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To Love Your Spouse
By Allison Hull Recently there was a Facebook trend called “The Love Your Spouse Challenge”. You were supposed to post pictures every day of you and your spouse expounding on why you loved them and challenging others to post the same. I admit, when it first started I rolled my eyes and was quick to thank God I wasn’t challenged. And then I was. Oh, how cheesy and dramatic. But I shrugged and decided it wouldn’t be too much work and would be an easy task. I was wrong. Finding pictures of JUST my husband and myself was almost impossible. There was always a kid thrown in there, usually if…
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What Moms Need to Hear
By Vanessa Rasanen I see them often, and I’m sure you have, too — those pretty memes and pictures on Facebook, Pinterest, and all across social media. They’re bent on inspiring and encouraging, lifting you up on those really crappy days when your own screams rival any your little ones have belted. They tell you it’s okay. You’re doing just fine. You’re a good mom. You’re awesome. You’re enough. Oh, sure, those make us all warm and fuzzy inside. We smile and sigh, patting ourselves on the back before pouring ourselves a glass of wine. We aren’t as rotten as we act. The internet told us so. Or maybe a…
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Depths
By Mary J. Moerbe My family went on an outing to an aquarium and we marveled at God’s creation. A part of creation, mind you, that human eyes rarely see. Even to this day, there are depths unexplored and discoveries to be made. The wonders we saw reminded me that in a very real sense God made creation for Himself. He may have delights in creation we are utterly unaware of: sights, sounds, and textures known only to Himself. Yet, they are not withheld from us. They only await discovery. In Scripture, there is depth to the sea and depth to the earth. A quick survey indicates that the faithful…
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Why buy the cow? Thoughts on marriage
By Mary Abrahamson In talking to an older mom awhile back, discussing the trend among young people to delay marriage, my friend said, “Why by the cow when you can get the milk for free?” I understood, of course, her metaphor. She was expressing that with extra-marital sexual activity dominating our cultural norm, there was no compelling impetus for a young person to assume the commitment and responsibilities that come with marriage. This line of thought appeals to our sinful condition. And to our humanity, in a sense. We are biologically inclined to want to engage in sexual behaviors. This is a natural and good thing, in its…
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My Dirty Secret
By Allison Hull “Wow, the table looks really nice, Mom! Who’s coming over?” “I don’t want to clean my room! Are kids or just adults coming to the house?” My husband and I joke about these comments that have been made but in reality, I only do big cleaning projects when company is coming over. It’s my secret fear, that someone will see how we really live and judge us. Of course, it was super easy when we lived in an apartment with only a baby around. He even helped when he got older. I pondered why all these moms complained when it was a sweep, mop, dust done kind…
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The Many Interwoven Seasons of Womanhood
By Mary Abrahamson Often when we talk about seasons of life, we talk about things like young adulthood, which might include college or single life. Adulthood might include being a wife or mother or being single. It might include being a homemaker and/or having a paying career outside the home. And then perhaps later our children might leave our next empty, but give us grandchildren. And finally retirement. Old age. Perhaps assisted living or full nursing care. And the deathbed. The seasons I’m going to describe are less linear and more universal. My seasons are the kind that occur constantly and repeat throughout our lives regardless of the particular work…
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Why All This Crazy Violence?
By Keri Wolfmueller Where on earth did all the crazy people come from? And, for goodness sakes, how did they get guns? These seem to be the two platforms people land on when discussing the current rise of violence in our country. The argument sways between more gun control laws or between mental health issues. Well, I’d like to offer up a third alternative. We’ve got to dig a bit deeper, go back a little further. Our country is in LOVE with death. Sound weird? What if I say it like this, our country places NO value on life. Making more sense? I’d like to argue that we have…
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Jesus, mental health, and shame
By Heidi Goehmann The choice to take any medication is a big one. Popping a Tylenol in for a headache in our daily life may not weigh heavily on us, but even deciding to give our child an antibiotic or drag our adult selves to the doctor is a big one. Breadth of need, side effects, and co-pays all factor in to our decision to take or avoid a medication. But I see a not-so-new trend rearing its head in the matter – shame. The reality is that we all have an opinion. We want to care for ourselves and our families, the very best that we can. We want…
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Fear and Comfort in the Age of Instability
By Holly Scheer Watching the news right now is not a good way to feel comfortable and safe. From the highly contentious election we are hurtling towards to the recent violence and deaths, the images presented to us are not happy ones to ponder before we fall asleep. There are large questions our government is trying to grapple with—how do we compassionately address a massive refugee crisis while keeping our own safe, do we continue to engage in the growing military conflicts, how do we bolster our still stumbling economy and deal with the mess that is American healthcare… and more. Don’t worry. I’m not here to talk politics to…
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Defining Beauty
By Allison Hull As I washed my hands for the fifteenth time this morning I glanced up into the mirror and sighed. I looked tired, older than I should, and my skin has pores the size of the state I live in. To say I’m not happy with my appearance is an understatement. But I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll always have saggy skin, under eye circles, and a paunch. After 4 boys that’s to be expected, right? I’ve always been sensitive to my appearance, always bought in to social media’s idea of what I should look like. I’m discouraged by the complete bombardment of how I should change…
