Ellen Stevens
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This week, a surprising thing happened. About a y This week, a surprising thing happened. About a year ago, I tried to set up our TV screensaver to pull up images from a family album. I fooled with the app for awhile before giving up when setup took too long and was far more complicated than advertised. Then, I promptly forgot about it. Now, a year later, random pictures are suddenly appearing, pulling sacred memories from our past into our present… * Driftwood sword fights on rocky Washington beaches. * Riding horses and motorcycles in the mountains. * Impromptu wrestling matches in the living room. * Grizzly watching on Alaska’s Western coast. * Grilling shovel steaks at backyard birthday bonfires. * Tree forts, silly faces, concerts, football games and track meets. It is a welcome reminder of who I’ve been and who I want to be. Hard work. Focus. Purpose. These things come natural to me. I live a good life - a life I design and choose. Yet, moments of play, wonder, and connection easily escape me — but they are what matter most. Today, as I get lost in the faces of my family and their adventures, I’m reminded to pause my full world, breathe — and make space for a life of moments.
Our paths are often riddled with bumps and bends t Our paths are often riddled with bumps and bends that can either hold us back or become the catalyst for meaning and purpose. The choice is ours. If we listen closely, in the midst of struggle, loneliness, pain, and suffering, we will hear the faint whisper of a desire to live whole – a yearning for connection and healing – and a call to take a step forward and walk toward change. Genuine healing begins when we courageously decide to step into the truth of our stories. #trauma #therapy #healing
I’ve always asked questions. Engaging exploratio I’ve always asked questions. Engaging exploration. Pursuing understanding. It’s the way I approach the world. As a kid, I loved the library and the woods, scoured beaches and spied on adult conversations.  I tried to soak up all there was to learn. As a teen, I told my father I didn’t want him to tell me what to do - but to teach me all the sides, so I could learn to find my way.  That rarely went well. My innate curiosity was welcome in school and university, but only occasionally accepted at home and rarely at church; my questions often interpreted as challenges, obstinate, or rebellious. Yet, they persisted. Last week, I returned to the Exiles in Babylon conference, hosted by Theology in the Raw: where there is space for those curious about faith, culture, and theology.   Differences of opinion and interpretation were wrestled, perspectives were challenged, voices were heard, and welcome was offered to those who experience the world and God differently. And my soul loved every minute of it.  Grateful to these brave believers who know God delights in our brains and is not intimidated by questions.  This is what it means to love and serve with body, soul… and mind. #theologyintheraw #exilesinbabylon

Ellen Stevens

Writer. Speaker. Therapist.

Exploring the intersection of theology, psychology, and spiritual formation to discover and honor the sacred places of our stories and souls.

copyright @ 2023 | ellen stevens | all rights reserved
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