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Jennifer Finlayson-Fife: I think one thing that’s really helpful is just understanding that this struggle with perfectionism is a very human struggle. It’s not like something’s broken in you. Part of growing into maturity is to have enough compassion for what it means to be human and for yourself in that imperfect process to stop beating yourself up for what we all are, which is flawed and worthy.

In celebration of Christmas, of Christ’s birth, I want to talk about what I believe to be one of the most powerful and transformative aspects of Christ’s ministry on the earth. Christ’s birth, his mortal presence among us, coupled with His teachings, offers us an understanding of God—a conception of what characterizes goodness and truth—that is powerful and compelling for me personally. Christ taught us that truth emerges and exists in relationship---in relationship with God and with our fellow beings.   Divine Truth is inherently relational in Christian thought. “I am the way, the Truth and t...

I understand why we value obedience, but I think we can hyper-value it at the expense of our moral development. I don’t believe in a god who would let us obey our way into godhood. Instead, God gives us a world in which we may borrow wisdom from others, but we also must learn through the exercise of free will, through mistake-making, through the earnest seeking of truth based in our own thinking, discerning, and seeking.

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Dr. David Schnarch, an important professional mentor to me over the past 10 years. David died of a sudden heart attack last week. It has been devastating for his family, and so many of us, to lose a wise mentor in our lives.

Something I've been thinking about this week is that fragility in people is often difficult to track. Sometimes friends and neighbors look like they have everything together when in fact there is real limitation lurking below the surface. Those of us who are focused on a palatable exterior, who avoid conflict or even gravitate to convention out of fear, often look stronger and more "together" than they are. The glossy surface may look like strength, but in fact is a sign of limitation.  Painting the ideal picture is often an attempt to get away from what is real, because what is re...