God and Wine

Welcome to a series of reflections on my experience as a chaplain-in-training thus far. Each post will contain a brief written reflection paired with a 10-min vlog. I hope you enjoy.  Being a chaplain is lonely. 😶 I can't say I'm surprised. Ministry, in general, has proven to be lonely. Many people have left my life as I've embarked on this unscripted journey--as I've embraced this totally mind-blowing NEW thing God is doing in my life. I've had to quit some things along the way. I've had to part with some identities that I once held dear. I've cried many tears. I've been angry with God. 😏 I'm not surprised that even amidst loving what I do ( or learning to love it ), loneliness creeps in like weeds in a garden. Like spiders spin their invisible webs that trap us when we least expect it, grief sneaks up on me in the midnight hour; I find myself tossing and turning, wrestling with the day's work that I thought I'd left beh

I'm beginning a journey tomorrow. I'm excited and anxious-- Scared and fearless. I'm reconnecting with a part of me that's been drowning in things that don't aid my growth. I hope to find clarity, better health, and a new purpose that uncovers a joy that I've been dying to get in touch with. Stay tuned.

I was talking to a person I (used to) know--this estranged acquaintance of mine--who said that they have friends who screenshot segments from my blog and social media postings and send them to this person. I thought, "hmmm, I wonder who the mole is?" But also, I wonder who has that kind of time to (not) follow someone on social media but to stalk them and pull pieces from their writings, out of context, and send them to someone who clearly has a fractured relationship with me. Like, with that kind of time, I could sleep an extra hour or two every day! But I digress. I welcome all to my very public blog and social media pages. I don't share anything that I don't wanna share. In fact, I keep much of my life very private, for my safety and sanity. I write my story because it's healing--because it's freeing. I open the world to some of the most intimate moments of my life because I know that vulnerability is contagious--that transformation is not to be hoarded