Back in the early nineties, traditional churches started transitioning from the hymnal to what we termed praise choruses: “As the Deer,” “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” “Awesome God,” “Lord, I lift Your Name on High,” and more pop into my mind. We added these songs gradually, because many Southern Baptists struggled with […]
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Getting Your Kids to Think Deeper
The things my children say–and I in response to them–would never have crossed my imagination prior to having offspring of my own. You just can’t believe the quirky quips they toss….without even trying. At lunch time last week, my youngest–and most talkative–assessed the items on his plate. “What is this orange thing here?”My response: “Um, […]
Your Own Shoes
When I was a teenager, I loved wearing chunky heels. At five feet, ten inches, my footwear wasn’t even slightly sensible, but they made me feel both lovely and powerful, so I wore them. After three children and numerous spinal issues, my shoes are more down-to-earth–literally.
Leaving a Life of Shame
Lately, I’ve noticed several faith-based songs affirm this cultural trend to live a life without regrets. Personally, I think regret is a healthy thing. We don’t learn or grow if we have no regrets. Remorse leads us to repentance and renewal. Furthermore, Jesus calls us to examine and turn away from our life of sin. […]
What Lent Means to Me: Not Just One More Thing
Raised in Southern Baptist churches, I never practiced Lent growing up. Why, I’m not exactly sure; perhaps we thought it was too “Catholic”–whatever that means. In college and beyond, I attended Ash Wednesday services and demystified the liturgy and practice of the Lenten season. I found deep intimacy and awe in humbly remembering that I […]
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Watch Out for Hallmark
My daughter adores Hallmark Christmas movies, and has no trouble watching the same one over and over again. Of course, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. The plot goes something like this: girl meets boy, either girl or boy detests Christmas (the other loves it), and by the ringing of midnight on Christmas, […]
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More than a Mistake
When Aaron and I go on a trip and I have to help navigate where we are going–no, we don’t have smart phones–I get us turned around more than once. For some strange reason, this misstep frustrates me more than I can say. Aside from my fear of being lost, I feel like I’ve messed […]
Dear Young Married
Whether you’ve been married 2 months or 2 years, the “honeymoon phase” has ended and you’ve realized that the day-to-day life isn’t quite as romantic and adventurous as you had imagined. Bills and laundry have replaced hand-holding outings and eye-gazing over cups of cappuccinos. But just because the enchantment of dating has ended doesn’t mean […]
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Avoiding the Busyness Trap: Reset and Replenish
At Bible study yesterday, a sweet sister said, “I need this time! I’d rather come to this than get a massage.” We laughed but concurred that the group time of discussion ministered to our spirits in ways that nothing else that week did. In our time of community we are prioritizing the need for discipleship, […]
3 Main Purposes of Bible Study
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” ~Acts 2:42 Obviously, we can glean numerous benefits from corporate Bible study time with other believers, but I want to focus on the 3 main purposes I think we join together. Some people come looking for networking opportunities, others just […]