The Gods of Women and Their Mothers: Stories
My collection of short stories provides a safe place for your questions.
Soon, I’ll be releasing a collection of my short stories—some of them semi-autobiographical—and it took me awhile to tell myself it was okay to make these public. In fact, it wasn’t just okay, I discovered, it was whispered to me in my sleep, in a dream, from my greatest Friend.
You see, most of the stories deal with a lot of disillusionment surrounding my faith and even contain a thread of despair. Mostly written during one of my wilderness seasons, I somehow kept these narratives anchored to hope, even if it is, at times, a very frayed version of it.
I’ve been a part of a lot of Christian communities where imperfection and messiness were covered up with a toxic form of positivity, gleaming bright smiles, and the trading of rumors of abusive behavior for a shiny, clean exterior.
Let’s get past this as fast as we can so nothing will slow our agenda of power and control.
Meanwhile, pain is steamrolled, victims are blamed, and the Body of Christ is beaten all over again. Politics become idolatry and discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit are replaced with a swirl of lies and misinformation.
And telling the truth about the Gospel—about the way Jesus loves and who He loves—becomes a form of betrayal. Telling the truth about life, our disillusionment, our brokenness, our fears, our heartbreak, and our loneliness are not palatable to those who think they are already righteous.
But thankfully, I didn’t write these stories for those people.
I wrote them for the one who is still questioning and feels alone in their confusion. For those who are too exhausted to keep performing for people who will never actually see them. I wrote this for the one who hopes there might be a good God out there but isn’t quite sure they’re ready for this knowledge yet.
I have been in all those places and these stories—my stories— are spaces for you to sit and be known for a while.
The Gods of Women and their Mothers: Stories will be available for pre-order in print soon. I hope to have the book released before December.