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Top Five Ways Unbroken will Enrich Your life–the movie and (even more) the book
For all Lauren Hillenbrand’s in-depth research and narrative craft and Angelina Jolie’s movie-making chops, only God could create the story of Unbroken on the canvas of Louie Zamparini’s life. Our little family did our part to make it #2 at the box office this past weekend (second only to the final Hobbit movie), but I first heard of the book four years ago when my friend Rosie, who reads stacks of books and rewards only the best, grabbed me by the shoulders; looked me in the eyes and said, “You have got to read Unbroken.” This was now the fourth friend endorsement (and definitely the most physical)…
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Fear-free Courage?
Recently, my second oldest son David decided to tandem skydive and invited me to come along. We had been discussing this for a few years, and now the right opportunity had presented itself! It was a unique experience starting with the copious amount of paperwork you sign releasing the skydiving company from all liability. The message was that this can be a perilous experience where things can go wrong, and you need to go into this endeavor with that understanding. To be forewarned is to be forearmed… fair enough. Next, we suited up, put on a harness, received training on our responsibilities during the jump, boarded the small single-engine plane, and…
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Silenced Anger
The family culture I grew up in allowed anger. We were allowed to feel frustration and anger and even express it in both healthy and unhealthy ways. Our anger was more often than not a self-righteous anger rather than a righteous but nonetheless, the emotion was allowed. Some might look into our home and think we needed to be more self-controlled and less passionate. Some might think we hated each other because of how vocal or expressive we were. We were actually just the opposite – we loved each other and still do. We are even incredibly vocal and expressive to this day. Whether our anger was then acted on,…
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The Power of an Expert Speaking as a Fellow Traveler: Phillip Johnson
When my husband Jack was in seminary he was taught to speak as the expert from a posture of strength. If you talk about weakness, struggle or failure, speak in hindsight from the place of victory won. It’s not always safe to talk about your weaknesses. You don’t want to give your detractors or enemies ammunition. (Especially in churches.) In today's culture that mindset is changing. But, If you are an expert, why would you want to try to speak as a fellow-traveler? What might be the benefits of exposing your weaknesses, speaking of your struggles, or even failures? In the academy? In churches? Phillip Johnson, the father of…
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My Shirley Temple Moment
Almost everyone I know has a Shirley Temple moment in his or her life. Whether it happened forcefully or unexpected, many of us have a story to tell that includes a Shirley Temple movie or song. I think that’s why most of us feel a sense of loss in her passing. My Shirley Temple moment lasted for just a little while, but the lesson I learned from it has persevered. I performed On the Good Ship Lollipop in a church talent show to raise money for something—I can’t remember what, but I know it involved a high-school trip. Anyway, right before taking the stage, I got sick and…
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A Year of Courage
Repeated words are words to pay attention to. The past few weeks, the word “courage” has echoed in various forms and contexts. From dictionary.com, the definition for courage reads, “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain,etc.” Quality and character are key in courage. The definition reminds us that it is a quality or characteristic of our mind and spirit that our actions our based on. Courage is something that can be built up, strengthened and possibly remain quiet until called upon to step forward. Where does this courage come from? What is it based on? When do we…
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Said This Blogger to the People Everywhere
It’s Christmas. Celebrate the ultimate expression of love in the birth of God’s Son, Jesus. Celebrate His life—His power over death, for it is how we have salvation. It is how we have a relationship with God. Take in His grace. Embrace it and don’t let it go. Take the freedom you have in Christ and play. Enjoy your life and the gifts God has given you. Laugh so hard your sides hurt. And go ahead and cry if you want because of the unexplicable love He has for you. Yes, He loves you dearly. Stay in wonder. Can you imagine? The God-man born—given to us to…
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Halloween 101: Community Building and Factories of Courage
A child hid her face in her hands, “Mommy who would put such a scary mask on display?” “Boo!” Out of the shadows jumped Mr. Incredible hoping to steal some candy from his unsuspecting sister. “What an awesome batman mask!” said a father brandishing his camera. Love or hate them, one thing is true: a simple, plastic mask evokes strong emotions. Some of us may stay as far away from them as possible, shunning anything that even reminds us of evil in the world. Others join in the merry making with hardly a care in the world. Either way, we can’t completely hide from Halloween, which brings me to an…
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A Touching Story
I called her “The Bloody Woman in Mark 5” for the longest time. I can think back to my childhood and remember hearing about her in Sunday school. I can even recall when my mind made the connection that her suffering involved bleeding — the vaginal kind. I grossed out and groaned in horror when I realized she suffered for twelve years. Whenever I read about her today, I still cringe. And I continue to feel sad when I see that she did all she could to make it better…instead it only got worse. Others rejected her since a bleeding woman was considered “unclean.” The last time I read about…
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When someone you love has “special needs”
Last Sunday Rick Warren, with Kay by his side, returned to the Saddleback Church pulpit for the first time since April when his beloved twenty-seven year old son Matthew committed suicide after years of battling mental illness and depression. Warren wept as he confided that his number one daily prayer had always been for his son. Did God not hear his prayers? What do we do when someone we love has "special needs"? We have a special needs person in our family and I'll bet you do too, or you know someone who does. Living with someone with frustrating limitations they can't help can be exhausting, exasperating, and bring…