Charissa

“A few congregations had food pantries and clothes closets—bandage ministries—but none of them knew any better than we did how to tackle the larger systemic problems that made those ministries necessary. Plus, while no one disagreed about the goodness of handing out free food and clothes, quite a lot of people disagreed about the rightness of petitioning the county commission for more federal housing money or talking with local utility companies about lowering their deposits for low income families. Handing out free food and clothes was a charitable act. Approaching the powers was a political act. We could give people fish, but we could not ask why they had no fish.”
― Barbara Brown Taylor, Speaking of Sin

“While God had not forsaken this place, He was clearly expecting us to hold up our end, as it appeared He was needed elsewhere.”
― James Patterson, Woman of God

“The notion that religion is bound to disappear has become increasingly untenable. There are far too many spiritually serious, well-educated, economically sophisticated, civically engaged religious people in the world. There is no doubt that the nature and role of religion has changed, but these founding myths of social science have run their course. Rather than assuming that spiritual beliefs are irrational and religious participation is regressive, researchers are now asking whether and under what conditions different sorts of beliefs and spiritual practices have what kinds of effects.”
― Nancy Tatom Ammerman, Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life

“Our scars are part of our story, but they are not its conclusion. The past is ours and will always be a part of us, and yet it is not all there is. It’s a process, moving from wounds to scars to grief to showing those scars. It takes time, and maybe therapy, and maybe being vulnerable in community, and maybe working through the twelve steps, and maybe making a lot of mistakes, and maybe experiencing a tiny bit of joy.”
― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Shameless: A Case for Not Feeling Bad About Feeling Good