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Learning to Stand on the Solid Rock
Many Sunday’s I proclaim with a loud voice “on Christ the solid rock I stand.” It’s the beginning of a chorus to a beautiful hymn that has been written and rewritten but mostly maintained its central message: only on Christ can we place our hope, anywhere else will fail us. Often for me, and I assume many of you, it’s not until things begin to shift underfoot that I realize I’ve been standing on the wrong ground.
Fostering a Relationship with the Lord
This morning I woke up and thought to myself, I want a relationship with Jesus. Here’s the good news, I have a relationship with Jesus. I am a Christian. But what I desire is to know him intimately, to pray, to read, to learn, and to love. I want to know my Savior and foster a relationship with him. Often, not always, when I think of something or have a desire on my heart, the Lord provides the answer. Today, I woke up thinking about my relationship with Jesus and how much I love it and yet how much more I’d like to know him and then I stumbled upon the Desiring God website…
Clear Winter Nights: An Interview with Trevin Wax
Professed faith in Christ does not mean that one will never doubt the faith. Doubts are a normal part of the Christian walk. But for some, these doubts can lead to despair or a season of resistance and walking away from the faith. Although this common struggle is discussed on blogs, in articles, and on biblical counseling websites, I do not recall ever reading the theological answers to our doubts in story form. That is until I read Clear Winter Nights: A Journey into Truth, Doubt, and What Comes After by Trevin Wax…
The End of Our Exploring: An Interview with Matthew Lee Anderson
We ask questions every day, but do we ask questions about our questions? Matthew Lee Anderson does and has written about it in his new book The End of Our Exploring: A Book about Questioning and the Confidence of Faith. Anderson’s work can be found in several publications including The Washington Post, Relevant, and Christianity Today. He is the Lead Writer at Mere Orthodoxy and is pursuing an M. Phil in Christian Ethics at Oxford University, where he lives with his wife of eight years…
New Role at The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Yesterday it was announced that I am joining Dr. Russell Moore’s team as the consultant for women’s initiatives for the ERLC. I am honored to be among five newly announced staff members, you can read more about that here. Dr. Moore addresses serious, delicate, and often complicated issues and topics affecting today’s society, church, and government with great thoughtfulness and grace. I have the utmost respect for him…
HomeLife Magazine Culture Column
You’ve probably heard the tune and if you’re like me, you only really know one line: “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” I am unaware of the message of the entire song, but I do know that when I look out at the landscape of our culture I can begin to think, it’s the end of the world as we know it. If we set our gaze on the world we will surely be discouraged. But when we look through the lens of the Bible we can begin to understand, if even slightly, why things are this way. We can begin to develop a biblical worldview regarding culture and society.
In 2014 Lifeway’s HomeLife Magazine will begin featuring a culture column written by me. The short column will focus on the issues and topics that face our culture today such as tragedies and our response, racial reconciliation, abortion, sex, marriage, friendship and more. I’m praying that the column would encourage the HomeLife readers and spark new conversations…
Why Should We Value Human Relationships?
What does it mean to bear the image of God? That is a question that I continually explore and one that I had the opportunity to address in August at The Gospel Projectblog.
Here is the introduction:
As God’s image bearers we are all equal. We are equal in dignity and worth. We are created equally in His image. We are also fallen equally (Romans 3:23). Genesis 1:26 explains that God created man in His image. Of all of God’s creation, we are the only ones created in His very image, we have dominion over the rest (Genesis 1:28). It is a profound mystery (God is spirit so we do not bear His physical image, John 4:24) and yet a great privilege. Understanding our equality as image bearers changes everything we think about as it relates to our human relationships.
You can read the rest here…
United Has a Cover and Other Updates
Earlier this year I shared the news that I would be writing a book about friendship, diversity, and the church. The book is called United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversityand I am now in the final stages of the editorial process. To be honest, I’m not sure that editorial process is the proper terminology. One thing I have learned quickly is that writing a book isn’t just about writing! Here’s what I do know, it’s finished!..
DRAFTED: Chris Norman’s story
Life is but a breath. The older I get the clearer this truth appears to ring true. Everything seems to be speeding up. Years are getting shorter. The time I thought I had in my younger days—days I wished away—are now here and I sense them passing away quickly.
Chris Norman, an All-American football player and standout Michigan State University Linebacker, caught this vision early. Knowing that he only has a short time on earth, he decided to give up what many would think of as a dream NFL career for theological training and pastoral ministry. He heard the cries of family and friends as he made his decision, “You’re wasting what God has given you,” but was lead by this louder voice in his head: “But the one thing that I have to do is follow Christ because at the end of the day that’s the opinion I care about the most.”
Watch his story about how the Lord led him to make the tough decision to turn down a promising career in the NFL for ministry and how the book Don’t Waste Your Life was a pivotal tool in that decision.
A Week of Prayerfully Considered Articles
I’ve quipped once before that it would be much easier if I chose to write about tulips, and not the Reformed kind! I often write about topics and subjects that I have been praying through. This week was, for me, a perfect storm of deeply personal articles. I had been drafting one particular article for over two months. That is how long, at times, it takes for me to prayerfully consider what goes from heart, to head, to computer, to published…
Reflections from My Time in “The Third Most Miserable City in America”
The town is Rockford, Illinois and Bob Bixby, pastor of Morning Star Church located in the heart of the city, introduced it to me as “the third most miserable city in America.” This weekend I had the honor to speak with women from the Chicagoland area and beyond at The Grace and Truth Conference in the reportedly depressed town. The pastors and their wives were gracious and hospitable. I had been praying that the Lord would bless this weekend, and as He always does, His grace and kindness far surpassed what I could have imagined…
Who Am I?
I am His creation: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). He created male and female in his own image (Gen. 1:26-28). He created me. He knit me together in my mother’s womb. He thought through the DNA that would give me my distinctive characteristics. All my inward parts, He created them (Psalm 139:13-14).
A New Role at CBMW
Over the past few months I have been working behind the scenes with Owen Strachan, Brandon Smith and Courtney Reissig to develop a new Women’s Channel for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. I’m excited to be the lead Editor of the Channel with Courtney as the assistant Editor. Courtney has been a joy and blessing to get to work with already and we haven’t even launched! We are having a blast working together!
Grace & Truth Conference
Join me on April 12-13 for the Grace and Truth Conference, hosted by Morning Star Church.
I look forward to speaking about the beauty of diversity in the church, hospitality, cultivating a culture of grace, and friendships.
The conference will be held at the Anderson Japanese Gardens, 318 Spring Creek Road, Rockford, IL 61107 and will also include popular author and speaker Elyse Fitzpatrick and Holly Stratton.
For more information visit their site at http://graceandtruthconference.com/
A New and Better Feast
Relevance: The quality of being directly connected with and important to something else
I’ve been doing a little wrestling match with the word relevance today. As a freelance journalist I’m generally on the lookout for what is relevant for today’s reader. What is the latest trend, news story, and what has gone viral. These are questions that are valid and important for readership.
I’ve noticed that much is the same for blogging. We are searching out what is the hot topic for the week and what might be useful to address. What are people “liking” and reposting, etc. It’s good to be aware of what others find interesting or powerful so that we might encourage or challenge one another (when done graciously, of course)…
P.S. I Love You
I am what my husband would call “gushy.” I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic. I’d say that I express my love for my husband completely and fully. He may doubt my desire for perhaps a clean car, but I can confidently say he doesn’t doubt that I am inlove with him…
Black History Month Roundup
We are still in February which means we are celebrating Black History Month. To make your celebration easier, I thought I’d provide a few links to articles covering the topic. These range from profiles of historical figures to opinions and book lists…
TGC and Future Grace
Last week I took a moment to watch Tim Keller explain what he thought would need to happen for The Gospel Coalition to be successful. As I watched I was struck by a few things.
The Walk of Faith
Dark, thunderous clouds fill the sky covering the whole earth. Even the slightest glimpse of sunshine is quenched by the cumulonimbus.
You take a step of faith and walk outside. Big balls of frozen ice begin to fall hitting you one-by-one. It hurts. It doesn’t make sense. But you keep walking. The dark clouds seem to get closer and closer. Each step is harder and more treacherous than the last. But you keep walking.
Close Encounters of the Unknowing Kind
Yesterday I posted an encounter I had with a man in a local grocery store parking lot on the social site Facebook. Here is what I wrote: Just got back from Kroger. In parking lot man asked: “Those your kids?” Me: Yep. Him: “I mean, you gave birth to ’em?” Me: Yep Him: Perplexed, “Well, they sure are pretty.” Me: Thanks. 🙂…
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