Ruffled By Grace: Featured In

This month, Ruffled By Grace was featured in the Paris Magazine, Join the Dots. Along with some friends and family we hit the launch party to see the finished product and chat with other contributors and creatives. It was an enjoyable evening, and I was delighted to finally meet, in person, the people with whom I had been working.

What is Join the Dots?

Join the Dots is an independent Anglophone publication based in Paris. The magazine aims to promote change and connect people through creativity. They publish a quarterly zine in both print and online media and donate all the profits to a Parisian charity serving homeless people. The third installment of the magazine is entitled “New Beginnings.” It was the perfect opportunity to chat about my own transition from parish ministry to wedding ministry.

Creative Content

Issue three featured poetry, fashion and art. The issue also included an amazing pancake recipe and an article focused on identity, featuring inclusive language. It was an honor to be interviewed and featured next to so many creative forces in Paris. Further, I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak about my vocation and calling. It’s always interesting to serve as an intersection between the spiritual and secular. As a creative and a pastor, I never have a “typical” day, but it’s fun to share a little about my work, what it includes, and how I structure such an unconventional job.

Speaking Up

This issue of the magazine focused on new beginnings. Therefore, the theme gave me the opportunity to think about my new beginning. My new role has become a stepping stone to find “voice.” As a women in ministry, I have faced myriad challenges. However, as a woman, I believe the challenges have given me a platform to be an advocate, and to have a voice for change.

Most importantly, it has given me the chance to speak. Most importantly, to speak positively about the role of the church and faith in the world. In this way, I have had the opportunity not only to share my own journey but to pave the way for the creative women who will come after me. It is an honor to to stand where I am, to have voice, and to follow in the footsteps of the faithful women who have gone before me.

It’s Always About Grace

Anytime I get the chance to speak about “grace,” I will take it! I was excited to share with the magazine’s audience my thoughts on the theological concept of grace. Further, I shared how I came to have the word tattooed on my wrist. Though I am not sure the tattoo alone shows a “fresh” approach to ministry. After all, grace is the foundation of my Reformed Protestant Faith. However, the tattoo is a visible reminder that testifies to my “out of the box” approach.

How To Get Your Copy

The third issue is now available in the art room of Shakespeare and Company or directly through Join the Dots. You can buy eBook copies and find more information about the magazine at www.jointhedotszine.com.

Submissions are now open for issue four. The deadline is June 30 and the theme will be “Nostalgia.” Submission Guidelines can be found here.

Be sure to keep updated with all of the Join the Dots events on their Facebook page.

And follow them on Instagram: @jointhedotszine

Read more about Ruffled By Grace here.