Growing up, I delighted to uncover the reality where princes and queens still live in the world. Despite their younger age, I imagined what it would be like to marry Prince William or Harry. What would it be like to have the world watch on as I walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey? What […]
Author: kristinlhanley
Is December 25th for the Pagans or Christians?
The perils of doing yoga have flooded the news this fall. Pastors and Christian leaders have declared yoga an evil practice because of its pagan origins. I’d agree that using certain words (namaste, om, etc.) and emptying the mind or worshiping the sun god with mantras is absolutely counter to our beliefs and dangerous to […]
Facing Death
Through my teen years and into college, I loved going to weddings. Not only did I revel in the romance and celebration of the day, but I also eagerly anticipated my own special day with my future spouse. What aspects did I like? What would I implement in my own ceremony? Etc. Weddings were enjoyable […]
Redirecting Approval
When I was in college, I truly had the most incredible English professors. Just because someone teaches doesn’t necessarily mean they possess the gift of teaching. But these professors did own the gift. Not only did they “know their stuff”, but they communicated with passion and enthusiasm. They remembered each student by name, nodded and […]
When You Don’t Agree With Your Pastor
The first 16 years of my life, my dad presided as my pastor and primary spiritual teacher. When he preached, he regularly encouraged his listeners to be like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being told was true (Acts 17). In other words, he’d say,”don’t take my word for […]
Does It Take You Where You Want to Go?
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
- ...
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
- ...
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 […]