When I make my home an inhospitable environment (as in hostile, cold, and unwelcoming) for the people I love most in order to make it welcoming for others, I’m missing God’s heart for hospitality. Yes! Invite people over to your home. Yes! Seek to provide warm meals and warm fuzzies. Yes! Create a soft spot for others to land. But do it without grumbling. Because a peaceful home flows out of a peaceful heart. …The goal of hospitality is not to... Read more
Ethical integrity is one of the indispensable attributes of Christlike character. As vital as it is to be sound in doctrine and faithful in teaching the truth of Scripture, it is by no means less crucial for Christians to be upright in heart and consistent in our obedience to the moral and ethical principles of God’s law. …It’s probably not overstating the case at all to say that the single most important battlefield in the struggle for integrity is your own mind. That’s... Read more
If you can keep Christ at the center of your day…you will find that the busyness of the season doesn’t take the toll on you that it does when you put Him to the side! Great (short) reminder in Woman to Woman‘s post, Thankful for my quiet time. Read more
Good theology is necessary. But theology apart from a heart captured by the gospel is reduced to dangerous information. It’s ammunition to win an argument. It’s fodder for a blog. It’s food for one’s pride. Theology not rooted in grace and removed from the gospel makes us hard, indifferent, proud, cold, and right all the time…. ….My identity was wrapped up in me and my theology and ministry, not Jesus. Grace and the gospel had become theological categories to be... Read more
How often do parents repeat themselves? If your home is anything like mine, the answer is, “a lot!” Especially now with the oh-so-tempting Christmas tree up, how is a toddler to resist all those shiny baubles? Ruth over at GraceLaced offers an important reminder about repetition, “Speaking the truth over and over again is not inconvenient…it’s sheltering. And this: That repeating oneself is considered loving when it isn’t perfection that motivates us, but the person who is being formed under... Read more
This year, I was told repeatedly that my “noisy” approach to Christian living would discourage un-believers from coming to Christ. DeMoss explains in his article, Death of a Salesman, how people receive God’s truth isn’t our concern. It’s not my job to save you. It’s not my job to convince you that Christ is worth it. It’s not my job to argue the logistics of salvation with you until you are convinced that Christianity is the right fit for you. When I... Read more
Decisions about discipline, marriage, work, law enforcement, hiring and firing, planning, etc., must never be made rashly, fearfully, or emotionally, and certainly never based upon a skewed agenda, limited review of facts, one side of the story, a grudge, or popularity. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:1–2). “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John... Read more
Have you ever felt, like me, little and insignificant in a world of seven billion people, where all the news is of big political and economic and social movements and of outstanding people with lots of power and prestige? If you have, don’t let that make you disheartened or unhappy. For it is implicit in Scripture that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God, not for... Read more
Jesus is not lonely. He and the Father and the Spirit are profoundly satisfied in the fellowship of the Trinity. We, not he, are starving for something. And what Jesus wants for Christmas is for us to experience what we were really made for — seeing and savoring his glory. -John Piper in Good News of Great Joy Read more
Today I realized that I am thankful for having had Hyperemesis Gravidarum throughout my pregnancies. This comes as a shock to me. I’ve been afraid of it for so long. That dark cloud has haunted me since the birth of my first child nearly 8 years ago. Recently there has been lot of morning sickness talk. I am very blessed to live in a community wherein children are welcomed so there are literally babies, babies, babies every where being born... Read more
Mere Breath
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