• About Sarah Jo
  • Lectio Obscura
  • Christian Obscurity
  • Spiritual Formation

A Life Obscured

Living an inconspicuous life while also living fully known to God.

Christian Obscurity

Contemplative Photography

Spiritual Formation

Et Al

The Stone & the Stonecutter

2022-11-12

At the 2022 ICAP Global conference, I led a forum conversation on Belonging, our conference theme based on Ephesians 2:19-22. At the end of this forum, I invited attendees to use their imaginations to enter into these verses and imagine they are stones being built into God's temple. Many asked Read More

Contemplative Photography

13 Tips for Starting a Contemplative Photography Practice

2022-09-21

Contemplative photography is the practice of using a camera to slow down and notice the world around you. Some teachers use language like “seeing the world with fresh eyes,” “connecting with the visual richness of our ordinary daily experiences,” and “relearning how to see.” For me, contemplative Read More

Contemplative Photography

How Contemplative Photography Found Me

2022-09-07

This post is the second in a series about contemplative photography as a practice of Christian obscurity. I broke up with photography in 2005, and now I pick up the rest of the story.  In 2019, contemplative photography found me and said, “Hey, ma’am. Remember your old friend photography? Read More

Contemplative Photography

Why I Broke Up With Photography

2022-08-10

This post is the first in a series about contemplative photography as a practice of Christian obscurity. But before we get into the practice, let me tell you my photography story. In 2005, I broke up with photography.  My love for being behind a camera, composing images, developing Read More

Christian Obscurity

The Wonder of Noticing Obscurity

2022-07-20

Our Scottish terrier Zelda loves her daily walks, but the heat of Missouri summer days prevents us from going out before twilight. Once the sun starts its evening decent and the heat of the day starts to dissipate (though the humidity does not), we head out the door and wind our way through our Read More

Spiritual Formation

The Gentle Leader

2022-07-06

My Scottish terrier Zelda is an enthusiastic walker. She reminds me every day—especially on particularly good weather days—when it’s time for our walk. She reminds me where I keep my shoes and socks. And she reminds me where we keep her leash. To be clear, I am not that forgetful; she just likes Read More

Christian Obscurity

Defining Christian Obscurity

2022-06-29

Confession: I’m not the best at identifying my emotions. Turns out that most people don’t consider hungry or tired as actual human emotions even though those are often my answers to the question, “How are you feeling?” So in an effort to grow in identifying and experiencing my emotions, I once Read More

Spiritual Formation

Information Overload & the 1850 Filter

2022-06-22

One piece of Christian obscurity is living an inconspicuous life and the choices we make every day. We choose how we obscure ourselves from the world, and we choose how we obscure the world from ourselves. In other words, we choose how much information about ourselves we put into the world, and we Read More

Christian Obscurity

How I Arrived at Christian Obscurity

2022-06-15

In the fall of 2020, I found myself in court testifying before a jury about my relationship with my dad. I had been prepped ahead of time by our family lawyers to share what it was like growing up as his daughter. And one of those questions addressed what my dad had taught me over the course of my Read More

About Me

Hello & Welcome!

A Life Obscured features my musings on Christian obscurity: the practice of living an inconspicuous life while also living fully known to God. Let's walk together on this journey into obscurity as we are formed into greater Christlikeness.

Let’s Connect

Categories

  • Christian Obscurity
  • Contemplative Photography
  • Et Al
  • Spiritual Formation
Went to the Bricks & Minifigs store yesterday. Bou Went to the Bricks & Minifigs store yesterday. Bought some art supplies. 😜
Wrapped @pdxseminary BridgeWeek tonight!! We survi Wrapped @pdxseminary BridgeWeek tonight!! We survived a record-breaking winter storm and two full days of online/hotel room classes. But we rallied. We made lemonade out of lemons. And we laughed. Oh, we laughed!! I am so grateful for this community God dropped me into. (Today is 2/28, the seventh anniversary of the last time I ever saw Dad. The week ahead always proves to be a bit heavy. But I think God is redeeming it a little more every year.)
HEADS UP!! (at)austinsarahjo is not me!! Please ke HEADS UP!! (at)austinsarahjo is not me!! Please keep following here, and if you get a request from the other, report it!! Thanks!
Morning Pages, Day 17 done!! I haven’t posted MP Morning Pages, Day 17 done!! I haven’t posted MP updates because I started leaving my phone in the other room because, you know, focus and all that. I’ve also added a nearly daily routine of a Daily Quota… 25 minutes of writing or work on the next thing (which was my newsletter this week). All together, these two things take up over an hour of my morning, but I am so focused the rest of the day. After all, I have other projects for school that need my attention! This week I have three major writing projects due, but Morning Pages are building my confidence that the words and ideas will come and I can make them make sense! #morningpages #artistsway #dailyquota contemplativephotography
My deep winter newsletter drops tomorrow! This tim My deep winter newsletter drops tomorrow! This time around I’ve included my spring semester classes and book lists, a spiritual formation suggestion, and a few fun things for you to listen to or read!! Link to subscribe is in my bio!
Morning Pages, Day 7 done and dusted. (I am not wo Morning Pages, Day 7 done and dusted. (I am not working on a streak but I am working toward 200 days this year.) Wrote at my bedroom writing station, in our leather chair with @zeldathescottie tucked in with me. #morningpages #artistsway #contemplativephotography
Morning (afternoon) pages day six done. And intere Morning (afternoon) pages day six done. And interestingly enough, my documentation here on Instagram is also spurring on my contemplative photography practice. How about that?! #morningpages #artistsway #contemplativephotography
@zeldathescottie loves the snow!! And I finished A @zeldathescottie loves the snow!! And I finished Afternoon Pages after our walk today. That’s day five in the bag! #morningpages #artistsway
Morning Pages Day 4 done! Today included a pep tal Morning Pages Day 4 done! Today included a pep talk: Don’t write plastic. Write natural. Authentic. #morningpages #artistsway #writersofinstagram
Sharona, our Japanese maple, has stubbornly held o Sharona, our Japanese maple, has stubbornly held on to all her leaves this fall. And now she looks like me when asked to hold dumbbells with outstretched arms in a workout. Hang in there, girl. Snow will melt soon enough!
Morning Pages Day 3 done! Mostly. Had to log into Morning Pages Day 3 done! Mostly. Had to log into class so only wrote 2.5 pages today. #morningpages #artistsway
Bought “Write for Life” by Julia Cameron this Bought “Write for Life” by Julia Cameron this weekend. She’s the “Artist’s Way” guru. She prescribes three handwritten pages every single morning. Today is Day Two of my Morning Pages. I won’t show you my pages because the Internet doesn’t need any more neuroticisms, but rest assured they are done. Also, my hand hurts. #morningpages #artistsway
She literally has an internal alarm for “time to She literally has an internal alarm for “time to snuggle with mom.” And if I am not on the couch with her, she will make herself comfortable on my lap. This is why I get only a fraction of my work done every day. 🙄
Both in our happy place this afternoon. Both in our happy place this afternoon.
Student of the Month!! Pretty proud of this kid!! Student of the Month!! Pretty proud of this kid!!
Introduced E to the neighborhood labyrinth. He lov Introduced E to the neighborhood labyrinth. He loves the fast walking component. We’ll get to the prayer component eventually! 😂
Who doesn’t love a giant box? And perplexing @ze Who doesn’t love a giant box? And perplexing @zeldathescottie at the same time? #scottiesofinstagram
Better late than never? I didn’t have time to ge Better late than never? I didn’t have time to get tulip bulbs in the ground this fall, so I’m planting them on New Year’s Eve. Either they’ll jump on board this accelerated program or they won’t. 🥴🤷‍♀️
The Austins need your help! What do we do with an The Austins need your help! What do we do with an anonymous, passive-aggressive neighbor who moves our trash bins every week?

We prefer to set our trash bins on the closest thing we have to a curb, up against the railing on the street side of our drainage ditch. We have checked city ordinances and trash hauler’s recommendations and restrictions, and this is the best place. Prior to our street being repaved and restriped last year, the bins were on the outside of the street lane, but now they straddle the stripe. We always pull our bins in within the 24 hour allotment specified by the city.

We are able to leave one bin inside our driveway, which is what all of our other neighbors do. We do this on non-recycling weeks. Due to the narrowness of our driveway, the pickup truck next door that blocks our view of the street, the curves of Sunset a few blocks down both ways, and the general speed of cars, it’s tricky to back out with one bin. I tried backing out with both bins in the driveway, and while it’s technically possible, I was concentrating so hard on not hitting the bins that I couldn’t pay attention to oncoming traffic.

Our neighbor started moving our bin this fall after we left for church on Wednesday evenings. But sometimes they wait until the daytime (like today in broad daylight) to move the bins. We get the message; they don’t like what we are doing with our bins. But we don’t have great alternatives! And also, why do they care so much? What do we do?
For those of you who read my newsletter this week, For those of you who read my newsletter this week, I did indeed receive the Rae Dunn salt and pepper cellars for Christmas. But in this very specific case, a little bossiness is allowed. I am in no need of other bossy ceramic home goods. 😜
Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2023 Sarah Jo Austin

 

Loading Comments...