Scripture tells us that Jesus was led into the wilderness —
not as punishment,
but as preparation.
Not to prove strength,
but to clarify love.

The wilderness can refine us. But it can also harden us. When life feels exposed and uncertain, it is tempting to build armor. To grow cynical. To stop caring quite so much.

This past week, I had the opportunity to participate in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI)—a gathering of clergy leaders committed to cultivating courageous, justice-centered ministry for a changing world.

Spaces like NGLI remind me that leadership in today’s church is not about maintaining what has been, but about faithfully discerning what God is calling us toward. We reflected on resilience, collaborative leadership, and the sacred responsibility of guiding communities through uncertainty with clarity and compassion.

March is Women’s History Month—a time to honor the courage, brilliance, and truth-telling of women across generations. This month, Holy Covenant’s Freedom to Read initiative highlights books by women and about women that have been challenged or restricted—often because they refuse to make women’s lives, bodies, questions, or power “polite.”

For over 75 years, the United Church of Christ has helped bring God’s hope and healing to hurting people in the U.S. and around the world through One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS). In collaboration with local and international partners, OGHS supports disaster relief, economic development, essentials like food, water, and shelter, advocacy and resettlement assistance for refugees and displaced persons, and work that combats injustice in its many forms. We give because our hearts are touched as we witness God at work—in ourselves, in one another, and throughout the world.

Not the polished kind of honesty that still keeps us in control — but the kind that tells the truth about what we actually feel, what we actually fear, and what we actually need.

Many of us were taught, quietly or directly, that faith means being “fine.” That spiritual people don’t doubt. That strong people don’t struggle. That good Christians keep it together.

Many of us grew up with the idea that Lent is about “giving something up.” And sometimes it is. But at its best, Lent is not spiritual deprivation. It is spiritual clarity.

There is a kind of weariness that doesn’t come from doing nothing. It comes from caring — from noticing what hurts, telling the truth, and trying to stay human in a world that rarely slows down.

If you’ve ever felt your compassion thinning… if your patience has shortened… if your spirit braces before you open a comment section…

you are not failing.

See Something? Say Something.

Church maintenance issues can be easy to miss—until they’re not. This new Service Request tool makes it simple for anyone to flag an issue so our Buildings & Grounds team can respond with care, clarity, and good follow-through.

February is Black History Month—a time to honor Black history, creativity, scholarship, and prophetic witness. This month, Holy Covenant’s Freedom to Read initiative lifts up Black authors whose works have been challenged or banned, yet whose voices continue to shape conscience and courage.

Some things we carry because we love.
Some things we carry because we’re afraid.
Some things we carry because we don’t know how to set them down — not without feeling like we’ve failed.

But faith is not meant to be a life spent hauling invisible weight. Faith is not a test of who can endure the most. Faith is a practice of truth — and one of the truths we keep relearning is this: we are not called to carry everything.