jamie y. watkins

Tag: faith

  • Reading Silence

    Reading Silence

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    jywatkins
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    I became a Christian in high school, right around the time of the Columbine High School massacre. One of the stories that came out of the tragedy was of a teenage girl who was shot because she affirmed her belief in God. At fifteen, with my fledgling faith, I remember wondering if I would be…

  • Come Right In, We’re Out Back

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    jywatkins
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    Once our first few friends arrived, I grabbed one of my chalkboard signs, scrawled the words, “Come Right In, We’re Out Back,” and set the sign on the front porch  Then we all grabbed a beer or a glass of wine and went to sit under the big white tarp my husband strung up over the…

  • Sunshine Too Bright

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    jywatkins
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    The very first time I got on an airplane, I flew from Newark Liberty Airport to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in the south of France. The runways are as close to the Mediterranean Sea as an airplane should get.  The skies are clear blue, the air is warm, and the water glistens. It is the Azure…

  • Roll with the Changes

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    jywatkins
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    Last summer and into the fall, I’d been struggling with direction and purpose. I felt stagnant and stuck. I couldn’t figure out where life was headed, or shake the feeling that it was heading somewhere without me. I’d been looking for a new job for a little while, because even though my job is good, I’ve…

  • I Used to Think Having Faith Meant Having Answers

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    jywatkins
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    I used to think having faith meant having answers, and now I think having faith means living with the questions. When I became a Christian and started attending church and bible study and youth group in high school, it was exciting, like making a new friend. You get to know each other. You play games and go…

  • You are Beloved

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    jywatkins
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    This week, I listened to the second introduction video from the Biola University Lent Project. There are three intro videos from theologian Julia Canlis (I wrote about the first one a couple weeks ago) and they talk about the meaning of Lent. In the first video, Julie talked about being in the desert, or those…

  • We Have an Understanding

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    jywatkins
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    I’ve heard and read a lot of stories from people who have been hurt by church leaders or fellow Christians when they admit their doubts. Sometimes they are blamed or shamed for doubting. When hurting Christians admit they feel far away from God, they often are told to look for a sin in their life that…

  • Arise: Empowering Girls to Lead, Minister, and Serve

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    jywatkins
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    Recently, I was given the opportunity to write an article for Arise, an e-newsletter published by Christians for Biblical Equality. I was so surprised and excited to write for them, and chose a subject that I haven’t often tackled here on the blog, but that is nevertheless, very dear to me: empowering girls. I’ve had so…

  • Illness Knows No Schedule

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    jywatkins
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    I was ready this year. Christmastime can be a whirlwind. I have this crazy tradition of editing together all my family’s photos and video clips to create DVDs for my sisters and brother of all their kids. It’s time consuming and I always create a schedule for myself to make sure I can get all…

  • Norway: Finding Peace in “Forgive Us”

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    jywatkins
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    I chose just the right book to read on vacation to accompany our theme of peace and to align with our visit to the Nobel Peace Center. Reflecting back on my post about the laureates, the one thing I didn’t mention in my (ever-changing, evolving) definition of peace is forgiveness and lament. Forgive Us: Confessions…