what you couldn’t have seen, was the work God did to rescue me from myself both before and after I walked up on that stage.

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two white men standing with six muslim men

Listening to People of Other Religions

February 9, 2019

I believe one of the greatest mistakes Christians have made is that we communicate as if we have exclusive access to Jesus. I want to grow in being a person who invites others, regardless of their religious identities, to come alongside me to help me to better listen to Jesus.

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woman in hood taking a selfie with mountains behind her

Ready, set … stillness.

February 2, 2019

In which Becky Cleveland takes a deep breath, steps into discomfort, and learns to embrace her inner introvert. Three days alone in the mountains stretched her and God surprised her in new, unexpected and sometimes even painful, ways.

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