• Redeeming Church Conflicts,  Relationships & Peacemaking

    This Church Conflict Originated in Hell

    Back in 2009, pastor (and cartoonist!) Joe McKeever had a particularly insightful post about the origins of church conflict. To encourage you to click on through and read the entire post, let me tempt you with a few excerpts of his descriptions of two different church conflicts: “My quick assessment, based solely on my friend’s account, is that such an immature pastor has no business leading a congregation. He is not a shepherd who cares for his flock. He is cowardly. (He refused to talk to the woman whom he accused of wrong before hearing her, then turned around and wronged her!) Furthermore, he forbids the church staff from having anything further…

    Comments Off on This Church Conflict Originated in Hell
  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Created for Community (HT: Paul Tripp)

    Another great read by Paul Tripp: Created for Community I encourage you to read the entire article and I’ll tempt you with just a few excerpts (emphasis mine–don’t miss the bold paragraph!):   “People are created for community. We are made in the likeness of a God who not only is committed to community and calls us to community, but is Himself a community. He did not structure us to live in isolation and autonomy. He created us to live in two essential communities: a loving, worshipful, and dependent community with Him, and a loving, serving, interdependent community with one another. We will never be what we are supposed to…

    Comments Off on Created for Community (HT: Paul Tripp)
  • Hope in Suffering

    Wise Counsel and Loving Actions for a Depressed Friend

    Throughout my life, I have been the blessed recipient of some truly wise counsel and loving actions by friends as I have walked through dark seasons (depression, the valley of despair, grief, the Black Dog—whatever you care to call it). Thinking that some of their ministry ideas might help you to serve someone in your life who is also going through a difficult time, I thought I would list a few out for you: 1. Presence without harsh judgment and without agenda: Since I was already feeling like the worst Christian (worst wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister) in the world, harsh criticism would have only crushed a bruised reed. But…

    Comments Off on Wise Counsel and Loving Actions for a Depressed Friend
  • Relationships & Peacemaking,  Teens & Technology

    Unmediated is Better

    I continue to learn from Tim Challies through his book, The Next Generation: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion. Chapter 5, “Life in the REAL WORLD (Mediation / Identity)” has had me mulling for days now. In it, he defines “medium” as “something that stands between.” Then he discusses how “medium” is at the root of the word “mediator”, so when we talk about mediation in reference to our communication via digital technology, we are talking about some kind of “device or tool or technology that delivers some kind of data or information. It stands between the one who creates sounds or images and the one who receives them.”…

    Comments Off on Unmediated is Better
  • Redeeming Church Conflicts,  Redemptive Relationships,  Relationships & Peacemaking

    Church leaders are often afraid of their WOMEN

    Wow. Don’t miss this read over at byFaith Magazine: The Session and Women’s Ministry It’s long–but worth the read. I’ll tempt you with just a few excerpts:   – How do elders approach women in ministry in their congregations? ‘Men are afraid of women. We’re often content to be at arms’ length from them.’ A prominent PCA pastor says it simply. . … The unease between elders and women’s ministries is not always active. Instead, it can be a function of disconnection. ‘While there are isolated examples of abuse in this relationship, usually it’s much more subtle,’ said Jane Patete, women’s ministries coordinator for the PCA’s Christian Education and Publications…

    Comments Off on Church leaders are often afraid of their WOMEN
  • Grace in Daily Life

    Let’s try hard to be discerning and grounded without always looking for the next theological misstep in our friends, our family, or the songs we sing …

    Loved this post by Kevin DeYoung:   The Crust and the Core But be sure to follow his advice and read to the end. If you only cheer at the first few paragraphs, you may miss some important insights about yourself in the last few paragraphs. 

    Comments Off on Let’s try hard to be discerning and grounded without always looking for the next theological misstep in our friends, our family, or the songs we sing …
  • Redemptive Relationships,  Singleness & Marriage

    Resources Beyond Ourselves

    If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that Fred and I went through a surprising and frighteningly isolated/lonely/despair-filled season of marriage around our fifteenth wedding anniversary. (I say “surprising” because if you had asked me years ago if we would ever feel so distant from each other and struggle so much in our friendship and marriage, I would’ve said no. When we met and fell in love, during grad school, I don’t think I was naive enough to ever presume that we wouldn’t have some level of struggle and suffering as a couple, I just never thought it would get SO BAD. But it…

    Comments Off on Resources Beyond Ourselves
  • Momma Tara~Parenting,  Perfectionism & Shame,  Sin & Repentance

    “But Mom! I don’t know HOW to change!”

    When our three year-old was processing all sorts of deep three year-old thoughts, she wanted to stay up with the three of us and keep cuddling (rather than going to bed, alone, at an appropriate time for a three year-old). Our conversation went something like this: E: “I know that it’s OK to be sad and cry, Mom, but I’m also remembering that it’s not OK for my sadness to “go off of this path of sadness” (she held out her right hand; in our family that indicates the path of faith, righteousness, wise choices, blessings, and safety) “and onto this path of anger and having a fit” (she held out…

    Comments Off on “But Mom! I don’t know HOW to change!”
  • Redemptive Relationships

    None are unsocial or distant from each other …

    From Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Heaven: A World of Love”: “There this glorious God is manifested, and shines forth, in full glory, in beams of love. And there this glorious fountain forever flows forth in streams, yea, in rivers of love and delight, and these rivers swell, as it were, to an ocean of love, in which the souls of the ransomed may bathe with the sweetest enjoyment, and their hearts, as it were, be deluged with love!” “In heaven all things shall conspire to promote their love, and give advantage for mutual enjoyment. — There shall be none there to tempt any to dislike or hatred; no busybodies, or malicious…

    Comments Off on None are unsocial or distant from each other …