Welcome to the Living Hope Blog
Seasons of Transition: Pruning in the Garden of College
By Guest Writer Catherine Carter To the high school graduate entering the vast, diverse garden of college: Welcome! Most of us are just following wherever the wind seems to take us. Transition is about adaptation, and adaptation is specifically individual to you. It is not always easy, but it is always worth it. My main advice to you is this:… continue
Surrender the Summer
By Guest Writer Lane Faulkner Here in Nashville, Tennessee, the signs of summer abound: the oppressive humidity has arrived early, and end-of-the-year pictures populate every inch of my newsfeed. For some, I suppose the arrival of summer is much like Christmas – full of anticipation and joyful expectation. I know when I used to be a teacher I felt… continue
Another Crossroads, Same Optimism
By Guest Writer Travis Haney Monday was my final day with 247Sports/CBS Sports as a national college football reporter. I’m again a free agent. If that’s new news to you, you’re likely responding in one of three ways: 1. “Wait, who are you?” (Answer: Hi, I’m a veteran CFB reporter who has worked in sports media since I was… continue
Seasons of Transition: Q and A with Tyler Smith
This week we are interviewing Tyler Smith who recently completed his master’s coursework in Chemistry at New York University. Like many soon-to-be graduates, Tyler had meticulously crafted his career’s trajectory which included acceptance into a doctoral program in the fall and moving on to work for the Center for Disease Control or St. Jude’s Research Hospital. Unfortunately, as he began… continue
Notes of Encouragement: Graduates
It’s that time of year again on social media: the brigade of smiling capped and gowned graduates, so hopeful and expectant as they transition away from the squeaky linoleum hallways of their high school or the lush, green quads of their collegiate institutions. This year is particularly poignant as am seeing more graduating faces who I once babysat for long… continue
Mother’s Day Part 3: Practicing Forgiveness, Resilience and Joy
By Guest Writer Lane Faulkner Of all the eight Practices of Living Hope, I believe that Forgiveness, Resilience, and Joy are the most applicable to motherhood. As moms, we berate ourselves for our parenting mistakes, emerge resilient through the refining fire of parenting, and savor the sweet moments with a joy unlike any other in our lives. My son, Jackson,… continue
Mother’s Day Part 2: Healing through Grief, Honesty, and Curiosity
By Guest Writer Lane Faulkner May 25, 2008, started out beautifully – it was the start to Memorial Day weekend, and my then-husband and I were about to set out to visit my family at the lake. We stopped on our way out of town for a gift to surprise my parents with the news that we were pregnant with… continue
From the Founder: A Word On Motherhood
Last Mother’s Day, I rushed onto the porch to tell my husband and our son that it was time to hurry and get dressed for Mother’s Day lunch, and I found this peaceful scene. But it was only a few years earlier that I wasn’t sure I would ever be a mother. One particular memory of this time comes to… continue
Mother’s Day Part 1: Surrender, Stillness, and Finding Joy in Motherhood
By Guest Writer and Hope Practitioner Lane Faulkner I remember being a new mom; I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. In a few short years, my life seemed consumed by the duties of motherhood. You know this song; as moms we play it on repeat every single day. It’s endless mounds of laundry, which, if most of us are being… continue
Notes of Encouragement: Joy
That we’ve come to God through tragedy, not by doing things right but invariably by doing things wrong, is a gift. We’ve learned so much more by our mistakes than we ever have by our successes… Dissolution is the only thing that allows the soul to go to a deeper place. –Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance The legal dissolution of… continue