Part 1 of the 3-part series traces how underground evangelical life in the USSR learned belonging, then absorbed Western charismatic models after the 1990s opening. It shows how leadership pipelines, messaging logic, and insider outsider boundaries became repeatable across borders. This is the groundwork for a diaspora faith culture that sounds loving while enforcing conformity.

Ethics is not born from certainty, but from restraint. In a time when judgment is easy and outrage is loud, this reflection explores how accountability can exist without erasure, and how communities endure when ethics is practiced as dialogue, proportion, and care for the common good.

What began as a mass-produced triptych became a quiet act of transformation. Through layered paint, restraint, and deliberate interruption, a decorative object evolved into a singular work. Crowned Toward the Void explores presence, direction, and the moment of standing still before choosing what comes next.

Created in 2010, La Gioconda Visiting Her Old Friend Leonardo reimagines the Mona Lisa as a visitor rather than an icon. Through constructed space, borrowed history, and quiet light, the work explores authorship, lineage, and presence, inviting reflection on how classical images continue to live beyond their frames.

The essay discusses the current state of communication, emphasizing the need for ethical dialogue amidst cultural divisions and a breakdown of trust. It highlights listening as a vital component of understanding, the importance of character over credentials, and stresses that ethical responsibility extends to individuals and institutions, ultimately supporting the common good.

The content discusses the evolution of faith into manipulation, primarily within the ministry of the Maximovs. It highlights how sermons designed to evoke emotional responses often lead to psychological control, particularly harming marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community. The author advocates for truth as a path to genuine faith and personal freedom.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m not looking for dramatic conclusions. What I feel instead is something quieter and rare: completion. This year brought change at work, clarity through writing, closure through honoring my mother’s memory, and a deeper appreciation for family, growth, and humanity. I say goodbye to 2025 with gratitude and welcome 2026 with intention.

On a quiet evening filled with orange and purple Halloween lights, a movie night with my son turned into something deeper. Edward Scissorhands revealed how fascination can slip into fear and how real compassion, like true faith, only survives when it chooses empathy over control, love over spectacle, and silence over noise.

The Myth of the Perfect Employee Equity is a word we often see at the top of mission statements in our school districts. It looks great in banners, policy drafts, and social media posts. But what happens when those same institutions quietly favor candidates who are flawless on paper, leaving out those with non-traditional paths, lived experience, or community roots? I know this well, both from my first 14 years at ESD 112 and in the years since, building communication strategies, publishing projects, and equity initiatives. This article isn’t just a critique.

Evergreen Public Schools is now entering the third week of a strike that has closed schools since August 26, 2025. Families are under pressure to manage disrupted schedules, students are missing va…

This project explores how digital technologies can reinterpret 1960s poetry, specifically through “The 21st Century Brautiganism: A Visual Poem.” Premiering in 2010, it combines video i…

The Evergreen Public Schools campaign promotes diversity and inclusion, focusing on LGBTQ+ visibility and support since 2022. Engaging the community through events, education, and storytelling, it aims to normalize conversations around LGBTQ+ identities and create safe environments. The initiative encourages involvement and advocates for representation and empowerment in schools.

This blog post reflects on an online exchange about LGBTQ+ issues, highlighting the escalation of misinformation and targeted fear from individuals like Vladimir. The author counters claims that LGBTQ+ visibility equates to predation and emphasizes the importance of acceptance, compassion, and truth. Ultimately, it advocates for dignity and resilience against hate.

Reconciliation is not about making everything fit. It’s about allowing everything to be—fully, honestly, and without shame.

Preface: Building from the First Bridge This essay builds upon the ideas introduced in my earlier post, Navigating Identity, Family, and Belonging: A Secular Perspective on Reconciliation with Evangelical Loved Ones. In that piece, I explored the emotional and communicative strategies that LGBTQ+ individuals may use to maintain relationships with family members whose faith frameworks often marginalize them. It was a broad reflection, grounded in empathy, strategy, and hope.

Classic Soviet-era cake recipes made according to GOST Standards of the 1960s-1970s. These cakes were widely beloved during this time. Each recipe reflects the traditional preparation methods used ba...