If you had told me twelve months ago that our current president of the United States would be banned from all social platforms, unable to communicate with the American people, barely covered by the “news” sources, and so publicly hated by the Congress mob, I would have scoffed. Not in America, surely. We value our […]
Inspirational
The Shape of Leadership:A Soft Heart with a Strong Spine
Aaron was reading a section out of a John MacArthur book on the strengths of the apostle Peter. His impulsive, go-for-it attitude endears him to me, and I feel a keen sense of hope knowing that Jesus chose him despite his rash run-and-then-trip responses. Yes, he sunk under the waves, but he did get out […]
The Purpose of Silence
For the last four years, our homeschool family has gathered with other families to teach, learn, and grow together. Each mom takes time weaving in her personal touches to the lesson, whether it’s history, science, art, music, or Latin. My friend Dinah teaches the music portion, explaining the notes and beats of a musical composition. […]
More Fall Reads
Heather Morris’ depiction follows Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz in 1942, and shows how he fell in love with a girl he was tattooing at the concentration camp. Based on his true story, this novel takes the reader from three years of brutality before his eventual escape. Morris is discreet with […]
5 Aspects of American Culture that Have No Place in the Heart of a Christian
ENTITLEMENT & FOMO: If I was forced to peg a transitional date, I’d say 8-10 years ago was when I started noticing the entitlement attitude bleed into generations normally responsible and others-focused. In the academic world, I’ve dealt with the millennial crutch of “you owe it to me” for as long as I’ve been teaching. […]
Should I be Making my Life Easier?
I was listening to a Christian radio station recently where the DJ host of the show said that we as people often over-complicate our lives. “Sure, I’m with you so far,” I thought. Fill out a legal form to see how ridiculously complicated we’ve made things. Or look at a normal 10-year-old’s schedule and wonder […]
Pivotal Turning Point for the American Church: How Will We Respond?
I didn’t live through the 60’s, but those who did say that even that time wasn’t as polarizing as we’re experiencing now. Of course, we didn’t have the Internet and social media and biased “news” sources to help fan the flames of violent division, but even so, people could disagree with one another in more […]
Fall Reads: Because We All Need a Break and a Little Perspective
It’s easy into today’s climate to fixate our attention on the media, social networks, or the latest numbers from the CDC, and we wonder when the volcano is going to blow. With politics and pandemics swirling hot lava around our feet, we might feel a little too indifferent or even neglectful to read anything that […]
Scary Increases & How to Combat The Deterioration of Relationships
COVID-19 and all the shelter-at-home ordinances and cancelled events and lay-offs has led to many people spending a lot of extra time at home…with–one would hope–loved ones. But for many, the increased time with family members didn’t lead to deeper relationships but to divorce. During COVID, divorce rates increased 34%. Sadly, many people just couldn’t […]
The Dangers of Romans 13 Overshadowing the Rest of the New Testament’s Message
We are all capable–and probably do–of taking Scripture out of context or making one passage more weighty than another. Even Satan himself used the Words of God to try to lure Jesus in the wilderness. The best way to interpret Scripture is with Scripture. If a message seems to go against the theme threaded through the whole Gospels, we probably need to keep reading.