Can you remember something you've done for so long that you can't exactly remember when you started?
Maybe it's how long you've been on a board or have attended a particular church? Maybe it's how long you've volunteered at the PTA or the cancer society? Maybe it's how long you've gathered for coffee every Friday mornings with friends to catch up?
For me, this is how I think about my Sunday morning emails to you. Word of the Week has just become a part of what I do and how I think. I can hardly remembering not doing it.
It took some digging, though, and I realized that it's been over 5 years that I've been writing (hard to believe). Some of you have been on the journey the whole time (bless you), others of you just met me over 2 years ago when I moved to Georgia. Many of us lived through a global pandemic together. Many of you celebrated my book launch, Brave Church: Tackling Tough Topics Together with me in the summer of 2021 (thank you) and stayed around. Many of you have written me along the way letting me know how your stories have connected to mine (a huge honor). I'm so glad you are here!
But today, I want to tell you that the word evolve is inspiring me about what Word of the Week will look like going forward.
Evolve: to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state.
Evolving can seem like a scary word (who likes change?) but truly I like to think about evolving as a process of becoming more authentic.
Spoiler alert: this is not a "break-up message." If you are still game, I'm going to keep this going.
But here's the point: Where I was 5 years ago is not where I am now (as I'm sure if you look back on your life 5 years ago and the same could be said about you too!)
In the past year, I've come to know more clearly: "this is where I am" and "this is where I am not."
My circle has gotten smaller. I've claimed my best energy for myself, my family, and my congregation that I love dearly. I'm not as interested anymore in things that would have made my heart soar years ago . . . like publishing contracts, a growing social media followers list or a working outline for my next book. Less for me has become MORE!
However, I AM still interested in meaningful conversations, in spiritual wisdom that transcends the bounds of religious practice, and belonging to a community.
So, I'm going to keep writing Word of the Week as often as I can simply because I enjoy doing it. (Also: so many of you have encouraged me that it's meaningful to you! Yay!)
Here's the evolving part . . .
In the future, I'm going to have an index on my website of words that you can reference of previous entries. This way if what I ofter on a Sunday morning doesn't float your boat, you could pick your word based on your circumstances. (Stay tuned!)
And, instead of writing you in a sequence (which has been confusing because no one gets the same word each Sunday depending on when you signed up) moving forward, everyone subscribed to this email will get my thoughts in real time on Sunday mornings. So if you want to share with your friend or talk to someone else about it, you'll be on the same page. Yay!
I'm making this change because I want my offerings to you to be as meaningful as they possibly can be (and in a way that is sustainable to me too) and because I want us to keep building community as we do it!
Thank you for patiently listening my "evolving story" this morning. Know how thankful I am to be on a little corner of the internet that has somehow connected with you-
I'll be in touch soon after Easter-
XO
Elizabeth
