Category: faith

faith, Poetry

Welcome home

jennadewitt

Welcome, welcome to the wandering
I was once welcomed
And here you are too

Take a tea or a coffee.
There is no brochure
You’ve left rulebooks behind

It’s the wilderness, yes,
And it feels so alone
But look around! There’s a caravan

Wagons and timbrels
The young and the wise
We’re all growing

Welcome, you’re welcome
Don’t be ashamed
It’s never too late or too early

You’re not behind
There’s no supply list
No one leader or route.

You’ll wander awhile
Take your time
You’ll settle in, no rush.

One day you will welcome
One day you’ll be the guide
But we’re all just evolving

Take out your tools
Get down to the bones
Clean out and start anew

Remember it’s yours
Not anyone else’s
Only you know what to be

It’s not the destination
Or a linear line
There is no success or perfection

Holiness wanders
Righteousness blooms
Hunger and thirst are rewarded

Belonging comes in
When you least expect it
Exploration through yeses and noes

Find your path
Find yourself
Find freedom out here

The wilderness
welcomes you
home.

faith, interview

Women of Valor – Mary Magdalene

jennadewitt

I had the great privilege of joining my friend Kelly Wolfe on her blog, Let It Matter, this week discussing Mary Magdalene. We have a video of our conversation on her blog as well as a transcript for you to read. We discuss the way she’s been treated by church history, biblical interpretation, how fandom culture can help us with theology, and the way women of the Bible provide a unique perspective on the gospel story.

“These women that have been through hell that are the ones recognizing Him, not just as a man, and not just as a teacher, or as a leader, but as God.”

“The better you understand fandom culture, the better you can engage with theology. And Mary has been mythologized for 2,000 years so there’s an awful lot of fandom culture around Mary Magdalene to deal with. She has been a saint, a prostitute, a wife of Jesus, a preacher, to the feminine side of Christ, there’s all sorts of things that have her in very odd positions in France as a hermit.”

“This is why it’s so vital that we are examining our own biases. We’re examining our own agendas coming into the text, we’re engaging in scripture itself, and we have to question what we’re absorbing from, sermons, podcasts, books, cultural references, music, art, even very old art. Read what’s there and notice what’s not.” 

Read more or listen to our conversation here!

faith, queer, resources

Queer Christian resources

jennadewitt

It’s not an easy spot to be in. The Christian community tells us to be straight. The LGBTQIA+ community tells us to leave behind religion. But we are living proof that there is a vibrant, welcoming, loving family where you can be both, fully Christian and no less queer. These sites below can connect you to church finders, resources, advocacy groups, small groups, books, social media accounts, newsletters, job listings, events, podcasts, and more.

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essays, faith

Faith that evolves

jennadewitt

I mostly write about asexuality and being a queer Christian, but those aren’t the hardest challenges I’ve encountered in my faith. Being both queer and Christian has been difficult, but it has also shown me a community of love, belonging, joy, and all the fruits of the Spirit. 

My hardest challenge to my faith was recovering from a relationship with God that was based on anxiety, performance, and achievement. As an Enneagram 3, I will always fight this, but it really came to a head after college.

Continue reading “Faith that evolves” →