-
Helping A Sister Through Sadness
By Holly Scheer Sometimes a sister we love is suffering, and for all our desire to help, we simply don’t know what to do. Whether it’s a grief that stretches over time or a temporary sadness, the suffering of our loved ones and friends is difficult to bear. Here are some simple suggestions for showing care and concern for a suffering sister. Pray for her. Sometimes it can feel trite to tell someone we’re praying for them but it’s not. Prayer is powerful and should be our first step. Pray for her, and pray with her if she wants. Ask if she wants to be added to the prayer list…
-
Craving Popularity in the Church
By Holly Scheer The church seems like the last place that popularity should matter. After all, aren’t we all sinners, desperate for grace? Aren’t we all on equal footing as we wait for God’s very good gifts? Unfortunately, it often seems or feels like there’s a hierarchy in both the church and the synod. It doesn’t take long for it to become clear that, just like in any group, there are the people who seem to be sought out, admired, looked up to — and those who aren’t. It can feel like we see the same names writing books and devotionals, the same faces leading the fellowship meal committees and hosting…
-
Comfort for Those Tending to the Lord’s Littlest Sheep, Part 2
by Keri Wolfmueller Understanding Age Appropriate Behavior Greetings! If you are just now joining us, please see Comfort for Those Tending to the Lord’s Littlest Sheep, Part 1. Surprisingly, one of the most valid arguments against having children in church is sometimes brought to us from educators or pediatricians. These men and women have invested years into studying how children learn, how to best instruct them, how to care for them, and keep them healthy. (Please note the use of the word sometimes, this is not an absolute to these vocations.) The argument goes something like this, “It is not appropriate to expect young children to sit through an hour…
-
Motherhood as Vocation
There are few vocations as riddled with fruitless worry as that of motherhood. For many of us this begins as soon we find out we’re pregnant, with questions of what to eat, how our lives will change, what will remain the same, and all of the concerns over whether or not the baby will be healthy. Indeed, anxiety dreams during pregnancy are almost legendary—I know I once had a vivid dream that I was actually pregnant with a three-legged pony. It’s not as if these concerns stop once the baby is born. How many of us have sat up in the middle of the night with a screaming baby and…
