Practical Faith in everyday life.

Lessons From a Burnout

Posted on August 22, 2018August 10, 2018 by Michael Rose

Earlier this year I went hiking with my family in Waterton Lakes National Park. The park was ravaged by a forest fire in 2017, reducing a lovely time red, majestic landscape to a scorched wasteland. It was a devastating sight. Heart-breaking.

A Bridge or a Treadmill?

Posted on May 10, 2018September 29, 2018 by Michael Rose

Okay, I admit it! I like retro cartoons – cartoons from my youth. I like the characters, the zany plots, the animation and the music. I guess somewhere deep inside me is a 10-year-old boy whose happiest times were watching the likes of Bugs Bunny, the Flintstones, and Scooby Doo. The other day I caught a…

Games we play to Avoid Dealing with Emotional Pain

Posted on April 19, 2018September 28, 2018 by Michael Rose

I’m a little Tea Pot… when I get all steamed -up hear me shout! A familiar nursery rhyme but what an interesting allegory when we are talking about heart-wounds, stress and emotional pain. Picture yourself as a tea-pot (or kettle). Add some water, some heat, and when water boils, steam (energy) is released through the…

Raising Light

Posted on March 19, 2018September 30, 2018 by Michael Rose

Krista Tippett in her book Becoming Wise was interviewing Rachel Naomi Remen. Remen shared a story that her Grandfather used to tell her when she was a child. This Jewish story is particularly lovely as it speaks to the value of Tikkun olam, or translated, the restoration of the world. In my ear, it sounds so very…

I’m Burnt Out on Outrage

Posted on October 25, 2017October 24, 2017 by Michael Rose

I was speaking with a friend today who was expressing indignation at a particularly twisted bit of theology. It was one of those things one can only shake one’s head, with mouth agape in wonderment, at such profound theological abuse. I found that in reading it, I had no energy to be outraged. Yes, it…

Healing through Love

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Michael Rose

“Hurt people, hurt people.” Have you ever heard this saying? We all can recall a time when we have been on the receiving end of a hurting person, and truth be told, there are probably a few occasions where we have been the person doing the hurting. When we don’t deal with our hurt and…

Confronting my Sacred Violence

Posted on October 15, 2016October 12, 2016 by Michael Rose

As I continue to wrestle with my own violence, and the violence of my tribe, I am aware how I (we) often whitewash our violence with a smile, a bible verse or rationalize our aggression in the name of God (or God causes) as if the end somehow justifies the means. Violence, even sacred violence…

Lost and Found

Posted on August 19, 2016September 2, 2016 by Michael Rose

Have been bumping into many folks recently (myself included) who are feeling really stretched. They have a lot going on in their life and feel overwhelmed and a little lost in the swirl of unknowing that life can often be. This poem speaks to me, and maybe to you too? Especially this line: “Stand still….

The Welcome of God

Posted on May 31, 2016September 2, 2016 by Michael Rose

Can you think of a time when you were made to feel really welcome? Where the host(s) went out of their way to ensure that you felt comfortable and well served? What did that look like? How did that make you feel? What difference did this make for you? How about in a situation where…

Square Peg in a Round Hole World

Posted on April 19, 2016November 23, 2022 by Michael Rose

David Hayward, aka as the Naked Pastor posted a cartoon recently (see above). This cartoon spoke to me, and I am beginning to understand why I resonate with it, and it is for deeply personal reasons. Confession time. I feel like a square peg, and I have all my life. For most of my…