Joy for your Body: Movement

“ Meanwhile, Jesus would slip away to deserted places and pray.” -Luke 5:16 It’s not always what you do but how you do it.  As someone who struggles with how to actually implement self-care this idea has helped me understand in a new way.  For me, exercise has been a concrete example to practice self-care. 

Comfort for your Body: Aging (Matthew 6:25)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”  -Matthew 6:25 As I age it seems life’s complications and difficulties increase exponentially.  Things aren’t getting

Kind Reminder for your Body: Aging

It’s a privilege to grow old. This week’s mantra reminds us that while getting older and accepting our limitations is a challenge, it is also a privilege.  Not everyone grows old.  If you are feeling young, not old, hooray.  This mantra can be an invitation to show gracious kindness to those who do feel the

Joy for your Body: Compassionate Touch (John 1:14)

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14 One way I have been reclaiming and healing my body is through compassionate touch. Throughout my life  most of my actions and responses to my

Comfort for your Body: Chronic Pain (John 1:14)

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 After the birth of my oldest son, in my early 30’s, I was diagnosed with hypothyroid disease.  My fatigue had gotten quite overwhelming, but I

Kind Reminder for your Body: Chronic Pain

Life will always be imperfect but I have the gift of now. Some ailments have no end. The practice of radical acceptance can be most unwelcome, particularly when suggested by those who are not plagued by a chronic illness. And yet, embracing the reality of our circumstances is what allows us to transform our perspective,

Comfort for your Body: Listening to your body (Psalm 56:8)

“You have kept count of my tossings;put my tears in your bottle.Are they not in your record?” -Psalm 56:8 Our bodies have often been seen as something separate from our true selves or our spiritual being.  But, in fact, we are created with bodies by God.  And our bodies, instead of being separate from, often

Comfort for your Body: If/Then (2 Corinthians 4:7-8)

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair . . .”  2 Corinthians 4:7-8 Recently on my son’s 18th birthday I unconsciously backed out of a

Joy for your body: Embodied Humans (Genesis 2:7)

“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  Genesis 2:7 Taking care of our bodies is the most basic way to love ourselves.  So often in the western church bodies have been looked down on. 

From Surviving to Thriving: The Joy of Being Myself (Psalm 139:

“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;that I know very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 How do we practice being ourselves?  How do we celebrate being unique while still participating in community life?  We are