Blog

Note: We’re reposting Chara Donahue’s blog post because (a) she’s amazing (b) her story of her time at the Prison Outreach / Essay Presentation is honest, heart-wrenching and beautiful (c) we hope this inspires you to join us at this year’s Essay Presentation at Oregon State Penitentiary (that Chara is leading!). We’re heading there Aug. 25, but […]

“All things great are wound up with all things little.”  Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery      When I went back to school to become a teacher  at the ripe young age of 36, I joined a growing wave of what was known as ‘re-entry students.’ Our particular wave was comprised of young men, business folk […]

When we started the Faith & Culture Writers Conference in 2011 at Western Seminary in Portland, our initial idea was to offer our creative event every other year at alternating higher education institutions. As the years went on, the passion for the Faith & Culture Writers Conference grew beyond the Pacific Northwest, and we began […]

By Chara Donahue Last February, I was certain God had prompted me to join Twitter and start a blog. These are weird things God, I prayed, but whatever you say. It is a habit of mine to ask God at the end of any conference, “What step of obedience should I take in response to […]

Matt 25: 35-40″ By Cornelia Seigneur Our  Writing Ministry Outreach at the Oregon State Penitentiary for our Annual Essay Presentation with the 7th Step Foundation is Thursday August 27. Thank you to those who signed up. For those who are attending (pre-approved through the prison), we are carpooling together from Rolling Hills Community Church, 3550 […]

Today, we’re reposting Chara Donahue’s blog post. Why? Because (a) she’s amazing (b) her chronicle about her experience at ministry is moving, honest  (c) we hope this inspires you to join us for this year’s Essay Presentation. We’re heading to Oregon State Penitentary Aug. 25. Deadline to sign up is FRIDAY, AUG. 10! Click here […]

by Jan Johnson   A couple of weeks ago I blogged about my book giveaway drawing… you know, the drawing nobody entered? Well, I wrote about it partly to tell you where the book ended up, and partly in the interests of full disclosure–I don’t want to give a false impression that I’m some wildly popular, […]

by Jan Johnson  I’d been looking forward to it for months: the Faith & Culture Conference for writers and other creatives. We met last weekend at Warner Pacific College, on the edge of Mt. Tabor in Portland, Oregon. Brent and I actually flew out to Portland a week early to visit our two sons, their […]

by Ashley Hales Shivering in this northwesterly wind, I sit on the edge of dirt and pavement: this juxtaposition between organic and man-made. This concrete worn and utilitarian next to the unadorned simplicity – almost vulgarity – of the dirt. We are stuff just as these. Stones pulverized and fashioned into meaning. Organic material who […]

by Ashley Hales We almost moved to Portland in 2009 to do an apprenticeship with a church. We fell in love. We wanted to be downtown people. We wanted to walk on lazy Saturday mornings with a cup of hand-crafted coffee and browse in Powell’s. We ached for urbanism, books, meaning, and craft beers. We […]