RockWall Cottage Chronicles #12

A newsy, sometimes amusing, usually interesting fly-on-the-RockWall view of my life as an author with updates from my Substack adventures.

The small cottage where I live and write has been affectionally named RockWall Cottage because of the rock wall that divides our side of the property from the side of the property where our friends, the owners of the cottage, live. (Learn More)

Photo by Fabrizio Conti on Unsplash

What Has Been Happening at RockWall Cottage?

Football season has arrived. I have been a loyal Seahawks fan for the past ten or 15 years. Go Seahawks! I will miss Pete Carroll but the team got off to a great start.

During my young adult years, I cheered for the L.A. Rams. Of course, living in Missouri and Colorado makes me partial to the Chiefs and Broncos. My son and his wife cheer for the Packers—his team since he was a kid, and our daughter cheers for the Titans. My brother is a Cardinal fan. In other words, I can just about always have a team that I hope wins—in pecking order of course.

I have always been the football enthusiast in our family. I am glad to say Scott has decided to join me. We are settling into some cooler days and looking forward to the games. Our living room is cozy, the blankets pulled out of the closet, and the fireplace will be glowing once again. It is time for Fall to arrive here in the Pacific Northwest!

News, Highlights from Previous Weeks, What’s Coming, and Other Stuff

• Two similar guest podcasts launched last week! The first is talking with a ministry leader and the second is more geared toward those who have experienced trauma and then—mostly unintentionally—retraumatized within church communities. I am grateful for my healing which enables me to be consistent with the hope-filled message that we can do better when talking to various audiences.

  • Is the Church Safe? American Reformation Podcast with Tim Ahlman, Pastor, Christi Greenfield (Gilbert Campus)

  • Trauma in the Pews Mental Health: Love it or Risk it with Christine Hernandez

• I was also a guest on the Crabby Pastor Podcast with Margie Bryce. It was divided into two segments and a bit different content than most of my conversations. The second one is I believe the first time I have explored my life as a woman leader so fully—which fits with the content this week. Margie and I always have great conversations with an ample dose of laughter!

  • 126: Stories We Tell Ourselves This episode is designed to inspire better self-care and mindfulness in perceiving and speaking to ourselves, providing practical strategies to foster a more supportive internal narrative.

  • 127: More (and even worse) stories we tell ourselves This conversation uncovers the intricacies of imposter syndrome and self-limiting narratives that often plague women in leadership. With a rich background in both supportive and restrictive church environments, Janyne sheds light on the critical need for male leaders to foster inclusive spaces and the invaluable role of self-awareness and self-compassion.

• Last week’s main content was the initial part of Trauma in the Pews 2.0, Section III. I will complete the final part of the book later in the fall. If you missed the story of my friend who found peace as she neared the end of her life—it is a beautiful picture of what healing looks like.

• This month’s McMusings will have a trauma-informed/sensitive/responsive focus on several political discussions (including the one that was posted on Saturday: Let’s Talk Policy). My perspectives on these issues have changed in many ways as I worked to heal and understand the impact of trauma. I do not often see the impact of trauma used as the basis for political concerns, so I am wading in with trauma-informed perspectives.

• The We Do Therapy Series: I have begun work on this series and am excited to launch it next week! Scott and I will discuss the following topics/parts of our story in a four-day series. (Read the Introduction here.) This will be paid subscriber content that includes a free preview for everyone.

Abortion: Refocusing the Conversation with Judgment-Free Compassion

This week’s content has been in the works for four years. I am publishing the series now because I believe it is an important addition to the current conversations. This content will be available to all subscribers. The Introduction to this four-day series that begins tomorrow states:

My goal for this four-part series is to encourage us to step away from the political, religious, and legal battles over abortion and consider the impact our discourse and political efforts have had on women who have either had an abortion or found themselves navigating life as a single mother. Thank you to the women who have shared their stories with me over the past four years. I hope my words honor the often wrenchingly painful stories. I am grateful for those who have supported me in healing and writing this series—both men and women. May we always choose to lead with non-judgmental compassion.

While my focus will not be political, it needs to be noted that many of the online discussions and political statements on this topic do not align with What the data says about abortion in the U.S.. Reading through the Pew Research information at this link would provide an excellent overview as a backdrop to this week’s content.

Thank you to all who have joined me recently! Your support means so much!