Reba Riley's Blog, page 8
November 12, 2015
The Morning After Veterans Day: A Reminder That The Fight Doesn’t End With The War
This shirt reminds us all that the fight doesn’t end with the war. Yesterday was full of reminders of our Veterans: beautiful tributes to their service, social media posts about their sacrifice, ceremonies to honor the fighting and the fallen. This is right and good and honorable. But just as there is a morning after [Read More...]
November 10, 2015
What Diwali Taught Me About God
The label “Christian” used to make me feel itchy deep in my soul– like the word itself was one of those too-tight 100% wool sweaters your mother made you wear for family photos. To conquer my “Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome”, I went on a journey through 30 religions before my 30th birthday–which is how I found [Read More...]
September 12, 2015
When Joey Couldn’t Climb the Mountain, His Brothers Carried Him
We all need people to carry us on their shoulders when we can no longer go on. Joey Mullaney is a college junior at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where it is a rite of passage to hike Sleeping Giant mountain. A high school class valedictorian, Joey is reportedly “an amazing young man…taking Quinnipiac by [Read More...]
August 18, 2015
Protected: Reba Riley with Martha Beck & Lissa Rankin
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The Reason Broken=Beautiful
This is an excerpt from my memoir Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome, which debuts 8/18/15. Download four free chaptersfrom Howard Books–Simon & Schuster HERE. I closed my eyes and considered what brokenness means. Being broken is destruction—yes, it’s pain and filth and ugliness and wondering how you’ll ever breathe—or believe—again. But a break is also an opportunity, [Read More...]
Courage Is Just Dreams With Shoes On (The Tedx Talk I haven’t given…yet!)
Allow me to tell you the very worst thing about giving a Tedx talk with “courage” in the title: you cannot back out because you’re scared. No matter how much you want to run out the back door screaming, you have to go on when they call your name, because, um… courage? So here I [Read More...]
August 12, 2015
My Interview on Fundamental Escape
I recently had the opportunity to share my story and book with Mark Fitzgerald on his podcast, Fundamental Escape. Mark’s podcast is an avenue to create space for people to question and doubt, to talk about any issue in an open handed and fair manner and to be engaging and enlightening. Clearly sharing about Post [Read More...]
June 5, 2015
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome on The Sitting Room Radio
A couple months ago, I had theprivilege of talking with Kathy Chiero on The Sitting Room; a radio show that is- a place of no judgement; a place where mistakes, healing, and…restoration are accepted as the reality of life and part of God’s plan. Unconventional Christianity in a refreshing hour of talk, laughter, and honesty. [Read More...]
May 24, 2015
Amazing F***ing Grace
Sometimes we find grace where we least expect it. By: Anna Johnson Throngs of people swarmed Third Avenue, coming in, going out, and waiting to enter bars. After a long work week and forty-five minutes waiting in line to get into Tube Bar & Lounge (shaped as its name implies and affording scarcely more room), [Read More...]
May 20, 2015
Hope for Those Hurt By Church by Kathy Escobar
There’s no question, Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome is Real, with a capital R. Most everyone reading here knows it; we either have experienced it ourselves or know someone who’s in the midst of trying to deal with a severe church allergy that developed for all different reasons. Sometimes things come apart from a bad church or [Read More...]
