Shasta's Fog

In my last blog post, I shared a disciplinary conversation that I had with Perplexity AI, a tool that had presented me false information via “hallucination.” It was my first experience encountering AI-generated falsehoods presented in such an optimistic and confident manner, a manner which we have all nevertheless come to expect. You can read … Continue reading AI is Not the Answer: the Meaninglessness of AI Customer Experience Management Platforms

Recently I uploaded a large data set to Perplexity AI, trying to find some commonalities across nearly 700 pieces of data. Perplexity AI replied that “syringes” was an important commonality, and provided one page of analysis on that point. My issue? The word “syringes” and anything related to medical terminology did not appear in my … Continue reading AI Caught in a Lie: a Corrective Conversation with Perplexity AI

Back in January, I read Miriam Toews’s novel Women Talking about a series of sexual assaults in an ultra-conservative Mennonite colony in Bolivia in 2009. I finished the novel in a single day, and the following evening I drove to a film institute in Philadelphia and watched the Oscar-nominated film. The film is an extended … Continue reading Women Talking: The Novel and Film Offering Lament Space for Christian Audiences

I have flown domestically and internationally dozens of times, and I can think of only one meaningful conversation I have had with a seatmate. That is, until last week, when I had my second most interesting in-flight conversation.    A 20-something young woman fell into the seat beside me on a budget airline on a … Continue reading A Catholic and a Mennonite Walk into a Plane

Four weeks ago I discovered a pretty incredible Polish ancestor. I was quite thrilled with my discovery, for I would be traveling to Poland in a matter of days. It all started with my great-grandmother who lived to be 102. Here’s a picture of her reading me a book. I have clear memories of her, … Continue reading How I Came to Be Polish – and Other Stories

Last summer I was interrupted during a particularly foggy early morning 12-mile run. There was an unusual amount of road traffic for just after sunrise on a Saturday. I noticed a large number of Amish buggies, and huge white Amish-hauler vans and big trucks (that seemed like they should have Trump stickers but didn’t) were … Continue reading On Being Woman: Reflections on My Mennonite Running Life

I was standing inside the book shop window of Gene’s Books on Sanibel Island, enjoying the solitude of the “religious books” section, when I picked up Madeleine L’Engle’s Penguins & Golden Calves: Icons and Idols in Antarctica and Other Unexpected Places. (Never before have I read Madeleine L’Engle. Egregious on my part.) Fresh off the … Continue reading Icons, Fighting Conches, and Abundant Giving in the Kingdom of God

If you’re like me, when it comes to counseling, you’re aware of a certain stigma related to folks who receive counseling services. This phenomenon is especially present in the church, as it seems that many in the church curate a certain suspicion for, or an ambivalence to, the field of psychology. With this in mind, … Continue reading Whole-Hearted Living: Psychology and Christianity in Paul Tournier’s A Place for You

There was no warning when she came to live with us. I came down the dark brown carpeted steps one morning and stopped short – a young woman in sleeveless floral pajamas was ironing a blouse, her soft brown hair about her shoulders. I whispered to my sisters, “Who is that?” Mama looked at me … Continue reading Junge Frau: A Story about Growing up Female

Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman has been my summer read, and it has been so cathartic for its giving language to the experience of coming into one’s own views, views which necessarily create tension with the community that raised you. I’ve been drawn to this novel since I charged into Better World Books in … Continue reading Jean Louise & Virtue Signaling: A Meditation for Millennials