Hi, thanks for stopping in.

If you’re like me, you’re so busy each day that it feels like you’re shoving a 15 lb. cat into a size 5 ½ shoe box. So I’m really honored that in the midst of that you’re pausing to read a few words from my heart designed to awaken yours.

First things first: why is this called “The Squint”?

Well, the name came to me at exactly 2:54 am last night and it would not let me go. The imagination is like that sometimes. And the name’s perfect, really, because it describes what I want to do here.

The Squint won’t be a place where all I do is serve up rage, disappointment, and pessimism about the life of faith. It’ll be a place where, together, we’ll gaze intently at that life and discover what that really looks like (and doesn’t have to look like).

We squint when we want to see more clearly.

We squint to filter out things distracting us.

We squint when something doesn’t add up and we need to know more.

And, yes, we squint when we’re getting older, and I am. ;)

So squint with me, and I hope what follows is clarity, joy, even wonder. I’ll share a POEM or POST a couple of times a month, and you tell me what it reveals in your life, too.

If you’re thinking, “Ugh, poems…why?” Here’s why.

I write poems for a few reasons. First, I’ve personally struggled to connect with my emotional life. I spent years building intellectual fortresses to protect me from my feelings [more on that later]. 

But what I’ve found is that poetry can leapfrog past the rational mind and go straight to our emotive core. You can read a poem, maybe even read it while squinting suspiciously, and all of a sudden you’re laid bare, you’re transported to the past, to desires tamped down for much too long, to wounds that need fresh dressings. 

Also, poems are usually short, and I’m so stinkin’ busy each day that when one emerges within me, I can usually complete a draft by the end of the day. And that scratches my Achiever itch.

Now, I know poetry can feel elitist, like, “Look at you over in your Ivory Tower writing about the world with big, hairy multi-syllabic words that I can’t even pronounce.” I promise not to do that to you, and I’ll share a little bit about what I was trying to say in the poem so it feels…friendly.

If you’re asking, “‘Posts’…like what kind?”

Well, I’m so glad you asked. If it’s okay with you, I’ll be sharing personal stories that reflect on my faith, on what it has meant for me to be a woman, and what it looks like for me to behave Christianly in the world. 

In the church I grew up in, giving your testimony was kind of a thing. On given nights, people were strongly encouraged to approach the mic and tell what God had done for them. And sure, when folks get nervous their ideas get simplified, but that being said, the stories usually sucked. They were heartfelt, but they were also entirely predictable and flat. Everyone felt the need to tie up the loose ends of their lives in a Jesus-y bow. And it left me sour.

Yet I still believe that sharing one’s testimony is a very important part of being a Christian disciple. It’s part of our call to be stewards of everything God has given us and allowed us to endure. So my hope is to model that stewardship by showing the bruised redemption I’ve witnessed in my own little life through stories and honest reflections. 

Hokay, I’m excited to begin squinting with you all. Thanks for reading, and now go get back to that 15 lb. cat. Oh wait—don’t forget to subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and never miss an update.