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I went to my local library a couple of weeks ago and requested a copy of the book Abortion by Jessica Valenti. I got an interesting response from the librarian. She thought the patrons of the library…

Dear Mum, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! When are you hopping on a plane and coming for a visit? The kids miss you and so do I. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cold Christmas for once?…

I am pondering something… Does shame have any place or validity in our lives? About 20-24 years ago I was clinically depressed, a failed perfectionist, trapped in legalism and self-hatred. I was also very much…

I’m super curious, what do you believe about “right” and “wrong” on your deconstruction journey? I grew up deeply concerned about reading the Bible every day, not swearing, abstaining from sex, being polite and kind…

Jesus challenged people to love their enemies. I now interpret this as Jesus telling us to stop seeing others as our enemies. If you’re a Democrat, the Republicans are not your enemies. If you’re a…

Even though I respect the Bible, I believe that love trumps the Bible: As a teenager, there were other Christians in my life pointing out that Jonah is an allegory, there was no person literally…

Has anyone else had to deconstruct fleeces? You know, the sheep’s fleece from the book of Judges? Gideon lays out a sheepskin “fleece” and says to God (I’m paraphrasing), “If it’s wet in the morning…

I have been thinking a lot about sexism recently. I listened to the The New Evangelicals podcast critique on Harrison Butker’s controversial speech in which he specifically addressed women who were about to graduate from…

For many years, the month of May has symbolized mothers, motherhood, birth, and death, at least for me personally. Not only is Mother’s Day in the month of May, but I gave birth to my…

Today is my husband’s grandmother’s “memorial service.” I don’t know what’s so bad about calling it a funeral. I have been to so many funerals in my 41years of life. My great grandfather when I…

I attended a Pentecostal church for my nephew and niece’s dedication today. I was out of the room for most of the sermon (looking after my kids) but I heard the pastor say something about…

My mother’s death triggered the bulk of my deconstruction. It was a long time ago now. 12-13 years. I was attending a Pentecostal church while she was sick and dying. I changed churches to attend…

I have wanted to be a writer since I was nine years old.That’s a long time.Thirty-two years to be exact. I started writing my first novel when I was eleven. That one was never completed….

As you deconstruct things like purity culture, have you found yourself questioning whether God actually designed us to be monogamous? “Asking for a friend.” Just kidding, I’m asking for myself, but I am not rejecting…

Do you think that everything happens for a reason? A meaningful reason? Or do you think that some things happen for no particular reason, other than that that is how circumstances played out—a kind of…

Deconstructing purity culture, for me, has been about understanding that grace covers our decisions about our bodies and our sexuality. I abstained from partnered sexual activity until age twenty-seven and from penetrative sex until I…

Dear God, This deconstruction business can be so painful! I miss you so much it hurts. It feels like I’m losing my best friend. Or I’ve lost a massive part of myself. There are gigantic…