All posts by Lori Heine

Young women are studying

Coming-Out-to-Shawnee Syndrome

As most of us know, coming out of the closet is not a single event, but a process. Sometimes it can be a very lengthy one. We may hem and haw, dreading taking that crucial step with people whose good opinion matters to us. They

Cool couple taking a selfie

Like-Me-Itis

“I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!” — Sally Field, accepting her Academy Award for 1984 That has become one of the most-quoted Oscar acceptance-speech lines of all time. As a matter of fact, it’s often misquoted. Sally

Friends hugging on a hike

Embraceable Us

“Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you … Embrace me, you irreplaceable you…” (George Gershwin) You and I are nothing short of a miracle. Each and every one of us. Our very individual existence is a miracle. Think of all the people who went into making

Silence

The Beast Within

Our words reveal who we are. They show forth what is in our heart-of-hearts. Jesus Himself makes this clear. He also says that we will be called to account for every careless word we’ve ever spoken. Do people often pause to reflect on what their

Hand reaching toward sunlight

The Sound the Universe Makes

While I write, I like to listen to YouTube. My tastes are quite eclectic, including everything from Norwegian folk tunes to the Ragtime of Scott Joplin. One evening, hoping to transition into relax-mode, I tried something new: a nine-minute recording of the Tibetan “Om” chant.

Hand reaching toward sunlight

Off to See the Wizard

Taking the “abracadabra” out of understanding the workings of the Holy Spirit is important if, well, we truly want to understand those workings at all. Popular religion operates according to childish, magical notions of faith. The Holy Spirit is treated as a sort of divine

Boy holding floating balloon

The Last Word

We all want to have the last word. In any argument, we want to win. When we hear others argue, we can hear how silly it sounds. All that wearying back-and-forth, when in the end, neither will admit to having lost. But when the fight

Face painted rainbow colors

The Dog Days

In the desert Southwest, the rhythm of life is the reverse of what it is in most of the country. Unlike Minnesota, for example – where my Nordic relatives hibernate the winter away – here it is summertime that puts us in the doldrums. We