Ellen FiedlerJun 2, 20211 minTwo Years of Growth: A Podcast ReflectionPrevious interns Elle Fiedler and Caroline Penfield reflect on their two years as Truitt Center interns. If you don't have Spotify, here...
Ellen FiedlerApr 26, 20215 minGrace in the Face of GuiltI’ve had a limp for as long as I can remember. I favor the right side of my body heavily, not just in writing but in walking and...
Caroline PenfieldApr 15, 20215 minWhere Will Your Ripples Go?When I was first asked to direct The Ripple Conference, Elon’s annual, regional, interfaith conference, two years ago, I was sitting in...
rwells129Feb 22, 20213 minA Love Affair with Rain Pants: Lessons Learned From a Week in the WoodsBy Emerson Wells On December 10, 2020, I set out on a five day backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains with two of my closest...
Caroline DiGrandeFeb 12, 20214 minSelf-Worth: a Journey As part of the Religious and Spiritual Life Committee on campus, I was tasked with creating a presentation on self-worth. This umbrella...
Caroline PenfieldFeb 8, 20211 min10 Story People Illustrations by Brian Andreas That Speak to My SoulSeveral of the distinctive, colorful, illustrations of Brian Andreas, paired with his short stories commentary on life, purpose, and...
Ellen FiedlerFeb 3, 20211 minSongs to Move You ForwardI’ve found myself feeling stuck lately. Stuck in past hurts and frustrations, dreams that never panned out, hopes that now feel hopeless....
Caroline PenfieldJan 11, 20215 minWalk Down This MountainDuring the first weekend of November two of my close friends and I were visiting part of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, North...
Ellen FiedlerJan 4, 20214 minSaturnTo say that I’m feeling lost is an understatement. I engage with the topic of religion and spirituality nearly every day, whether it be...
Caroline DiGrandeDec 20, 20204 minSeeking Light on the Darkest of DaysThe winter solstice is a universal event that takes place twice per year (once per hemisphere), and happens at the same moment around the...
Brittney HopeNov 11, 20203 minDiving into InterfaithThe first experience with faith that I can remember was when I was around 7 years old. My family drove down to Georgia to stay with my...
rwells129Nov 6, 20202 minAn Atheist, Christian, and Buddhist Walk Into a Bar: Navigating “None-ness” in Interfaith SettingsEmerson Wells For me, introductions within interfaith spaces often go like this: “Introduce yourself, your pronouns, your background, and...
Caroline PenfieldOct 30, 20205 minThe Weight of GriefMarch seems like a lifetime ago. I remember Wednesday, March 11th very clearly, the day the world seemed to stop. In the future, we will...
Ellen FiedlerOct 26, 20203 minThe Peace of Wild ThingsMonday mornings are actually my favorite time of the week. I wake up early so that I can do my morning routine in my own time, usually...
Caroline DiGrandeOct 23, 20204 minAnd God Said it was Good.Growing up Catholic, one of the first tangible elements of my faith I can remember learning is the creation story, as portrayed in the...
Caroline PenfieldMay 26, 20204 minOn Humility and RootsThe Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein has always been one of my favorite books. I love the simple illustrations paired with the way...
Whitney MillerMay 22, 20202 minWALK: intransitive verbwalk | \ ˈwȯk\ If you had told me a couple months ago that I would be thinking so deeply about “walking,” I would have definitely doubted...
Ellen FiedlerMay 5, 20203 minEmpathy is not EndorsementEmpathy is not endorsement. Empathizing with someone you profoundly disagree with does not suddenly compromise your own deeply held...
Rachel DzikApr 21, 20202 minAre you there G-D? It's me, RachelIn my life, I turn to G-D for comfort and advice. I am sure that there are others of you that do too. When things go wrong all of the...
Caroline PenfieldApr 17, 20203 minRedefining CommunityLiving in community is something I have taken for granted most of my life. My parents raised me with a strong sense of community, always...
Whitney MillerApr 7, 20202 minLISTEN: verblis·ten | \ ˈli-sᵊ So much is happening right now: COVID-19 and quarantine. It can be a lot. It can be overwhelming. I find myself at...
Ellen FiedlerMar 25, 20201 minA Playlist for Trying TimesMusic has always been a source of deep healing for me. No matter what I'm experiencing, the right song can change everything. So, in this...
Caroline PenfieldMar 23, 20202 minHow to Love A Place Like ThisThis past January I had the incredible opportunity to journey through the South with the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows, following...
Whitney MillerMar 13, 20202 minTECHNOLOGY: nountech·nol·o·gy | \ tek-ˈnä-lə-jē A capability given by the practical application of knowledge A manner of accomplishing a task...
Holly MirandaFeb 21, 20202 minNo Peace, No Justice or No Justice, No Peace?This past Winter term, I had the opportunity to partner with our Multifaith Coordinator, Allison Pelyhes, in planning and executing...
Caroline PenfieldFeb 17, 20204 minImpermanence: A ResolutionSo, here we are, at the start of 2020. A new year, a new decade. There is a lot of pressure associated with every new year. And to be...
Rachel DzikJan 24, 20202 minIt’s all about the give and take Holiday season is here and I am so excited! This is my favorite time of the year because it is just one of many excuses to be with my...
Megan Hernandez-GreeneJan 13, 20203 minThe Importance of Saying “Happy Holidays”For most people, it is the most wonderful time of the year. With that comes the common debate around how people should greet each other...
Ellen FiedlerJan 10, 20205 minPain & HopeOver the summer, I went on a life-changing ten day trip to Israel & Palestine with a program called Passages, which allows Christian...
Rachel DzikJan 6, 20203 minLight, Love, and AcceptanceAs a Jewish girl growing up in a small Christian community, I did not have much access to other worldviews. I always felt so isolated...
Holly MirandaDec 12, 20192 minFinding Home Where You Least Expect ItIf you were to sit and tell me in high school that I would “find my people” at my university’s center for religious and spiritual life, I...
Whitney MillerDec 10, 20194 minOUTDOORS: adverb/nounout·doors | \ au̇t-ˈdȯrz The outdoors - what an atmosphere. Hiking the art lobe of Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina is the...
Ellen FiedlerDec 6, 20194 minLessons From My Evangelical Neighbors“When other Christians threaten or disappoint me, I work as hard to see God in them as in people of other (or no) faiths. It helps to...
Megan Hernandez-GreeneDec 4, 20193 minWhat’s Next?The topic of death is a sensitive one that people may or may not have a hard time talking about. It is close to Día de Los Muertos, and...
Holly MirandaDec 2, 20191 minIntellectual and Spiritual Light I consider myself to be an open book. I have never had a problem with expressing my thoughts and feelings to others. However, when I sat...
Liz CrouseNov 22, 20195 minLessons from my FamilyIf you know me well, you’ll know family is everything to me. From attending family camp as a child and working there as a young adult to...
Caroline PenfieldNov 19, 20193 minGod, our MotherMy mom is really cool. An alumna of Little Rock Central High School and a very small liberal arts college in Louisiana, she raised two...
Rachel DzikNov 15, 20193 minWhen Life Gives You Lemons...Do you ever have that feeling where you have this overwhelming anger that just consumes you? Well… I do… ALL THE TIME! You may be...
Caroline PenfieldNov 6, 20193 minTaste and SeeWhen I started doing interfaith work a year ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I thought that interfaith was a confusing and convoluted...
Ellen FiedlerOct 31, 20194 minChristian-ish: The Greatest of These is LoveBefore coming to Elon, I had no concept of how diverse Christianity is. I grew up in a Catholic household where it was expected that my...
Holly MirandaOct 29, 20193 minEid Mubarak!While Eid al-Adha was celebrated by the world on August 10th & 11th, festivities at Elon occurred on September 19th. Before coming back...
Liz CrouseOct 23, 20193 minLessons from my Cohort“God is not a Christian, God is not a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist. All of those are human systems which humans have...
Megan Hernandez-GreeneOct 23, 20192 minHey ________, it's Megan.Religion is a complex topic that I never seem to be able to articulate the way I would like too. I study it ironically and would say I...
Whitney MillerOct 14, 20193 minSUPPORT: verbsup·port | \ sə-ˈpȯrt Elon University functions through a mentality of constant commitments. People move with a purpose as they walk...
Rachel DzikOct 14, 20194 minSpiritual AwakeningThere are so many moments in a person’s life that are deemed powerful and meaningful and others that get discarded and forgotten. As...