I’m touched you found your way to this place!
This substack is free to subscribe to (and always will be) and I publish long-form articles 2x a month.
I write reflections on what it means to journey alongside others as a chaplain and spiritual director.
I share vignettes1 from my work with the hope that it inspires you to seek the divine in your own life, whatever that looks like. Some of my stories will break and warm your heart, but I hope all of them will help you live more fully and intentionally.
I also write about how to be a better listener, how to engage with different spiritual practices and how to take care of yourself in the process. There is a fair amount of grief, resiliency, introspection and humor here, all wrapped up together.
You can read any of the past posts in the archive, as they are evergreen and there’s no paywall.
If you have any ideas for what you’d like me to write or questions you’d like me to answer, I’m happy to take requests!
Some of my typical posts:
About Christine
I live with my family on a small, hobby farm in New Jersey and mostly spend my free time chasing chickens and chauffeuring my school-aged children to all their activities.
Vocationally, I wear lots of hats on any given day, these include:
Presbyterian Minister
Director of Hospital Chaplaincy Department
ACPE Certified Educator
Seminary Professor
Fun Facts:
I have competed in several triathalons. I love swimming and biking and just try to survive the running portions.
I am a beekeeper and occassionaly harvest honey from my hives unless my foe, the bear beats me to it.
In addition to other formal rituals, I believe drinking coffee and eating chocolate count as spiritual practices!
I have an individual spiritual direction practice and speak at events and lead workshops - you can book me for any of those on my website.
You can also follow me on social media:
Clearly, I don’t take myself too seriously and I look forward to getting to know you as we journey alongside each other together! Feel free to comment below or email me at journeyingalongside@substack.com to introduce yourself!
Every story from my clinical context has been changed to ensure privacy toward that individual. All names and identifying details are different to protect confidentiality, but my hope is the lessons remain the same. All views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.
So nice to meet you Christine!! Thank you for being on substack, and thank you for making your teachings accessible to all. 🙌