Month: July 2015

I think I have a blog post in me about ritual not being therapy…

Maybe that’s all that needs to be said. Ritual isn’t therapy, nor should it be therapy. Therapy is valuable….ritual is valuable…and it needs to be stated that therapy and ritual approach self change in very different ways.

If we try to turn ritual into therapy, we lose the edge that is often present in dynamic, groundbreaking group religious experiences.

There’s a reason we assure ritual participants that they will be safe, but not necessarily comfortable. There’s a reason why it is clearly stated at events that ritual is not a substitute for therapy.

I’m sure I have more thoughts on this, but for now, it will suffice.

I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in a couple of years on the fourth of July. It was hot and humid here. My sweaty hair was stuck to my face. My brave little boy was in my big yellow double running stroller, the strap tied a bit too tightly around my arm digging in. My oldest son was running behind me with my husband. I was surrounded by an amazing group of people out there representing the church we attend, showing love for our community by passing out a few thousand popsicles in the parade. My face was flushed red from the heat and the exertion of running to keep up while pushing a nearly 100 pound load and simultaneously handing out popsicles with one hand while the other steered the stroller. I handed this person a popsicle, smiled, and offered a short, but enthusiastic, “Hey there!” As I…