Life Together: Why Surface Relationships Will Not Sustain Us

To push past all that stands to divide us and the watered-down community we’ve come to accept, “life together” has to be more than a party line. Our souls ache for more.

Sarah WestfallDecember 7, 2020presence, community, connection, friendship, authenticity, belonging, relationships Comment

Two Questions to Ask Before the Year Ends

Don’t be so quick to leave behind the mess of 2020 without first asking yourself these two questions.

Sarah WestfallDecember 3, 20202020, reflection, reflective living, pandemic, goals, contemplation Comment

When the Table Looks Different

Three ways to approach the holidays when gathering isn’t easy.

Sarah WestfallNovember 25, 2020holidays, thanksgiving, unexpected, grief, loss, life with people, presenceComment

The Ache Between Us

A SHORT-BUT-TRUE STORY. The sky was dark, but not dark enough. I could see the weariness in my neighbor’s eyes as she told me about the breast cancer.

Sarah WestfallNovember 19, 2020grief, loss, cancer, presence, life with God, life with people Comment

Chasing Steeples

THE SACRED INVITATION IN EVERYDAY THINGS. How paying attention to and pursuing the things that stir our souls point us to the love of the Father.

Liturgy of the Little Things

An invitation into the practice of paying attention to the everyday, often-overlooked details of our lives.

A Gentle Fury

FINDING FREEDOM IN A MYSTERIOUS GOD. How do we reconcile both the familiar and fearsome nature of God? What happens when our questions about God do not have clear answers?

Sarah WestfallSeptember 16, 2020life of presence, knowing God, life with God, theology, questioning God Comment

Why We Cannot Ignore the Ache to Be Near

How often do we suppress our desires to know and to be known? We ache for community but stay safe with surface relationships. But what if that longing to be near is trying to tell us something? And what if we paid attention?

Sarah WestfallJuly 21, 2020life of presence, presence with God, presence with people, community, isolationComment

Dear Church, I Want to Love You

To be part of the church is to enter a complicated relationship. We want a place to belong and to feel safe. But too often, our greatest wounds have happened within the folds. Bruised and perhaps a little bitter, we wonder: Can we love God without loving his church?

Sarah WestfallMay 22, 2020church, faith, grace, love, presence with people Comments

Resources for the Pursuit of Presence

A list of additional resources for moving toward authentic, daily relationship with God and with people.

Sarah WestfallApril 28, 2020presence, presence with God, presence with people, community, connection, resourcesComment

Pursuing Presence in Isolation (Pt. 5)

“YOU CAN’T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER” Pursuing presence with God and with people is not mutually exclusive. We need them both.

Pursuing Presence in Isolation (Pt. 4)

“THE MINISTRY OF CHEESE” Sometimes communion looks like bread and wine, but other times, presence manifests itself as cheese and crackers.

Sarah WestfallApril 16, 2020

Pursuing Presence in Isolation (Pt. 3)

“COMMUNION WITH GOD” Humanity didn’t need a quick fix, but a sacred communion with the Divine.

Sarah WestfallApril 11, 2020grief, communion, community, presenceComment

Pursuing Presence in Isolation (Pt. 2)

“INTENTIONALITY” We are people in need of presence, of proximity to both God and to each other. And right now, in the age of pandemic, none of our usual substitutes are working.

Sarah WestfallApril 9, 2020friendship, community, pandemic, presenceComment

Pursuing Presence in Isolation (Pt. 1)

“A STARTING POINT” I don’t pretend to have answers, not a pill to dull the pain produced by our inability to even breathe the same air. But I’m ready to ask the questions…

Sarah WestfallApril 6, 2020presence, community, pandemic Comments

Holding What's Heavy

Holding pain in the present is hard. There’s no formula for it. Sometimes all we can offer is our communal ache.

Sarah WestfallApril 1, 2020grief, loss, suffering Comment

The Deep Work of Waiting

Waiting often feels like a void—a giant pause that leaves us flailing and unable to see the future. We wonder why God is silent. But waiting is never for nothing.

Sarah WestfallMarch 23, 2020waiting, silence, unknown Comments

Doing the Best We Can

Global pandemic has flipped everything on its head. Knowing how to navigate the heaviness is confounding in a world that is simultaneously so noisy and yet so distant. But doing the best we can with what we have is anything but scarcity. This is God's sweet spot.

Sarah WestfallMarch 20, 2020COVID-19, crisis, suffering, trials Comments

When Every Day is a Little Hard

The everyday hard is what gets me. Not enough sleep. A fever that spikes when my to-do list is long. The ache of feeling left out. Dreary days without end. Whiny kids. Higher-than-expected bills. And of course, after all that, the just-filled refrigerator that decides to quit.

Sarah WestfallFebruary 20, 2020grace, self-relianceComment

Grace in Disguise

What if what is hard is a pathway to grace? What if lurking in the suffering is something we didn’t know we needed—something that will make us whole?

Sarah WestfallFebruary 10, 2020grace, suffering, grief, lossComment

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