Category: Community
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When We Disagree
As the weeks tick off the calendar, it’s just a matter of time before news drops of another public figure being “cancelled.” I read a study from the Pew Research Center about “cancel culture” recently, and the study reported that many are divided on whether the idea of cancel culture holds people accountable or unfairly…
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When I Feel Offended
We live in an age where offense means the end of a friendship, but this doesn’t seem to be the way of Jesus. As followers of Christ we strive to “live unoffendable,” as Jennie Allen puts it. Jesus teaches this ethic when he tells us to turn the other cheek and put others’ needs before…
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A Wild Way to Walk
If you’ve had the privilege of visiting Denali National Park up here in the heart of Alaska, you might recognize these photos. Sweeping views of the winding park road pop up at every turn, and while the mountains are beautiful, and the braided rivers mesmerizing, I find that when I have visited, my eye is…
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A Wild Way with Words
A favorite game my friends and I like to play when we gather is called Fish Bowl. Players write a word or phrase on slips of paper that their team then has to guess based on some kind of clue. There are three rounds, which increase in difficulty each time, and the team with the…
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The Wild Way of Friendship
I’ve heard the sentiment commonly expressed that making friends as an adult is SO hard. And it’s true, making friends as an adult seems way more complicated than it did to find a buddy in second grade, high school, or college. I think this probably has to do with the isolation and busyness of most…
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A Heart Like a Mother
In case you haven’t thought about the fact that this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, consider this your courtesy call. Plan a special meal at mom’s, order that flower delivery, or put a reminder in your phone to call her – depending on how great of a child you are. Only kidding – but, not…
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50 Ways to Connect with Your Sisters this Summer
It’s the last week in April, and I am just itching for May. This is the time of year I start getting feverish about planting and all things flowers. It’s really not totally safe to plant outside in Alaska until the first week of June due to the tendency for late frosts, but I can…
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Dealing with Flakes
No, I’m not talking about the mounds and mounds of snow flakes that plague/bless (depending on your perspective) my beautiful state each winter. I’m talking about that friend who prefers to keep her options open. You just expect her to bail now, rather than continue being disappointed, and you are genuinely shocked when she commits…
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Loving your Prickly Sister
This little guy is the only cactus that resides among my plant family. I have wanted to venture into the realm of cacti, as I think they’re really interesting and cute in a weird way. But my mostly tenuous relationship with this one makes me hesitant to tempt fate with any others. He’s in a…
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How to love your sister who is Needy
I once had a friend accuse me of only maintaining our friendship because I needed her to help me move in a few months. That accusation hurt. Upon reflection, I could see how she had perhaps come to this conclusion. The truth was that I was in a profoundly needy season of life. And the…