Author: Shana Burres

“I thought once I joined the church, I would have lots of friends. Why do I still feel so lonely?” A variation on this question has been posed by too many people for one story to be accurate. The young mid-20s woman who is working full time while going to school. She is smart and […]

“How can you trust a God who is just waiting to punish you?” A fair question and honest fear.  What is the point of believing in a god who spends their time handing down rules so that they can pronounce judgement? We’ve all seen the placards and heard the edicts from preachers, “This day will […]

“How many times do I have to raise my hand before I’m sure I’m a Christian?” So many alter calls, so many times told that maybe something happened that week to disrupt grace or hope or salvation. At conventions, camps, and revival services, there was an equal number of edicts about impending hell or being […]

“How can you hold a belief that people are these wrecked, broken things just waiting for a savior?” He asked the question honestly but with passion. There was no argument that people aren’t terrible sometimes but it seems most people try to be good or, at least, do good.  The whole of humanity can’t really […]

“What if I don’t have enough faith?” With her head down and eyes brimming, she took a deep breath and almost whispered the question. It was loaded with the unspoken weight of other people’s expectations, personal fear, and a real sense that her current faith was insufficient for today’s struggles. The honest answer was, “you […]

“Well, then how do I know what’s true and what’s not!? Why would God give us a book we can’t understand!?” He all but threw the questions out in sheer frustration. The book may be less than clear sometimes but his feelings were obvious and understandable. Having been raised in the church with all the […]

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” This is a standard start to many of our conversations and, if you were here talking to us face-to-face, it would be one of the first things you would be asked. Maybe, “How are you doing?” would preface it but it would take a very short beat […]