It’s a boy!” Great Britain and Anglophiles the world over rejoiced at the newest royal baby born this week. William and Kate welcomed their third child, and my children delighted to learn they had a new cousin. Embed from Getty Images Fifteenth cousin, but who’s counting? It’s true, my children claim Queen Elizabeth as a distant cousin through her mother’s family (and my husband’s). My recent research into genealogy revealed that fun nugget of information, much to the delight of... Read more
Another week, another pastor resigning due to accusations of sexual misconduct. The recent phenomenon of #metoo and #churchtoo appears to be strengthening as the months go by. A purging of hidden sin and power abuse can only benefit the body of Christ, painful though it is to endure. Some male leaders have reacted by invoking the “Billy Graham rule”—promising never to meet with a woman privately. But Mixed Ministry: Working together as brothers and sisters in an oversexed society—published ten years ago but... Read more
I am late to the game, apparently. An author I recently—as in, last month—discovered has been pastoring, teaching, and writing for over forty-five years. At 80 years old, she continues to wow audiences and readers with her thoughtful, astute insights into the preeminence of Jesus, the significance of the crucifixion, and divine implications in the Lord of the Rings (among other topics). At the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing, this Episcopalian priest spoke several times to audiences enthralled with her... Read more
At a recent writing conference I attended, multiple conversations swirled around the topic of privilege, power, and platform. #Metoo and racial reconciliation dominated some panel discussions and many personal ones. Women of color expressed their anger, grief, and frustration with their white sisters in the faith: “Where were you when shooting after unlawful arrest after racial profiling happened? We didn’t hear your protests or see your response. You (collectively) have not rejected injustice.” They weren’t asking us to solve all... Read more
Do you lead a group of people that includes women? You might be male or female, yourself, someone who oversees, directs, pastors, or guides women in some capacity. This article, and the book it comes from, was written for you. ____________________ I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are written in the... Read more
My two teenage sons recently returned from a week in Nicaragua, where they and about 50 others from their youth group split up into small teams to engage in door-to-door evangelism. These teams of five each stayed in homes of local families belonging to the tiny churches that had invited the group to come. With temps in the high 90s, they spent their mornings and evenings walking the streets, sharing their testimonies, and explaining the gospel of Jesus to... Read more
Family lore says that I got off the bus after my first day of Kindergarten, crying. Why? “Because they didn’t teach me to read!” Apparently, I’d taken a little too literally my mom’s well-intentioned assurance that I would learn to read when I started school. I now read books for a living. Actually, I read books to pay for my lunch and coffee dates. I don’t recommend this career for those who wish to feed their families. But readers find... Read more
“Does God fight Satan now?” The question from the backseat startled me. I might have even swerved on the bucolic back road we travel daily to and from school. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but my eight-year-old son got me that time. He has become a master of the out-of-nowhere, no context, let’s-stump-Mom question. But he’s truly curious, not just mischievous. I blame his Action Bible for all the inquisitive questions he asks at random moments. He takes it to... Read more
My tulips got me thinking about Easter. Read more
Did you, or did you want to, “March for [y]our Lives” this weekend? Or would you rather have ignored the nationwide, student-led protests? The March for Our Lives event on March 24 stemmed from the horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 students on February 14, 2018. Supported by political and social leaders, the survivors banded together to protest government inaction on gun control, with some of the students speaking... Read more
Kelley Mathews
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