It was a double misfortune that the child was born frail, and female at that. Her husband had made his wishes clear. Without so much as shedding a tear, she stood by silently as her baby's throat was slit. You are shocked, and rightly so, but do you know why this scene turns your stomach? Horror might seem to be the natural response to such brutality, but that hasn't always been the case. The parents in the scene -let's call them Drusilla and Gallus --are just your average Roman couple living at the time of Christ. Here's the crazy thing: Gallus and Drusilla aren't considered Continue Reading
Are You an Awesome Mommy, or a Godly Mother?
Chances are, if you're the mother of small children, you're tired. Most days, you push yourself through a haze of fatigue to deal with yet another round of dirty dishes and squabbling kiddos, while unfinished mental to-do lists whisper shame in your ear. Photo credit: Kevin Baird Sometimes you feel defeated before you ever get out of bed. Real life is not matching the fantasy you had: gleaming house, well-behaved children, happy husband, and your own income to boot. You were supposed to be able to do it all. Can I let you in on a secret that just might restore your hope? You Continue Reading
How to be Certain that What You Believe is True
The room buzzed with conversation punctuated with laughter as forty college students practiced a snooty new word I'd just taught them. They practiced using it in a sentence any pseudo-intellectual would gladly add to their repertoire. The word? Weltanschauung, which is German for "worldview." The sentence? "Well, it all depends on your Weltanschauung, am I right?" (Now laugh in a condescending manner. Very good!) Our church's college group Regenerate. led by my son Sam and his wife Jamé, has affectionately come to know the Apostle John as "Papa John." In 1 John 4:1-6, Papa John Continue Reading
How to be a Blessing as an In-law
Cattle wander along rolling hills under a sunny sky. I'm homeward bound from a visit with my son Jed and my newest daughter-in-law Rebecca. Tears sting my eyes as I drive. Photo credit: Iakov Filimonov, Shutterstock.com Oh, no, did you have a tiff with the girl? There's plenty of mother-in-law jokes out there, and plenty of conflict within families. I wouldn't blame you for making that assumption. Thankfully, my tears that day were happy tears. I'd been reflecting on the three young women that God brought into our family, the brides well-chosen by our sons. Scott and I had Continue Reading