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#Metoo How to Stop the Madness of Sexual Assault
I woke up this more to breaking news that another entertainer is speaking out against sexual assault, this time in the music industry. One after another it seems that the fissure in the dam of shame and silence can no longer hold as more and more people report issues of sexual misconduct. The genesis of the recent outcry against sexual assault is centered around the Harvey Weinstein scandal in which the popular movie mogul has been accused of various acts of sexual assault against some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Last week we experienced a hashtag phenomena across social media outlets where celebrities both male and female, and regular folk like…
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So the world didn’t end on September 23rd: a biblical review
On Saturday, September 23, it was one of those rare moments where my husband and I were apart from each other. While he traveled to a friend's wedding, I was held up at my sister's house recovering from back surgery. We sent texts back and forth and then the conversation abruptly ended on my end. Once my phone had a chance to charge I let him know I was fully operational. He immediately responded using his quick wit and dry sense of humor, "Whew!… For a minute, there I thought maybe the rapture really did occur and I was left behind." We both had a good chuckle about the whole…
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Houston We Pray for You by Faith
This weekend I sat with my eyes fixed on the news as the entire nation watched Hurricane Harvey drop trillions of gallons of water on the Gulf Coast. I was pleased to hear that the hurricane lost some of its might, only to awake to the scene of a city buried under flood water. My news feed was covered in stories of heroic moments that define our struggle against mother nature, yet there was one story in particular that caught my eye. A mother of three young children escaped to the roof of their home as their furniture slowly rose to the top of the ceiling. With nowhere else…
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Ezra Reads the Law: Celebrating in the Wake of Sin
It's been a hard couple of months for me spiritually. I feel like one of those wind-up toys relentlessly marching away with my head against a corner, moving but going nowhere. I know that God is calling me to rise above the distractions and seek him first but to my embarrassment, I consistently choose Netflix over the King of Kings and I have prioritized scrolling over the creator of the universe. It's such a silly thing really and utterly frustrating that I continue to worship the created over the creator. This battle of the will has left me spiritually dry and utterly devastated. I can't declare another social media fast…
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Racial Divide and Disney’s Moana
These days I have one of two things on repeat in my mind. It’s either Disney's newest Polynesian Princess, Moana and, her sidekick chicken, Heihei, or it’s remembering the barrage of police brutality cases that inundate my news feed. You may be asking why such a weird combination of choices, but in my world I have three little people who demand we watch Moana every waking minute, and in my other world, I am supposed to be a public figure that keeps watch on social issues. So, this is a totally normal mix of mind consuming media for me however, the interesting juxtaposition of my life has allowed these two…
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How I Almost Ruined My Marriage
It was 1:00 am. With blood shot eyes I sat wringing my hands on our faux leather couch. The seams are busted on the edges so the puff is spilling out. I've contemplated putting tape over these eruptions but really…who wants to be THAT person. I sat contemplating whether or not I should mend the seams in the couch or just own the mess and cover it, maybe a pillow will do or that really cool washi tape that's all the rage. That fateful night our couch became the backdrop for one of the realest fights we've had to date. Past arguments about leaving the milk out, or even what…
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Should your Women’s Ministry drop the self-esteem talk?
Have you ever felt like women's ministries kind of have the same three topics on repeat? Women are tired of going to church and chanting "I am beautiful" while wearing Proverb 31 shirts and taking selfies in front of a pink backdrop. I get it…as a female minister who is addicted to church history and loves exegetical preaching, the narrative of women's ministry can stand to be a little less Fru-Fru. Yet before you consider deleting the topic of self-esteem and beauty altogether, I implore you- don't do it! I am living proof that good theology does not do away with crippling insecurity. My in-depth understanding of the Imago-Dei (image…
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Marriage: Jumping with Both Feet
I had a friend once tell me, "You're not ready for marriage." Her critique left me wondering, though, how in the world does one ever become ready for marriage? There is no graduate degree in loving someone who constantly forgets to clean the sink after shaving. There is no crash course in biting one's tongue when you know the exact words that would decimate your spouse. And there certainly is no true way to ready yourself for a lifetime of being an imperfect person who loves another imperfect person. Now, I'm not saying don't get premarital counseling, and don't read all of the "How To" books. Certainly there…
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Depression and Spiritual Emptiness
Recently I’ve been walking through life, walking through marriage and walking through ministry, floating, watching, and just a little bit empty. I can’t quite find the leak in the balloon; it feels as if my passion, my energy and sometimes even my faith, is slowly deflating. My house is dirty. I keep trying my best but it just stays that way. I’m snapping at my husband and I am ashamed to admit it, but my tiny toddlers have become tiny terrorists to me. I don’t know what to do with them so I do what I can until it’s time to put them to bed. Then I’m left wondering what to…
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Submission: The truth about Ephesians Chapter 5
Submission is one of those subjects that many people like to tip toe around. It often conjures up ideas of cringe worthy male chauvinism or maybe for you, it brings about the dark idea that women are to be seen and not heard. It's understandable that so many women like you and I have this type of reaction to the idea of submission because it has been distorted, misused and abused for centuries. Before digging into what is laid out for the wife and the husband in Ephesians 5:22-33 one must undo these distortions by putting this passage of scripture into context. By doing some ground work and taking a…