About t.w.l.


The Whispered Life was created by Katherine Sturm in 2010. After much encouragement, hard work, and overcoming fear, she finally began designing and promoting her own website in  August 2011.

Its copyright is currently under a Creative Commons License which asks that you credit me if you copy anything, and in particular that you don’t edit, change, or sell it without my permission.

All photographs are my own (unless clearly marked otherwise) and are held under the same copyright.
When I use a passage from the Christian Bible in Reveal, they are normally from the New Living Translation, although due to copyright restrictions (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation), I’ve recommended that you read the passages on their recommended websites.

Much of this is possible because of the support and guidance of our friend Tim Thompson, who heads up an amazing non-profit called The Church Works. His basic belief – and one of mine – is that when the Church is doing what it’s called to, it works. I’ve seen many people’s lives transformed by this ministry. I encourage you to support it if you believe in giving dreamers life and vision and practical success.

The logo design was done my my lovely friend Elizabeth Ryman at Cinnamon Toast Designs. She does all sorts of amazing designs, including homeware, stationery, and various other goodies.

You can also read more about the Purpose behind the Whispered Life or our Contributors. If you are interested in being part of this journey, I’m definitely keen to see your writing, hear your stories.

I’m all about working together towards a bigger and brighter dream!
Someday, we’ll hopefully be our very own non-profit business dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and helping dreams come to life. But for now, any support you’d like to contribute is gratefully accepted – please select “Aaron & Katie Sturm” or “Empowering Peace (Sturms)”.
(All donations to the Church Works are 501(c)3 tax donations – and thusly are tax deductible!)
Oh… and if you’re interested in partnering together with me on a micro-publishing enterprise… that’s the next dream of mine coming to life!

Why #metoo can’t be forgotten…

Posted by on 22 Feb 2018 in Breathe | 1 comment

*trigger warning: descriptions of sexual assault The last few days, watching the students from Parkland has done something inside of me. It’s revitalized a 14 year old me that was fierce, furious, and fantastic. I want to stand with them, and will march with them, and will delight when I see them move mountains. Because they will, and somehow, #neveragain will actually move the mountain of gun culture in this country. I see it, I know it, I believe it. And even as I stand with #neveragain, and rejoice with these teenagers, I’m...

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Letting Go

Posted by on 29 Sep 2017 in Breathe | 1 comment

Letting Go

10 years ago, I stood with a friend from Dublin, Ireland in a church in Belfast, Ireland. Now for many of you, that comment may seem innocuous enough, without knowing the history of the “Troubles” in Ireland. Leave it to the British Isles to take a religious conflict with violence, terrorism, dehumanization, and significant destruction of community, and simply call it “Troubles.” But there we were. I had come to support a friend deliver a message – I honestly can’t remember what it was, but she asked me to...

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I Believe In Us

Posted by on 2 Jun 2017 in Dream, Home | 0 comments

I Believe In Us

I believe in us. I mean that. The last 9 months have felt like a train wreck for a number of those in my circles. People have felt threatened – have experienced personal violence and attacks because of the current political climate. We’ve watched the violence and hatred increase, and it seems like all of the most disgusting and vile things in our country are coming to the light like an infestation of cockroaches. I have never been more astonished by what I’ve seen in the political arena than I have been since November. And...

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From Easter, 2016

Posted by on 6 May 2016 in Breathe, Reveal | 0 comments

Today is Easter. It feels a bit arbitrarily dated this year, and I almost feel as if I didn’t catch up. I’ve been so caught up in Jewish rhythms this year that my own liturgical rhythms have been a bit more muted. I’m still wrapped up in Purim and deliverance and courage and honor – and so my reflection on Resurrection feels so different this year. We went to church, and it was so uplifting and fun. My  “mom” up here in Canada is a pastor of a dynamic little congregation, and like many other evenings with...

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Permission to Grieve

Posted by on 7 Apr 2016 in Breathe | 0 comments

Permission to Grieve

Well, it seems like grief is going to be my subject of choice for a little while. I missed February and March, and now, here in April, I’m circling back to the subject. I was listening to a podcast today, by Ben Katt (you can find it here: The RePLACING CHURCH Podcast), on having permission to grieve. Some of what he says is similar to what I’ve been saying for years: that we as a people – Western, individualized, bootstrapping (and particularly Christian) people – have rejected grief as an emotion of weakness and of...

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