A Spiritual Journey Through Creativity
Last night my friend and I went to an Indigo Girls concert – I really have no idea how many times I’ve seen them in concert. I’d estimate around… a lot. I remember the first time I heard them singing. I was at the movies with a group of girlfriends in high school – freshman… Continue reading Lyrics
From the beginning of my time at North, I’ve been blessed with a good amount of PTO (paid time off). However, I noticed that as the years went on, my pile of hours kept adding up. I wasn’t very good about using my PTO. Clearly it was given to me for a reason, but I… Continue reading PTO
The younger kids in the youth group were 2 or 3 years old when I started working at North. So, most of the youth group don’t have a lot of memories of church without me somewhere in them. Don’t get me wrong – I am not under any illusion that North won’t be North without… Continue reading Teach
At the start of my sabbatical last fall I had a plan. (Of course, I had a plan!) I would spend the first month decompressing. The second month would be for reflection. Finally, in that third month I would make some decisions. By the end of my sabbatical I wanted to know these things: -… Continue reading Leaving
Being a youth minister for the past thirteen years, I’ve done a lot of high ropes courses. I’ve watched young people overcome their fears and achieve goals they never thought they’d reach. There’s just something about a high ropes course that brings out the cheerleader in me – well, it doesn’t take much to bring… Continue reading Edge
I’ve been busy lately. Not in a bad way – I enjoy (almost) everything I do. However, my schedule has been full. Last week when I met with my therapist, I noticed I did a lot of talking about what I’m doing but not how I’m doing. I noticed that I was a little disconnected… Continue reading Gaps
Written yesterday afternoon (April 14) Today I gave myself permission to quit. I don’t often quit things. I usually see it (whatever “it” may be) through to the end. Most of the time that works well for me, but sometimes it does not. Sometimes I follow through just because I think I have to, because… Continue reading Permission
Yesterday Bob Goff posted this quote and image on Instagram: This got me to thinking a little more about the reality of what Jesus experienced during those last few days. Sure, I’ve heard the story every year – I know the order, I know who did what. But today I’m thinking about him – about… Continue reading Knowing
I’m going through my documents clearing away old ones that I haven’t looked at in years (I still had weekly youth group schedules from 2001!). In the process I’ve come across some interesting documents. One was of several pages of poems written by youth on a retreat many years ago – they were in high… Continue reading Fences
I suppose much of my job is about creating space for people – space to explore and question, space to grow and learn, space to doubt and wonder. Until this past weekend, however, I had never really thought about my job in those terms. I co-facilitated a women’s retreat with my mom for women I’d… Continue reading Space
Anne Brock 