– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
In her memoir We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life, Laura McKowen recalls a cellphone conversation with her friend Holly the day after Laura almost attended a party where she knew she would relapse.…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
Do you ever stop to ask yourself why are you doing what you are doing? In her book Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky writes: “Amid the trials and tribulations of our work, it is possible to lose sight of why we’re doing what we’re doing.…
Human trafficking is the second biggest growing criminal industry in the world. When we think about human trafficking, we often think of women sold into sex slavery in other countries, the movie Taken, or high-level international crime rings. In reality, trafficking happens locally, as many people are trafficked by those they know and love.…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
Years ago while traveling through the West, I paid a memorable visit to Kartchner Caverns State Park. Located in the Whetstones, a mountain range in southeastern Arizona, this pristine limestone cave is decorated with speleothems – spectacular mineral deposits with whimsical names like cave bacon and soda straws.…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
Where do you turn when you are struggling to survive, when you are experiencing oppression, when you are fighting forces and feelings that threaten to overwhelm you? For 1,000 years, people have turned to Psalm 18 to give voice to their experiences.…
– Written by Elizabeth Scoville, Family Interventionist
A few weeks ago, a colleague of mine was putting her eight-year-old son to bed, and he was crying.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life.”…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
Last Wednesday night, the clients at The Next Door took a deep dive into the story of Zacchaeus, as recorded in Luke 19:1-10, when they completed their Spiritual Wellness worksheets. Many of us first heard this story as children in church – I was certainly attracted to the idea of climbing a tree to see Jesus!…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
The Parable
In Matthew 25:1-11, Jesus uses a parable about ten bridesmaids to describe the kingdom of heaven. In this story, the ten bridesmaids have gathered to await the bridegroom’s arrival, for they will accompany the groom in a festive procession to the wedding banquet.…
– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney, Spiritual Wellness Coordinator
On Sunday, Christian churches around the world marked the holy day of Pentecost as they worshipped. Pentecost is commonly referred to as the birthday of the Church – the day when the Spirit of God was dramatically manifested through wind and fire and speech.…
