Out of Place – Jolene’s Story 2020 has been a year! I committed to writing this piece about “not fitting in” earlier in 2020 and it has been a challenge to put into words something that summarizes my experiences and shares how vulnerable I feel when sharing my story. Every time I sat down to […]
Out of Place – Kari’s Story Moving to a new town is always a challenge, but moving to a town to pastor a church whose previous pastor was staying on staff was harder than I could have imagined. The church was moving from a video venue to an autonomous church, and they needed a lead […]
Out of Place – Amy’s Story Looking back, it is hilarious how naïve we were when we moved with our four kids from our home in Pennsylvania to England. The common language, the lifelong crush I had on all things British, and the beckoning call of adventure led me to dowse the entire endeavour with a […]
Out of Place – Carrie’s Story As I watched the group of twelve-year-old students standing in front of the homeschool group waiting for their gifts and prayers of blessing, I had this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was an important rite of passage before moving up to the “Challenge years.” My […]
Out of Place – Shawna’s Story “What are you?” he asked nonchalantly. The solid wood bookshelf behind him provided an intimidating backdrop as I thought curiously how to answer. He occupied the coveted position of Partner in our New York City firm. Between his Brooklyn accent and abrupt demeanor, it resembled a scene from The […]
Out of Place – Jennie’s Story “We really don’t fit in anywhere, do we?” I finally admitted it out loud to my husband. We never quite fit the mold provided for us by society. Looking back over the years we’ve been married, we have tended to run from the mold, which has made it difficult […]
Out of Place – Rachel’s Story It was the 5th Starbucks trip that finalized it for me; I was no longer part of the circle and I needed to accept it. The women who I had spent hours doing life together with the prior three years walked by me in the hallway of the church […]
Out of Place – Pamela’s Story Sundays are my favorite day of the week. I wake early to get in some prayer time before I arrive at the church building at 7:30 am for worship sound check. My hubby, the pastor, likes to get to the building by 6:30 am so he can pray before […]
Out of Place – Meredith’s Story The idea of belonging was always a mystery for me. I’d thought of it in terms of ownership or membership. “Does this dog belong to you?” “She could fit all of her belongings into a small knapsack.” “With his flag planted in the ground, he declared this land now […]
Out of Place – Amy’s Story I never thought about names and labels and how they can affect feelings of belonging until I became a wife. Being “Ron’s wife” was my first label and I was eager to be a part of that club. Of course I’ve always been someone’s daughter, sister, or friend, but […]