Megan J. Robinson
Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and disenchanted by life, the universe, and everything?
Frustrated with the talking heads who say one thing and do something completely different?
Yeah, me too.
I’ve spent the last few years wrestling with anger, disappointment, and loss in the wake of the failures of too many American evangelical pastors, ministry leaders, and (closer to home) family and friends. I’ve listened as friends and acquaintances share their stories of wrestling, deconstructing, and often leaving their evangelical churches, communities, and families for a variety of understandable reasons. I’m not the only one who feels lost, homeless, and unmoored after saying goodbye to what was, quite literally, an entire life. (You can read more about my journey out of American Evangelical Christianity here.)
And yet.
I remain committed to the person of Jesus Christ as the only one able to rescue and heal us from this broken world and death-haunted bodies, and long for his promised fulfillment of the eternal kingdom of God.
But sometimes, it’s just frustrating and confusing to navigate the world.
If this sounds like your journey, welcome!
I’m here to help exhausted Christians (and anyones!) make sense of the bewildering forces that shape our desires, decisions, and behaviors.
My hope is that together we
discover what the desire for meaning and purpose tells us about who we want to be
foster an openness and receptivity to the world around us
consider what new things can we can learn about the world & ourselves
recognize what about the world and our lives needs to be questioned
As we explore the forces of social and technological acceleration that distract from becoming more fully human, let’s cut through online noise and identify better sources of hope, creativity, and wisdom, and define what a “flourishing human” looks like.
Basically, I’m trying to answer the question, “What does it mean to be human in a moment and place that pathologically seeks to dehumanize us?”
You can read more about my focus on personal formation, and how role models can help us become who we are created to be, in this post.
We will explore what it looks like to imagine different futures, and develop “equipment for living” that helps us make decisions and do things that matter. My newsletter will share writing and conversations at the intersection of culture, theology, and human human communication.
I hope this newsletter offers wisdom for the anxious, curiosity for the exhausted, and wonder for the disenchanted among us.
Who am I?
I’m Megan J. Robinson, a guide and leader with eight years’ experience in leading diverse, creative, and purpose-focused teams.
Over the past 23 years, I've developed my skills in deep listening, systems design, and relational leadership through launching creative communities and from working in faith communities and higher education. I endeavor to create spaces of trust and hopefulness that encourage each of us to explore questions of meaning, purpose, and significance.
My leadership style has been heralded as generous, exploratory, and energizing: I create opportunities for people to thrive, and their growth and work follows.
Through R21.5 Coaching, I’m here to shape imaginations for a new way of being human in the twenty-first century by recovering personal virtues of hopefulness, creativity, and wisdom.
Maybe you're like me, and you really long to discover for yourself what it means to discern and live the good life, and how to do it well. It's a hard, strange world these days, and it matters even more that each of us creates and shares what we find beautiful.
I want to live in a world where far more can be mended than we know.*
Let's be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
Why subscribe?
This newsletter runs on a six-week cycle (five weeks on, one week off for rest). Plus occasional weeks off for wtf even is life.
I write as a pilgrim on the way, deeply interested in understanding and responding to the places and moments in which I find myself. Traveling together always makes the experience richer, and I would love for you to join me.
Support the Work
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. A new edition of the newsletter will go directly to your inbox every Friday (or Saturday), so you'll never miss a thing.
If you're inspired by anything I share, drop me a line and let me know. No matter what, I hope we can create and learn together.
Want to see more work?
Elsewhere
Book Reviews
Journey to the Heart: Christian Contemplation Through the Centuries - An Illustrated Guide, ed. Kim Nataraja, at PRISM
Essays
"Graphic Theology: Community, imago Dei, and Temptation in 300," in Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology through Film, ed. J. Sellars (Wipf and Stock | Amazon)
Poetry
Things Holy & Mundane, a short collection
"Consumer,” Ruminate, Issue 07, Spring 2008: Addictions
Academic & Professional Histories
You can read more about my academic and professional history by clicking the button below. TL;DR: both incorporate communication and theological studies, systems and operations design, and leadership. My early-career experience in retail, non-profits, and office administration also taught me the value of treating everyone with dignity, acquiring a portfolio of indispensable skills that carry forward to the next role, and the absolute necessity of creating templates and checklists to get through the workday.
To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
