...and a time to speak...

It's Thanksgiving week and I have been thinking and thinking about a topic that would sort of set the tone for this holiday that I really do love so much. Given the name of the post, I would love to tell you that this entire post is dedicated to US and just how much Jesus thought WE were worth dying for when He willingly went to that cross. And here's the thing, we were. Clearly we were because He went through with it. He didn't change His mind last second and call down the 12 legions of angels to avenge Him like He said He could have (Matthew 26:53). No, He went of His own accord, stood accused during a bogus trial and ultimately gave up His life so that His purpose would be fulfilled. So, yes, we were worth dying for. Thank you, Jesus!! But, that's not what this post is about at all. This one is all about HIM being worth dying for. Let me explain with a scripture: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and ...

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 These past several weeks, God has been talking to me a lot about the idea of bearing fruit. He has reminded me more than once to go back and remember who my intended audience was when I first started this writing adventure a year or so ago. And who is that? It's the people that I am surrounded by every day in my hometown. It's the people I do life with at school, church, the grocery store, the mall, restaurants, etc. some of whom I know intimately, but most of whom are strangers. Most of these people are fairly well off, upper middle class and at least semi-conservative. I list these things not as positives or negatives, it's just a matter of defining who I see on a daily ba...

Ever since the time in my young adulthood when God got a hold of my heart for the first time and I made the decision to give my life to Christ, I have been plagued by a few thoughts that keep resurfacing over and over again in my daily walk. Before I share those with you though, I want to circle back quickly to my opening statement and remind us all of something very important. I grew up in church. I mean  really grew up there because my mom was on staff and I was there almost every time the doors were open for a good period of my adolescence. However, I clearly just wrote that the time I became saved wasn't until my young adulthood. What's up with that? I want to make it very clear that my repeated presence at church for ALL those years wasn't what saved me in the slightest. I definitely had a great foundation for faith having heard the messages and attended the youth camps and retreats on repeat until I graduated and moved to college, but just having participated in thos...

As believers, I bet just the title of this post alone is enough to get some of you totally fired up. I bet there's a group of readers who, because of the name only, are leaned in and ready to read all about the groups of people that they're certain this post will be about. Surely in the wake of Pride month this post will be written to address "those" types of sins and we'll all finish by giving ourselves a big 'ol high-five because, WHEW, at least we're not struggling with that ! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, believers, but this post isn't about anyone else on the planet but us. You and me. But... why??? Well, because it's never a bad time to do a little self-reflection and figure out exactly what it is that WE need to place on the alter instead of the forefront of our minds. Admittedly, God is doing a major work in my own heart right now centering around this very topic and since I am the author of the blog, you unfortunately (or fortuna...

With Women's History Month and Mother's Day just behind us, I thought it appropriate timing to write a blog about some thoughts I have had recently on the topic of feminism. Some you may agree with, others you may not, and that is perfectly okay. It's important to note that I am a mother of boys, so many of these thoughts come from the perspective of raising young men. Also important to note, I am a Christian with the belief that the bible is the inerrant word of God. I believe that every word, even the hard to understand ones, are all true and without blemish. If you share either of these traits with me, great! If you don't, also great! I am glad you are willing to spend time here. All that being said, here goes nothing... What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 The feminist movement has been around for years now and many generations of women have seen some iteration of it. As ...

But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth . John 4:23-24 I so vividly remember back to my youth group days when I was growing up at church. We used to take the best trips in the summer for youth camp and also for choir tour. We would load up on buses in our Umbros with our pillows, Caboodles and Walk-Mans and take off to some destination that was sure to be filled with hilarious laughter and amazing memories. We would do all the "camp" things like swim, play games, get dirty, eat mess-hall food and just generally enjoy being a kid. Then at certain times during the day we would gather for worship and to hear from the camp speakers. I remember the feelings that those times brought on as well. Sometimes I felt disconnected, like I was missing something that it seemed everyone else arou...

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the  darkness  rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. John 3:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy,outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24 I remember very well what is was like to love the darkness. I remember going about my weekly/monthly/yearly routines without a single thought being given to anything resembling "matters of faith." I remember week after week after week of work hard to play hard and once the weekend came, play I did. I honestly ...