I’ve been contemplating one of the sins that clings closely to me. Sin? Maybe just a relatively harmless foible. I don’t want it to be a sin. If it is, I have to fight it. When I was a child, I thought it was unreasonable of my mom to expect me to control myself when…
“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3 NIV) I recently read a parenting book by Ted Tripp which posed the question,if someone was to record how you talked to your children, what would be recorded? What would you be caught saying on tape? How would your…
My history with the church is a bit complicated. I was raised Lutheran and attended church faithfully for most of my childhood. In high school, though, waitressing on Sunday mornings took precedence, and my church attendance transitioned to more of a Christmas and Easter model. After many years, I began searching again and initially found…
There’s an episode of the much-beloved show This is Us wherein (no big spoilers, don’t worry!) Randall and Beth—the married couple viewers love to love—are fighting. In the stress and strain of trying to launch their respective careers, they both bristle with anger, each feeling unseen, underappreciated, less than loved. In a fit of pique,…
Flour frosted the kitchen like snow. A flour bin, a half-empty bottle of vegetable oil, and baking pans fought for territory on my counter. Little fingers thick with dough punched and kneaded gooey mounds. Lined up, varying heights on chairs and stools, three children made a ragged profile of chattering bakers. “Pooooof,” the littlest voice…
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:13 NIV) I don’t remember if a certain person pointed out my sin or if I realized I was a sinner myself after attending church and my first small group. Either way, I’m sure I went through a period of denial—disbelief that I was…