church — Blog — Danielle S. Castillejo

20 years

Please take me, amor.

We dancing to bone rhyms.

Somos los mismos - lots of spice

It’s dark, now. We watch one another,

Breathe, make up, argue, laugh

pass through borders

Cultures argue for which lives count mas

You, my love,

Mi amor, I’ll be here

I’m sorry I let you down sometimes,

My country and place take dirty shots at your beautiful face.

Perdoname mi amor y yo

Tambien te perdono porque– tu eres el hombre que quiero.

You are perfecto for me because you aren’t perfect.

Mil gracias amor.

Your only,

Daniela

WAVES OF GRIEF

I’ve not had a good relationship with grief. My wise friend, Gloria Huh (on #thearisepodcast this week) shared with me that regardless of my awareness, I’ve been building a relationship with grief. Well, she’s right. My relationship with grief is not open or welcoming. It’s stiff, resistant, and at times, hostile.

Way-Finding: The Journey through Narrative-Focused Trauma Care training

The future is unknown, my plans follow a trail map. It goes off the grid. I haven’t traveled this terrain before, so I’ll be trusting my gut, relying on the witness of others, and orienting myself to Jesus. You’ll find me “way-finding.”

Does the Church ask for Consent, or is Faith linked to Coercion?

Despite the increased conversation around consent in recent years, pockets of conservative faiths that decry the term still remain.
In addition, the lasting effects of a lack of autonomy still reverberate through the bodies of those raised in environments that never taught consent, mine included. With such heartbreaking prevalence of this harm, it is imperative that we continue to build a culture within our churches that embodies the immense value of consent.

My Body is a Sacrifice: Surrender & Re-enactment

I watch her daily, the way her body is continually stretched and worn by the task of growing a new life. Over and over and over again.

“It’s important to surrender our bodies to the Lord,” she says, “If Jesus is not Lord of all, then he’s not Lord of anything.” This logic makes sense to my young mind, and I worry about the ways I’m not surrendering. Does my fear of what the Lord may ask of my body mean there’s something wrong with me?

HOW TO KILL A MEXICAN

Joke to him and to me
he’s there
she’s not seen
I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

Church, Faith, hope, hopelessness, peace, love, Race, Seasons, wild, WomenDanielle Rueb - CastillejoFebruary 22, 2020race, death, blog, podcst, podcast, thearisepodcast, love, hate, blue, white, eyes, carpenter, stories, racism, husband, faith, churchComment

The Church and Consent Part Three

the pews with common faces,

and here, my brown hands

tearing white loaves

for you, for you

my body broken,

i consent

The Church and Consent

In the age of consent and the church, I walked through the door of lying to myself, so I could tell the truth about Jesus and love. The truth about my past wasn’t the truth about Jesus. They did not mix.

Church: A Messy Complication

I say “Yes” to love, relationships, honor, trust, delight, faith, and hope.

Philippians 1:29-30 “29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.”

hope, Faith, Church, church loveDanielle Rueb - CastillejoJanuary 5, 2020faith, new year, church, race, trauma, hell, no, yes, faith hope and loveComment

Advent's War With Despair: Jesus Incarnate in The Hopelessness

I set my Bible next to the puzzle, wondering if there was an arc that would hold me and my family from the impending flood. Days later, after my therapist handed me a yellow sticky note with 4 names of potential next therapists, I just stared. She’d made the call to get me into the hospital, and days before Thanksgiving, sat me down and told me to look for a new therapist. I really needed help, and I would be best served elsewhere.

Mary's Song Overcomes

I heard you say, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”

Race, Faith, Church, WomenDanielle Rueb - CastillejoDecember 18, 2019mary, mother of Jesus, Christmas, Jesus, son of God, church, faith, women, woman, women who lead, Hebrew, race, love, unconditional love, peace, song, singing, angels, struggleComment

It Still Hurts: Toward a Theology of Hopelessness

It Still Hurts: a theology of hopelessness

Churchy Sermon Sundays are focused on James the “Just”, with the latest monologue on the subject of generosity. None of it is relevant. Or, maybe it all should be relevant. I don’t know. Despair surges past our hope.

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The future is unknown, my plans follow a trail map. It goes off the grid. I haven’t traveled this terrain before, so I’ll be trusting my gut, relying on the witness of others, and orienting myself to Jesus. You’ll find me “way-finding.”

Joke to him and to me
he’s there
she’s not seen
I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

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BLOG

The future is unknown, my plans follow a trail map. It goes off the grid. I haven’t traveled this terrain before, so I’ll be trusting my gut, relying on the witness of others, and orienting myself to Jesus. You’ll find me “way-finding.”

Joke to him and to mehe’s thereshe’s not seenI’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue

i consent

Joke to him and to me
he’s there
she’s not seen
I’ll tell you the stories of eyes not blue