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Too Young to Get Married: A Wedding Anniversary Tribute
On the day I write this, it’s my wedding anniversary. You’re too young, they said. You’re making a mistake, they said. You don’t know what love is, they said. It’s harder than you think, they said. You’ll destroy your life, they said. He’ll never change, they said. And here we are 40 plus years later and we are still happily married. I was 17 when I met my husband. He rode in on a while horse, actually, no, it was a tan sports-edition Mazda. But it was cool—so cool. At 17 to have a boyfriend with a car, an apartment, and a “high paying” job, whoa, I hit the big…
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Evidences of a Church that Values Women’s Ministry
Churches that value women's ministry accommodate women needing childcare for participation and working women needing community within their limited schedules.
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Sleeping in the Storm
I toss and turn as the minutes turn to hours. Sleep seems far away. Have you been there? I’ve struggled with sleep as far back as I can remember. Even with pillows and blankets on a fairly comfortable bed, rest feels so elusive some nights. I find it striking that Jesus could sleep on boat tossed by a violent storm. It’s almost as if you can see storm clouds on the distant horizon as Jesus steps into a boat in Matthew 8. Two men approach him, applying for discipleship, and ask to follow him. Jesus tells them they must leave personal comfort and family obligation behind. Following him requires…
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The Hope in Our Scars, part 2
This week we continue a two-part series talking with Aimee Byrd about her new book, The Hope in Our Scars: Finding the Bride of Christ in the Underground of Disillusionment. Got some church hurt? Or friends with church wounds. Aimee’s work is for you…. SG: What do you want to see as the outcome of your work? Jesus gives us a powerful metaphor in his warning, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in” (Matt. 23:13). This sticks with me. I want to be a…
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Finding Rest After Intense Ministry
I just completed four weeks of back-to-back events where I taught, trained, and cared for both incoming and seasoned global workers. It required long days and focused attention. My team and I faced many challenges both logistically and relationally. I needed the Lord’s strength to listen, listen again, and offer words of comfort and help. It was intense, it was good, it was right, and I am understandably tired. I can relate to Jesus’s disciples. After following in Jesus’s footsteps for a year, he sent them two by two out into the towns in Galilee to minster (Mk 6:6–13; Mt 10:1–11:1; Lk 9:1–6). Scripture doesn’t say how long this missionary…
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4 Excellent Books About Female Ministry Leaders in the Bible
Historian Beth Allison Barr posted a Facebook picture of her favorite coffee mug. The slogan on it says, “Write Women Back into History.” In this post, I’m sharing four recommendations of excellent books illuminating female ministry leaders and their significance in the mission of God. Each of these books is available in either print version or on Kindle, and they make great gifts (especially for pastor appreciation day)! Order one today and join me in the initiative to “Write Female Ministry Leaders Back into History.”
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Suicide Has Hit Our Family
Last week our beloved 44-year-old son Curt took his life. He had struggled with severe suicidal depression for 26 years, hating almost every day of his adult life and wanting God to take him home to join his sister Rebecca. His depression and anxiety crippled him to the point of moving back in with my husband and me in 2008. He often shared with us his anguish at life in a fallen world, living in a broken body. Curt eventually lost most of his hearing as the result of serving on the flight line in the Air Force, but when he was honorably discharged he was told it wasn’t bad…
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Don’t Fear When Jesus Is Near
Sunday School Chronicles Me: Besides this, everybody knows Ms. Janay has other jobs. The great part about saying goodbye to y’all every Sunday means I’m one step closer to getting my cheat meal and going home. Student 1: You’re going to Sonic! Me: You know it! But here’s the thing about work, it has a start and finish time. Do you think God gets to clock out? Kids: No! Me: Really? Why? Student 2: The world would go crazy! Student 3: We need God to keep everything in control. Me: That’s right! God is a god of order not chaos. So this one time, Jesus was just healing people left…
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The Worry Syndrome
Matthew 10 Do Not Worry! We hear the word syndrome, but do we know what it means? Here is one definition: A distinctive or characteristic pattern of behavior. Worry falls into that category and our children often exhibit this due to varying circumstances. Another word for worry is anxiety or being anxious. One of the greatest challenges in our children’s lives is that they tend to worry. They worry about many things. Worry is one of those nagging sins that we and they carry like a trophy and it disturbs not just ourselves but spills over into our relationships with others. We worry about what tomorrow will bring or we…
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Authentic Relationships: Serving, Carrying Burdens and Building Up One Another
I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found to serve. …
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The Hope in Our Scars, Part 1
Today I’m introducing a two-part interview with author Aimee Byrd about her most recent book—The Hope in Our Scars. Got scars? Read on…. SG: Can you give us your elevator-pitch summary of the topic of The Hope in Our Scars? The church is full disillusioned disciples. We have missed something big in our quest to be right—the heart of the matter. In The Hope in Our Scars, I share my own disillusionment with the church, as well as the stories of others, discovering that hope is not sentimental. It bears scars. But the wonder of it all is that Christ is preparing his bride/church for Love. We need to face our…