According to John Shea, renowned theologian and professional storyteller, the parable of the Persistent Widow found in Luke 18:1-8 violates rule number one of good storytelling. The author of the Gospel of Luke tells us the moral of the story before telling us the story itself. It reads “Jesus told his disciples a parable about... Continue Reading →

I have three daughters, now ages 20, 17 & 12. Before my eldest graduated from High School back in 2020, I would visit with up to 14 teachers during conferences. I remember at one such week of back to back teacher conferences, several of their teachers said, in almost identical language, that my girls are... Continue Reading →

Even if we come from strong families and have ample social bonds, we still have moments when we feel excluded, misunderstood and involuntarily cut off. The problem of loneliness, obviously, is not a new problem or one unique to our age. But, some sociologists tell us that it is, at best, an intensifying problem. Others... Continue Reading →

"Fundamentalism is a willful ignoring of metaphor" - Paul Tillich   One of my friends made a commitment in the New Year to spend more time with our sacred scriptures. As she was sharing this new resolution with her sister who attends a non-denominational Christian church, she was taken aback when her sister declared "Well,... Continue Reading →

Discernment is the practice of distinguishing the voice of God from among the many different voices that vie for our attention, such as the expectations of others, cultural pressures, or even our own inner critic. The root word for “discern” means to “cut away.” So, discernment is the art of sorting through all these voices and our own... Continue Reading →

https://soundcloud.com/lisa-abad-brown/perfect?si=2bcdcfdec89e4e708a84d484af225895&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing The definition of Perfectionism: “A disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness.” Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a recovering perfectionist. I know some people wear... Continue Reading →