The kids and I have been reading about world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islamic, etc.) through our historical studies lately. I’m amazed how ignorant we (as Christians) often are about other religions. I knew the worldviews and ideologies when I took Biblical Theology and Ethics in college, but have neglected much of what I learned because […]
How Do I Look?
This month, I have another birthday coming up, which doesn’t bother me (most of the time). After all, age is relative, right? In our culture, depending on what you eat, how much you exercise, and the creams you put on your face, 60 can look 40. And vice versa: those that smoke, do drugs, and […]
- Gratitude
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How to be Grateful When Life Grates
Have you ever been grating a vegetable or cheese and gotten slightly distracted for a split second? All of sudden, you feel the ripping pain as layers of skin are shredded along with your food, blood quickly appearing on the surface. You run to the cold water faucet and press against the wound with a […]
Assertive vs. Asinine
In our Trump-bold world of high-octane emotions, we often misdiagnose assertive syntax as knee-jerk responses. They need to know where I stand; I can’t let people walk all over me. Fine. Stand up for truth. Stand up for yourself, but don’t confuse assertive qualities for just being asinine. For example, some would argue that to make my position […]
- Parenting
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Contemplating Halloween
Last year on October 31st, my daughter and I sat in the dentist’s office: she was in the hot seat, while I waited on the bench against the window. Nonchalantly, her dentist asked her, “So, what are you going to be for Halloween?” Knowing we no longer participated in the holiday, she just glanced at […]
When Your Child Contemplates Death
In our house, death doesn’t stay in the taboo talk topics. Especially since my dad went Home to Jesus five years ago, the kids and I frequently discuss Heaven. Some people may assess our obsession as slightly morbid or imbalanced, but I think the opposite holds true. Losing sight of where we are going and […]
Inspiring Moments
This moment from the past may have occurred decades ago, but it still carries the power to inspire us today. No matter what, God can use you. You are wonderfully made. You can live with joy and gratitude and purpose. Failure might just be a stepping stone to greatest: […]
For Women: No, Really, It Is
At some point in the last decade, I woke up to a world gone mad. Dismissing the Creator years ago, moral standards progressed down the hill and all the way off the cliff. We’ve committed the ultimate hubris by rewriting marriage (from a God-designed covenant between a man and a woman to what it is […]
Powerful Women Are God’s Plan Too
If you are a mild-mannered woman who delights in sewing baby clothes and reading to your children, rarely disagrees with her husband or others, and doesn’t carry ambitious goals, this post may not connect with you, but if you find your drive competing with your passions, regularly speak out against injustice and sin, and people […]
Balancing Encouragement with Critiques
The other night, I vented to my husband about some doubts and frustrations I was wrestling through regarding one of our children and his learning style. “I don’t want to dumb down the work because he’s having meltdowns, catering to his emotions and laziness, because I know he can do it…he just doesn’t want to. […]