This year, I had the privilege of taking a course from Tom Cashman during his last semester at The Seattle School. The course was Celtic Spirituality, and I take away far more than knowledge of celtic culture and history and the feud between Augustine and Pelagius. What lives with me most is an appreciation for […]
I used to be a violinist. I had wanted to play professionally with orchestras and small ensembles, perhaps doing movie soundtracks. Those are always the best pieces – the narrative lays the groundwork, but it’s the music that really conjures emotions in the audience. Requiem for a Dream and Schindler’s List both rely on the intensity of a […]
I wandered away from The Seattle School, my face red and tears still lingering in my beard. I found my way to a small rocky beach in the sculpture park that overlooked the choppy water toward West Seattle. The sky was nearly pure grey everywhere like it had been for weeks, but over the water […]
I can’t believe I’m in the final days before graduation. What began as an impossible fantasy has become a hard earned accomplishment. As proud as I am of earning a post-graduate degree, something I had not imagined for myself in earlier days, the diploma is merely a signpost, a “pillar of stone” if you will. […]
Reconciliation is the dream of hope. We are to dream redemption until the day we die. During this current season of eastertide, the church my husband and I attend in Seattle has been collecting stories of resurrection. This is one of such stories. Like the rhythm of the triduum (Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter […]
To highlight our newest certificate program – Leadership in the New Parish – we conducted an interview with people who are doing the work of understanding the mission of the church through their neighborhoods. First interview is with Lisa Carlson, one of the creators of Aurora Commons and graduate of the MATC program. The mission of […]
Every other Wednesday I meet with my practicum facilitator (or the “I”m Feeling Guy” as my husband refers to him) on the fourth floor of The Seattle School building at 11am. At noon I move to the big black leather slouch of a couch down the hall and journal about it. Then at 12:30pm I […]
Recently, a group of MHGS students creatively responded to the pain and brokenness of their neighborhood through an artistic expression. Blaine Hogan, an MHGS grad from the Christian Studies program, wrote a thoughtful response on his own blog about the project (reposted here). What does it look like to respond creatively to the needs of […]
When my husband and I were engaged, the pastor who married us recommended Mike and I interview couples whose marriages we admire. We asked each person two questions: What have you done well? What would you do differently? We listened intently, hurried back to the car, and transcribed everything we could remember into a notebook […]