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Nine Lessons Learned In Our Recent Move
By Emily Cook In the fall of 2015, my husband took a call to a new church in another state. We packed up our children and our stuff, said a million tearful goodbyes, and left the place we had called “home” for many years. It is now spring in the new place, and we are on the other side of the upheaval. Here are some things God has been teaching us as He dragged/carried us through these past few months. I hope it will be helpful to others who are unsettled today! It’s OK to be sad A move means saying goodbye to a season of life, a place full…
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Psalm 102, Domine, exaudi orationem meam, et clamor meus ad te veniat
By Mary Abrahamson O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his soul to the Lord. The previous psalms in this series have focused on the particular sins and also, more generally, upon the sinful nature of the psalmist. This psalm, however, takes a different approach. Here we meditate upon the brokenness of the world. In this life there will be troubles. Natural disasters, broken relationships, societal demise, evil governments and regimes, terror of all varieties. All these can wear on the faithful, can sow seeds of doubt and despair, and can tax the emotional stamina…
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It Gets Better… Right?
By Sandra Ostapowich Now and then, mothers of older teens and young adults at church will pull me aside (apparently recognizing the clenched jaw and dark circles under my eyes, which reveal that my son has been stomping all over my short fuse of tightly-wound last nerves) and quietly tell me, “I remember that age. This, too, will pass.” Really? Are you sure? I’ve survived the newborn phase and the terrible toddler years, and even have managed to get through the early school-age grades. But now, just when I thought I had this mommying thing down, I’ve been truly humbled. Do you want to know who can cut to your…
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The Elusive BFF
By Vanessa Rasanen What’s wrong with me? This is a question I’ve asked myself often. Sometimes after I’ve managed to royally stick my foot in my mouth and insult someone — again. Or perhaps after a particularly stellar display of gullibility at believing some made-up claim from my husband. (I’m learning on that one, though… albeit slowly.) Or it could also be following another moment when I stumble and trip over my own sinful feet and treat someone — a friend, my kids, a stranger — in a not-so-nice or neighborly manner. But usually it’s for the simple reason that I seem to be the only woman on the face of the…
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A Mom’s Ministry
By Allison Hull Recently I was in a discussion with an acquaintance. While our kids played, we hit the various “mom talking points”. Health, kids, their bodily functions, who gets the least amount of sleep, and guess-what-that-stain-is all the while being interrupted by a scream from a child or barking at them to stop whatever torture they were inflicting on a sibling. If you’re a mom to young children, you know this is just an average conversation. But towards the end it turned weird. She started asking me about my faith and what I was doing to further the kingdom. Caught off guard I half-smiled, turned and gestured to my…
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Unmerciful Servants: in Marriage and Life
By Mary Abrahamson Peter asked Jesus, “How many times do I have to forgive my brother?” Remember Jesus’ reply? Jesus answered with what is often called The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which we can read in Matthew 18:21-35. A servant owed his master a great debt. In the parable, these represent God (master), and us (servant), and the debt of sin under which we live and which separates us from God (the debt). The master forgave the great debt. God, of course, forgives us our very great debt of sin, every one of our sins, and even the innate sin of our natures. For Jesus’ sake. Continuing on in the parable,…
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Stuck in a Bad Mood
By Vanessa Rasanen My house is currently in disarray. Our to-do list seems to grow right alongside the pile of packed boxes in the corner and my nearly-third trimester belly that has long-been hiding my feet. We are, perhaps crazily, working to get our house ready to put on the market in hopes of moving out — and up — before this fourth baby blesses our home and family with cute coos and sleepless nights. As if that wasn’t enough on our plate, we are also — all of us — adjusting to my husband’s new full-time work schedule in addition to national guard duty, an online course, church commitments,…
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Psalm 51, Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam
By Mary Abrahamsson Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. In this well known and well loved Psalm God gives us some wonderfully clear expressions of original sin, guilt over specific sins, and repentance for forgiveness of sins through His great mercy in Jesus. David references cleansing with hyssop, bulls, burnt offerings, and sacrifices, all part of the ceremonial cleansing rites God commanded in the Old Testament. Many of the refrains are familiar from our liturgies. The liturgies of both the Old and New Testament church consistently proclaim sin and the need for…
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How to not drown in disappointent
By Holly Scheer When I was little I had this idea that an intrinsic part of adulthood was that finally I’d get to have things my own way. I’d get to decide what to do, when I wanted to do it, and who I wanted to do it with. I would be in charge. My own boss. I would be master of myself and my destiny. Sisters, that’s not how adulthood works. We’re not islands unto ourselves, able to selfishly act just based on what benefits us. What feels good, makes us happy, fulfills us. We are sisters, mothers, daughters, wives, neighbors… we are part of a family. Vocation places…
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An open letter on Marrying Young
I HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY in my marriage, thank God. I have a faithful wife, according to Solomon: “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her” (Prov. 31:11). She spoils nothing for me. Ah, dear Lord God, marriage is not something natural and physical; but it is a gift of God, the sweetest, nay, the most chaste life; it is above all celibacy. ~ Martin Luther To my niece I read on your wedding website this phrase, “We know we are pretty young… But…” This gave me pause and here’s why. I don’t know how old your intended is, but I do know you are almost twenty-three. Your…
