Coffee clicks: It’s May

I have been totally overwhelmed by your responses to last week’s housekeeping post. I initially began blogging as a creative outlet, was drawn deeper into the rhythm and discipline of daily writing as a lonely new mom adjusting to life outside the 9-5, and was totally blown away by the real life community that developed on the internet. So I’ll be honest, my interests were largely selfish from the outset!

Over the years, nothing has brought me more joy and more astonishment then getting messages from people – mostly women – from all over the world sharing their stories of coming into the Church, coming back to the Church, coming into a fuller understanding of some particular teaching of the Church in some small part because of something they read here.

It’s a fearful thing to participate in someone else’s story of conversion, and it is one of the great honors of my life to be on the receiving end of these messages and emails, but I give 110% credit to the Holy Spirit. It’s all His story, I’m just jotting down a few thoughts here and there in translation. So thank you, but also you give me too much credit, as anyone who has known, loved, and endured me in real life can attest to.

I won’t be hanging up the blogging hat entirely, even as things refocus a bit, so how about a few clicks for the weekend:

1. This story is so important, and so difficult to read. I said on Twitter and I’ll say it here:

This is important. Believe women. Believe believers who have something hard to tell you about the Church, about a priest, about a bishop, about a Cardinal. This woman exercised tremendous courage and humility to go public with her story.

This is important. Believe women. Believe believers who have something hard to tell you about the Church, about a priest, about a bishop, about a Cardinal. This woman exercised tremendous courage and humility to go public with her story. https://t.co/L6VwmADtqV

— Jenny Uebbing (@jkuebbing) May 3, 2019

2. Back on Instagram because Proverbs 26:11 is my life motto and the title of my forthcoming memoir (kidding about the forthcoming. Not about the title) and trying desperately to implement some balance and best practices gleaned from reading “Digital Minimalism” and “How to Break up with Your Phone” during Lent. I’m nothing if not predictable. I have noticed that if I don’t use the app (which I delete after each use) but login via my phone’s web browser, the web version of the site is so much less addictive/pleasant/user friendly. Only real issue? No access to messages, so don’t @ me. Seriously.

3. But speaking of phones… worth a read. (Please note the length of the article and whether or not your attention span wavers ironically in reading, at which point I recommend indulging in some sincere self abasing humor and/or soul searching.)

3. Beyond disgusted by the incongruence and faux outrage from the internet this week over these remarks at the National Prayer breakfast. Because sure, the paraphrasing is the problem, nevermind that the Governor of Virginia (still in office nbd) literally defended infanticide, made global news coverage, and still somehow gets to keep his job and probably his reputation, too, since 2 months ago might as well be the time of the Vikings.

4. I can’t stop thinking about Sri Lanka and the families there whose lives were torn apart on Easter Sunday. This was a sobering read with that in mind. We Christians in the West have a profound responsibility to speak up, to tell the stories of our brothers and sisters in Christ who’ve been silenced by the pen or by the sword. We enjoy unprecedented freedom and still (yes, still!) unbelievable public goodwill. How are we spending it?

5. “I do not know God’s plan. All I can do is try to find meaning in what has happened. And to use this borrowed time to make my life matter more.”

Have a beautiful weekend. I’m going to tempt fate and say it might possibly, finally be spring here in Denver, but I always grimly warn my kids “we’re not safe from winter till the Mother’s Day blizzard;” so, in the spirit of realism I say soldier on, brave little tulips of mine. Warmer days are ahead. Maybe just not quite yet.