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Vocation
By Amanda Markel Christians, especially Lutheran Christians, understand the concept of vocation…that God has called each of us to unique tasks in life. This can be seen in the form of our careers, a task for which we are often paid, as well as other callings in life, such as relationships like wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, or volunteer positions like Sunday School teacher or after-school tutor. We can hold many different vocations at the same time, and our vocations can change throughout our lives. One thing should remain the same, however. Whatever our vocation is, we should do it joyfully, as though we are serving God Himself when we…
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Singleness
By Ellie Corrow Most children, especially girls, assume they will one day grow up, get married, and start a family. This is a dream that is not qualified with an “if” but a “when” and a goal that marks an unequivocal entrance into adulthood. Some people have no trouble achieving this, meeting the right person at the right time, and no one’s timeline suffers accommodation and adjustment. But, others don’t have this experience, instead they wait, and wait, vaguely wondering if they are running out of time, if there is someone out there for them. It’s a difficult place to be in, when life doesn’t work out as you expected.…
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Biblical Submission
By Sandra Ostapowich When you hear about submission do you think of Law statements such as, “You better submit!” or perhaps of military formations with everyone standing in specific order, all lined up just so, in their proper places? Some people think that submitting is simply about gritting your teeth and assuming the position (literally!?) in the order of all things, because that’s just the way God set it up and who are we to argue with God’s ways? But what if I told you that submitting is also (and perhaps more importantly) a joyful response of faith in what Christ has done for us and who we are in…
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Raising Our Daughters (and Sons) To Just Be
By Vanessa Rasanen Never, in all my years of growing up, did I doubt I would get married and have children. It was a given. It was part of my dream, my goals, my plan. Despite my liberal and feminist upbringing — which emphasized career over “just” being a housewife — I wanted a family and I wanted to stay home to care for that family. And no matter what it took, I was going to have it. And I do. I have three wonderful children, an amazing husband, two sweet dogs. I have a home filled with love and laughter, joy and hilarity. And though I’m no longer home…
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On Becoming a Titus 2 Woman
By Holly Scheer Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Titus 2:3-5 These words are serious. These words are weighted with the expectations of generations of past discussions, among women and men far wiser than I, talking about something we’re often lacking in our communities and lives. But I’m here to encourage you, as best I can, and hopefully provide some…
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Blocking Out the World
By Vanessa Rasanen The world sucks. Now, this is pessimistic and a bit debbie-downer-esque of me, but some days this is the thought running through my head – a thought I can’t seem to shake. I read story after story of evil and sin, tragedy and heartbreak. Babies being murdered every day. People fighting to dehumanize those babies. Children being hurt and killed. Women being sold into slavery. So many people dying, starving and suffering. Every day there’s another new story or two that has me with one breath cursing the world and all the evil within it, and with the next breath praying for Christ to return so it can all……
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Good Friday Anniversary
By Sandra Ostapowich Happy Anniversary! Who has a wedding during Holy Week?? On Good Friday?? That’s just insane, right? This day is all about Jesus, it’s sacrilegious to do anything but contemplate Christ’s death for us that day. Well, it’s an arranged marriage for one thing. The groom’s Father set it all up a while back. Way back even before there was a when (Eph. 1:4-10). See, the LORD wasn’t surprised when Adam and Woman fell into sin. Jesus becoming Man and dying on the cross for our sins wasn’t a Plan B to mop up the mess we’d made of everything. No, it was the plan all along. Twisted?…
