-
Be Not Unequally Yoked???
The topic may seem redundant; I mean honestly I think most can probably pick up the concept of unequal yoking without even stepping inside a church, at least the basic jest of it, but do we really get it? And do we really understand how to follow through on what the words mean even if we do understand them? What does equal yoking look like in real life application? Considering I had an entirely different blog in mind until God brought this topic up, as I mowed my grass, in the gruelling ninety degree heat, I must believe many of us either don’t fully comprehend this or may need a…
-
In Pursuit of Love…
Before submitting to God’s plan, I lived with one foot in the world and one in the kingdom. I was literally straddling two opposing forces, deceived enough to believe I was capable of conquering a beast that had hounded me for decades. Dating had become a game, a hunt, and after each failed relationship I would study and restrategize my next move. I desperately wanted the relationship the world said was mine, but their methods repeatedly failed me, until I was discouraged and essentially being devoured by my own foolishness. I had invested myself in a chase God hadn’t intended and sold myself to a dream that never came to…
-
Remembering Brendan (3/24/1990-3/12/2011)
He was a preteen when we met; daring and feisty with a true dislike for being told what to do. As challenging as he may have been in those years I was married to his father, there was an endearing soft side that emerged when others were in need or he was helping with his littlest sister. I can still remember his smile, the way he could do almost anything he set his mind to, and how excited he was to get his driver’s license on his sixteenth birthday. He was generally messy, enjoyed junk food far more than any person should and would argue about the silliest things, yet…
-
The Way of Progressive Parenting
I’ve been mulling this piece over in my mind for months, but couldn’t quite get to the root of what was troubling me. It’s not that I’m so closed-minded to new ideas that I can’t accept anything beyond what I’ve always known. To the contrary, it has been through this openness that God has rid me of many selfish behaviors and reformed my mind to his truth. It is also through his provision that I finally gained clarity into what has been disturbing me in the newer philosophies on parenting, which are probably not so much newer, just more pervasive. We live in a culture where many believe the old…
-
The Villain and the Victim
One morning when Jesus sat teaching in the temple courts, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in the act of adultery. The scriptures don’t mention her name, where her partner was or how they discovered her sin. We’re told only this one detail, which according to the law of Moses, had the power to end her life at that moment. The crowd pressed Jesus emphatically for his response in the matter, though rather than fall into their web of deceit, Jesus does some mystery artwork on the floor and tells them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to…
-
Dating with Purpose (part 2)
In part one we opened the discussion on dating with a tip to allow God to bring resolution and healing before actively seeking a relationship. It may seem straightforward enough, but in our humanity we often want to rush through this crucial step, though it may set the stage for everything else in a relationship. The more emotionally healthy we are when we are out meeting people, the less likely we are to be drawn into unhealthy situations. There is no express formula for overcoming the pain of our past. God provides perfectly, individualized care when we choose to step into a life of obedience, and he’s always patient enough…
-
Dating with Purpose (part 1)
If you know me, when you see this title you might be thinking, what’s she have to say on dating? She hasn’t been on a date in years. I can hear the statement drawn out in Fran Drescher’s, New York accent, which makes it sound far more tragic than it should. In defense of my delicate ego, it’s only been a few years, not decades. Though none of that means anything to God. When he gives us truth to apply in this life, we can depend on its value, whether we’re cashing in on it today, ten years from today, or just sharing it along the way. The fact that…
-
Why God May Be Keeping You Single
The longer I’m on this planet, the more I believe there is little in this life that happens by random coincidence. Every life season has a purpose. Even those difficult times we don’t enjoy serve to refine and mature us. Being single when you want to be married can be just one of those seasons. We have our plans and our dreams, and often the marriage we dream of just doesn’t seem to come. Whether we’re waiting on our first marriage or a remarriage, either can be disheartening as the days alone turned into weeks, the weeks into months and the months into years, even decades. You look around and…
-
How Free Love Broke A Nation
We live in a culture that scoffs at what might be referred to as, “the prudish ideals of generations past”. Uncommitted sex has become the norm, an icon for the masses, a prerequisite for marriage, a right of passage into adulthood, a viable entertainment option. It’s entrenched in pop culture: music, movies, advertisements and fashion. There are few parts of our lives untouched by the glimmer of sexual immorality. Yes, sexual immorality…it’s an ugly word, conjuring images of golden idols and God’s wrath, but is it really just sexual activity in the throes of drunken pagan worship from the Old Testament? The truth is sexual immorality is simply any sexual…
