Talena Winters May 25, 2015 Talena Winters May 25, 2015

Keep the Strawberries, Kick the Cinquefoil

We all have "cinquefoil" in our lives. Eventually, though, we have to stop and examine the things we fill our lives with and ask, "Is this still of value to me? Is this something I want to nurture right now?"

Talena Winters May 7, 2015 Talena Winters May 7, 2015

The High Cost of Inspiration

What makes someone inspiring? And why would I want to be that, too?

Talena Winters April 30, 2015 Talena Winters April 30, 2015

An Open Letter to Matt Walsh and My Fellow "Christians"

Let's re-imagine a key scene from the gospels together, shall we?

The gathered crowd shouted in a frenzy of righteous indignation. Shouts of "stone her" and "kill the b__" rose into a cacophonic haze of hatred that all centred on the one young woman, barely clothed, who trembled in terror on the rough ground at their centre.

The Teacher started making his way through the crowd, and when men and women saw the look on his face, they fell back from his path in silence, wondering what he was going to do.

The woman squinted up at him, too, wondering what new terror was upon her.

Talena Winters April 23, 2015 Talena Winters April 23, 2015

Do I Care Too Much?

How do you care without bleeding out? How do you protect yourself without becoming callous? How do you draw the line between "making a difference in the world" and "being healthy and whole for me and my family" when your heart breaks every time you hear about the damage done to one of the least of these?

Talena Winters April 14, 2015 Talena Winters April 14, 2015

Dear Beautiful, You’re Captivating as You Are

We all have days when we don't feel beautiful. On those days, we need to know that we are precious, we are amazing, and we are loved. We are the apple of our Father's eye.

Talena Winters March 24, 2015 Talena Winters March 24, 2015

Hold On, Pain Ends

Grief is a funny thing.

One day, you can be perfectly fine, feel like you have accepted your loss, and that life will once again be wonderful to live.

The next day, you can be on the verge (or beyond it) of tears at every waking moment.

Talena Winters March 16, 2015 Talena Winters March 16, 2015

Something Beautiful

Crisis is hard. Grief hurts. But I would much rather be a strong, tall sunflower, or an intricate and complex bonsai, each a masterpiece of beauty, than a poor, coddled sprout that dies young in the luxury of inadversity.