Before I understood theology, I understood this: the love of Christ was not something I had to reach for. It was something I was already being held within. We do not learn the love of Christ by mastering it, but by receiving it.
Anne Chester, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and writer based in Southlake, Texas. She specializes in trauma recovery and the integration of faith and mental health. A member of St. Laurence Anglican Church, she is also a student at St. Paul’s House of Formation. Her writing explores how grace, formation, and faithful institutions foster healing, integrity, and resilient hope.
Formed in Faithfulness: Joseph and Ecclesial Reordering
Over the years, I have encountered Joseph in many articles, books, and sermons. We often remembered Joseph as the boy with the beautiful coat, favored by his father, resented by his brothers, and carried along by youthful certainty. We often tell his story as one of suffering, perseverance, and eventual vindication. Yet we do not…
The Bread of Life: Healing and The Eucharist
The risen Christ showed his scars—healed and transformed—to his disciples. The Eucharist joins us to that same reality. Not to minimize suffering or explain it away, but to acknowledge it. The table knows that we often need care before we consciously recognize it.
Reconciliation: The Grace Of Not Explaining Yourself
One of the most remarkable things in the bulletin at St. Laurence Anglican Church is the Saturday worship schedule, which reads: When I first came to St. Laurence, this line caught me off guard—both unfamiliar and quietly unsettling. Over time, it has come to feel like an invitation to restoration, calling me back into belonging….
Mercy in the Midst: Courage to Stay in an Imperfect Church
As both a therapist and a parishioner, I have watched many weary believers seek refuge in liturgical traditions—drawn by beauty, order, and a sense of rootedness after years of spiritual fatigue within politicized or performance-driven church cultures. I have seen institutions rise to moments of grace and stumble into failure. The difference often lies not…
