My sister ended her life in 2014. Anthony Bourdain in 2018. The same week, you remember, as Kate Spade. That was the first Sunday I was able to speak about my sister's death in a sermon.

We’re human. But frustration won’t move us forward. So how do you problem-solve with people you’d rather not work with at all? How do you find a solution with someone you feel you have nothing in common with? How do you move towards solutions together instead of getting entrenched on opposing sides?

Doubt is a hand being raised by your heart and head saying, “Hello from in here! Can we talk with you, because we have some concerns?”

Vulnerability is risk, uncertainty, and emotional exposure. So, doubt, like vulnerability, is hard to feel. But if that hard (and heart) feeling place is also the birthplace of joy, love, belonging, faith, all the good stuff, then don’t we need to pay attention to our doubts?

Without curiosity we would never learn to crawl, let alone walk. But as we grow we tend to abandon our innate inquisitiveness in favor of certainty. Curiosity is risky (it killed the cat, right?).

The thing is my friend, you were made for such a time as this (cf. Esther). And you have exactly what you need to pastor and preach and plan and lead, right now.

When you unlearn something, it doesn’t leave you. We transcend and include. It is a process of evolving and maturing. It is, surprise, a process of becoming.

Grief invites us to pay attention. This has been my experience. That was when I began to see this process of becoming. I don’t just mean when a person dies. I mean when by choice, or by circumstance, we accept something has ended. It has run its course. A relationship, a career, a part of our body. When we lean into letting go and soften our resistance to what must change.

“You need to be more vulnerable. Do you know what I mean?”

Do I?! Ha! Yes, vulnerability is what I’m “certified” to teach! You’ve got to love the divine irony of the Universe. She is a comedian.

We all need people in our lives that give us permission to be real. Permission to acknowledge what is good, in the midst of what is hard. Permission to acknowledge our strengths in times when we are feeling weak. One person’s permission is most important though.

Holidays come with a plateful of preparations and expectations smothered in a gravy of “shoulds.” Upending regular routines brings some anxiety. To practice wholehearted living, here are five gratitude practices to get you through.

This past week, a few people asked me the same question about the Daring Way™ workshops I teach and facilitate: “What is an intensive? If I’ve taken one of your classes will it cover the same material?” Arianne takes your questions.

Work gives us purpose. We want work that has meaning. As Annie Dillard wrote,”How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” That is the work that matters.

The 3 insights from my favorite bosses and mentors changed my life and perspective, and they can do the same for you, too.

Whenever I’ve attended a clergy conference, retreat, workshop, delegation, convention, you name it – there are clusters of collars, knitting. Someone in your pews needs to be reminded of an experience, a person stitched into their heart.

If you want to walk out of your next meeting feeling like you were an effective & productive leader, begin with these 4 key questions. Whatever your title, you will be fostering community, building relationships, and modeling the heart of a leader who cares about her people.

The smile in that photo was a breakthrough, the day before had been filled with tears. Life is always becoming - a back and forth between tears and smiles, hellos and goodbyes, grief and joy, which in so many ways is what The Daring Way(TM) is all about.