What is My Cactus?
Does my Story Matter?
How do I Create Space to Heal?
Happy Mother’s Day! This phrase was said millions, maybe billions of times this May 10th. For many, maybe even the majority who hear and say those words, they signal happy and joyful thoughts. This is especially for moms who get to spend mothers day with...
March 22 Week 5: Embracing the Ugly (Thorn) – 2 Corinthians 12:1-7, Acts 15:36-41.. Paul is given an incredible vision and a thorn in the flesh to keep him from becoming conceited. He understands that this painful reminder is there for a reason so that...
March 17 – Day 24 (Tuesday) Reading: 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display...
March 11 – Day 19 (Wednesday) Reading: 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.–Colossians 1:13-14 Reflection: When we do not forgive, we...
March 5 – Day 14 (Thursday) Reading: 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as...
February 26 – Day 8 (Thursday) Reading: 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”–Acts 9:15-16...
Week 0 – Introduction – Galatians 1:11-24. The hug your cactus journey begins with an invitation to deny or die to self/ego. The always zealous Paul reflects back on his moment of crisis, when he encountered Jesus and his whole world is turned upside down....
My Pleasure: More than a Catchphrase If you’ve ever visited Chick-Fil-A, you’ve probably heard this phrase: “My Pleasure.” The staff are trained relentlessly to respond to any thank you or conclude any quick interaction with the same response. It’s not as easy as it sounds....
This week marks a milestone that I didn’t see coming. I am starting a new job at our local Chic Fil A. I’ll start out as a team member as they train me in their way of doing things. Eventually, the plan is for me...
The cliché question around the dinner table (other than the uncomfortable political one that your uncle never stops bringing up) is: “What are you thankful for?” A simple enough question, but not always easy to answer. Sure, we can give simple and surface-level answers of...
Amos, don’t blame us,And who are you to shame us,Why don’t you take your stale bread somewhere else?Go back to Tekoa,And leave us alone,Pack it up, hit the road, fare thee well.–“Amos” by The Hillbilly Thomists The above Kentucky-bluegrass song has become a fresh window...
“I come to spirituality not out of virtue but out of necessity.”–Julia Cameron No quote has rung truer to my soul than this one over the last few months. I have come to God on skinned and battered knees, seeking a deeper spiritual connection to...
Said we’ll be singing those angel hymns all together,When the army comes marching right down from the sky.– “Saints” by Poor Bishop Hooper Much ink has been spilt about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween, but I think we miss the much deeper point....
In the church body I being to the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod (LCMS) Call Day is an annual event at our two Seminaries in St. Louis and Fort Wayne. Call Day is when students completing their studies formally receive their first ministry placement and assignment, which...
Today is the day after Easter, or what has historically been referred to as Easter Monday. Despite what many lament as a decrease of influence by the church and faith in general, this remains a holiday for many in schools and workplaces. For us pastors...
***Disclaimer: I’m a pastor so I’m SUPER in favor of the church; I’m not one of the many Americans that wants Jesus without his bride or as someone said, “Jesus without His fan club.” Instead, the following is a lament that the recovery groups (like...
Although “Need to Breathe” is a Christian band, their songs are not all worship songs (like Switchfoot or U2). The following song has been on my “heart” for quite some time. It’s been a beautiful corrective to the horrible tendency of our culture to “attack”...
While [Jesus] was preaching God’s Word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. …bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.–Mark 2:2b-3 I’ve been thinking about this Bible story for quite some time.It’s one of my favorites in the...
Why should or shouldn't we watch a violent show about a violent part of scripture? HYC explores that difficult question in an attempt to avoid simplistic answers.
A great example of the Hug Your Cactus journey is found in the movie Rocketman, which tells the story of the music icon Elton John.[i] This account of his life starts with John in his full concert regalia walking across a long hallway which appears...
Why my sister is the BAE and, quite simply, the best.
“Bah Humbug!” That one line and the name Scrooge have become short-hand for everything wrong with materialism, being a workaholic, and hating childish things like Christmas. Yet, the original story itself actually teaches and ends with the opposite idea. We tend to make this mistake...
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch...you're about as cuddly as a cactus!" That's not a very flattering description of the one who hates everything Christmas.
In the wild we still wander, only to wonder, In busyness souls flounder, hearts torn asunder, By wilderness we are tamed, from silence new named, In solitude we’re reclaimed, in prayer life’s reframed.
We all have had broken relationships in our past. Maybe it’s the typical struggle with an emotionally distant father. Maybe we had a “tiger mom.” Maybe a mentor or coach was always angry and demanding. I could go on.
As the election anxiety ramps up and as we begin to think more collectively as a nation, I thought it might be a good time to invite us to hug our cactus as a nation and as a planet. Although most of the content of...
We snort lines of “righteous anger.”We inject indignation and disapproval into our veins. “How could they ever do something like that? What were they thinking?” we puff as clouds of fiery anger. Like incense it rises to the true American Idol: Our Cancel Culture. You...
The country music band Midland’s debut song “Drinkin’ Problem” deals directly and in a clever way with the question is addiction a problem, a solution, or a little bit of both? This question and its answer being an important part of the hug your cactus...
Oh my gosh! I’m Anxiety. Where do I put my stuff?– Anxiety speaking about her literal baggage in “Inside Out 2” Anxiety. Just reading or writing the word makes me anxious. We are indeed the “anxious generation,” so it should come as no surprise that...
I recently went on a baseball trip to San Francisco and Oakland with a couple of friends. One of my goals is to eventually visit the stadium of all 30 MLB teams. The Oakland A’s are leaving Oakland after this season and I got to...
Watch your thoughts; they become your words.Watch your words; they become your habits.Watch your habits; they become your character.Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.–Truism from Unknown Source The following is meant to merely be an introduction to the “spirit of the twelve steps.” For,...
Creating the Room to Embrace the Ugly I have been on an extended vacation / mini sabbatical in the UK the last two plus weeks. While I have connected with friends along the way, a lot of my travel and time has been alone. For...
Be still and know that I am God.Be still and know that I am.Be still and know.Be still.Be.–Contemplative Prayer from Richard Rohr based on Psalm 46:10 We continue our cactus journey by diving deeper into this simple but beautiful formative prayer. Make sure to read...
Before you can hug your cactus you first have to admit that you have a cactus. I am sometimes asked, “does everyone have a cactus, or how do I know if I have a cactus to hug.” My answer is always “don’t worry, you do.”...
Be still and know that I am God.Be still and know that I am.Be still and know.Be still.Be. –Contemplative Prayer from Richard Rohr based on Psalm 46:10 We continue our cactus journey by diving deeper into this simple but beautiful formative prayer. Make sure to...
The hug your cactus journey is a journey of paradox, often holding two things up in tension that seem on the surface to be opposed to each other. The Meriam-Webster dictionary offers the following among its definitions for paradox. 1: one (such as a person,...
(Cub Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park) Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be. –Contemplative Prayer from Richard Rohr based on Psalm 46:10 God graciously invites us to slow down....
An entire Hug Your Cactus book that unpacks the journey of embracing the ugly parts of your soul is currently being written. Here is brief summary of that journey. Invitation To hug your cactus or to engage the cactus hugging journey begins with an invitation....
My last couple of blogs have been about remembering my mom, who I lost a little over two and a half months ago. One thing that I have noticed is that I have been a little off ever since, even out of balance. Being a...
It’s now been almost a month since I got the call that mom had died and tomorrow it will be three weeks since her celebration of life and burial. In this last month I continue to be overwhelmed by the support I have received. Cards,...
On the evening of Sunday, January 21st I received the phone call that no son wants to receive. I was getting ready to watch the Chiefs/Bills game with a close friend when my uncle (mom’s brother) called to inform me that he had found my mom,...
One of the way I plan to develop these Hug Your Cactus resources, is to show how different songs, movies, art, and other methods of storytelling relate to the cactus hugging journey. This journey is not lived out in isolation for it is both personal...
For this week’s reflection I will be taking a look at the first part of the hug your cactus journey, which is to not give up, and even find hope when life is not working due to a self-imposed crisis. We will be doing this...
The season of Lent is a season of penitence. It a journey to a cross and a time of reflection on the brokenness of the world along one’s one’s own brokenness. While the ultimate destination of this journey is Easter, the celebration of an empty...
The metaphor of “hugging the cactus” originates from a speech that the actor Robert Downey gave as he was introducing his friend Mel Gibson during an award presentation. During this time Gibson was going through some public struggles of his own and was a somewhat...