Thank you for being such a valuable part of The Holy Shift Family. Your dreams, ideas, and opinions matter to us and WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

REFLECTION BY KATIE FOX: What can we say about art and beauty in the face of mass shootings, war, evil, and destruction? Why discuss poetry, when the world feels like it's on fire? What can beauty and the arts offer to us when we’ve lost everything we hold dear?

Instead of drawing lines in the sand, we make room at the table for anyone who wants to encounter Jesus and love others.

Jaws clenched, chests heaving, the world rages in a tug of war...

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: As the light gentles, we gather, arms laden with food, blankets, drink. We come to feed our souls as much as our bodies...

POEM BY KAREN ABEYTA:You once recited the sinner’s prayer | donning a Power Rangers costume | fearing Hell but | not loving God

BY DR. HENRY CLOUD OF BOUNDARIES.ME: Many Christians misunderstand grace, even those who are helping people grow. Usually people think that grace means forgiveness or the absence of condemnation. And the God of grace is the one who forgives. But while forgiveness is an expression of the grace of God, grace is much bigger than just forgiveness.

The kitchen window framed the scene | the proud posturing, the wild gesturing. | And I, with linen towel twisting | between fretting fingers, watched | as a broken boy extended his hand, | demanding honor from kindness.

ARTICLE BY JUDY DOUGLASS: Our God loves mercy. May we live in this truth: “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

If surviving grief has taught me anything, it is that we all have one life to live and one God to glorify, and we are purposed to do that in community.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: May we grieve well, knowing He has plumbed the depths, and then risen to the heights, and is making all things new.

REFLECTION BY LAURA BECK:On pain, peace, and new paths emerging out of darkness

ARTICLE BY DR. SANDRA GLAHN: If you're struggling to find the perfect words to comfort someone in their grief, it's because there aren't any. Here's how to comfort those who are hurting.

ARTICLE BY DR. SANDRA GLAHN: How to think and talk about adoption in alignment with the values of Christ’s upside-down kingdom.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR:A thought & image on God's care for the small, forgotten, and alone

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR:Sofia's piece reflects on the sense of dislocation (things not being as they ought to be) in the Biblical narratives, and of women seen as disposable objects, constricted to narrow (often flat, linear) roles.

POEM BY KAREN ABEYTA:[This poem contains strong language and may be triggering for some readers.]

For those willing to be curious, dig deep, and be surprised by God, our podcast is your safe place to wrestle with the challenging and paradoxical tenets of the Christian faith.Host Christine Chandler Prater shares art, story, and humor that inspires and chats with community-builders and other fascinating folks that are shifting the perspective on Jesus, what he taught, and why it matters.Join us as we explore the upside-down kingdom of God as the right way forward for the world.

What if who Jesus is and what he wants for & from you is altogether upside-down from what you’re thinking? And what if upside-down is the right way forward? We've developed a quiz to help you discover if you hold any views of God or others that could use a HOLY SHIFT! 

AN ADVENT POEM & REFLECTIONAdvent is a sacred space on our calendar; a welcome recline after a hard year and a simultaneous straining toward hope. I published a poem a few years ago about the agony & beauty of the in-between. You can read or listen to a short excerpt here.