Reba Riley's Blog, page 7

3 Things to Remember This Thanksgiving

If we’ve decided as a society that it’s not polite to invite yourself to things, we’d better be darn good at inviting each other. Post by: Sarah Thebarge, Author of The Invisible Girls: A Memoirand inspirational speaker This week I’m lucky to have the flexibility (and frequent flyer miles) to fly to Pennsylvania to [Read More...]

The Biology of Leaving Church

I walked out of that confessional booth, shame and anger rising with every step I took to get to the door of the church. I never walked back into those doors again. Post by Guest Contributor: Ryan Kuja I couldn’t see his face across the wooden barrier that separated us in the tiny confessional booth. [Read More...]

ISIS is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity

“ISIS is to Islam what the Ku Klux Klan is to Christianity.” When my sister said this phrase yesterday,something clicked–a key in the lock of my mind, where I had been trying unsuccessfully to find the perfect way to say: ISIS is not Islam. It’s a shame that I need to say it at all, [Read More...]

Podcast Sunday: How To Form A New Spiritual Identity

I talked with theFundamental Escape Podcasta few months ago, and I’ve invited hostMark Fitzgeraldto post several of his podcasts on upcoming Sundays, including episodes featuring Brian McLaren, Kathy Escobar, Doug Pagitt and more. Today we begin with my interview, whereMark and Idiscuss forming a new spiritual identity. Hope you enjoy! Love, Reba FUNDAMENTAL ESCAPE PODCAST: [Read More...]

#FridayReads: OUT OF SORTS by Sarah Bessey

Thanks to the (glorious!) fact that weekends often give us a littleextra time to catch up on our reading, I’ll be posting book excerpts at the end of each week. It is my hope that these brief looks atrecent releases and old favorites will help you find new voices to accompany you on the journey. [Read More...]

5 Things You May Not Know About Fundamentalism

Post by Contributor Susan GrayBlue Fundamentalism causes more befuddlement than anything else in America these days, followed closely by kale chips and the Kardashians. I know fundamentalism inside-out. I was in, and now I’m out. An earnest evangelical for 20 years or so, I grew up immersed in religion: at multi-weekly church services, a conservative [Read More...]

When None of It Mattered, I Needed Spiritual Detox

I’ve spent the past few years in a spiritual detox. Post by: ALECE RONZINO In my lifetime, I’ve heard more sermons than one could ever possibly need, and I’ve read more Christian books than anyone should ever read. I’ve done the Sunday-morning-Sunday-night-plus-Wednesday-evening church service thing. I’ve memorized the verses. I’ve had the Romans Road and [Read More...]

Release What No Longer Serves You

Post by:JULIE CLINE, Certified Martha Beck Life Coach Recently, I was chatting with my Dad and we engaged in a very deep conversation about the “here and now” and his comfort level with where he is, both physically and mentally. Nearly 3 months ago, he went through alcohol detox and he was transported from Florida [Read More...]

An Open Letter to Our Muslim Sisters

Dear Sisters, You see the sidelong glances at restaurants, on the subway, at the park. You hear the whispers. You feel the eyes of strangers on you, screaming with silent judgment. You see fear, and you see anger, and it makes you want to stay inside, draw the blinds, pull your babies close—and we don’t [Read More...]

Call For PTCS Blog Submissions

The changes here on the Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome blog are not limited to the greatnew header (thanks, Patheos team!): As of this month, the PTCS blog is becoming a collective. My goal, both with my memoirPost-Traumatic Church Syndrome and with this blog, is tohost a conversation about the very real condition of spiritual injury I [Read More...]