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Are You Done Having Children?
By Vanessa Rasanen Two years ago while pregnant with our third child I was astonished by the negativity we received from friend and stranger alike, and the questions and remarks caught me off guard. Needless to say I assumed I’d get the same iffy treatment when we became pregnant with number four this past year. At first some responses lived up to my pessimistic expectations, but those soon tapered off and much to my delight I now encounter only delight and joy (still with the occasional bit of shock, but positive shock, it seems). Yet there is still one question I hear quite often, and — while not in itself…
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Old Adam is Lazy but Adiaphora is No Excuse
By Vanessa Rasanen We learn a lot of new words when we start diving into our theological studies. For those of us not raised in the church it can be a bit overwhelming, but with time, patience, and the willingness to ask a lot of questions without worrying about how silly they might sound, it’s doable and, dare I say it, even fun. Soon enough we find the verbiage of our faith fits effortlessly into everyday conversation. Latin and Greek phrases fall out of our mouths with ease, and we find our groove and settle into our place among our brothers and sisters in Christ. We also have a tendency…
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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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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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Conversation and Consolation of the Brethren
By Vanessa Rasanen I have a confession. I’m not the most patient person. Shocker, I know. I get easily frustrated with others — including (and perhaps especially) with those closest to me, my husband and my children. Even my dogs. I let the day-to-day irritations of life get under my skin more than I should, and I yell, fume, and even — sadly — stomp my feet. To make it all worse I will sometimes vent to friends, privately complaining about the mess the kids made, the struggle we’re having with the kids’ manners, or even the annoying habit of some stranger on the road or at the grocery store. My…
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God Did Not Name This Blog
By Vanessa Rasanen My email seems to have become the electronic version of our snail-mail box — a frustrating and sad mess of junk mail and bills. I’ve spent months upon months unsubscribing and spring cleaning whatever mailing lists I’ve landed on — with one of my 3 (or is it 4?) addresses, but I’m still drowning in junkmail. So I might get a wee-bit excited when I see emails from friends. Okay, those actually don’t happen very often. It must be getting bad, because when I got a mass mailing from a fellow blogger I hadn’t heard from in a while, you wouldn’t believe how exciting that was. So maybe it had…
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Four Ways to Support Missions
By Vanessa Rasanen We want to help this ministry or that mission, but we only see the big ways to do so — seminary to become a pastor or becoming a missionary and personally setting our own boots to the ground. Yet we often have other vocations and limitations that prevent these paths being chosen — be that the young children in our keep, physical limitations on our abilities, or financial strains on our budgets. We need not throw up our hands in defeat, though, deciding it simply isn’t our job to help these people and shrugging off our desire to do more. We can help and serve even when…
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6 Ways to Support the Military in Your Congregation
By Vanessa Rasanen Our nation has been at war for a decade and a half — even if the word “war” isn’t actually used. While our media has slowed in their coverage, many military families continue to face deployments, separation, and hardships. Now, before you click away thinking this post doesn’t apply to you or your church, not so fast. Whether your congregation is one block or hundreds of miles from the nearest military installation, you may have military and their families in attendance. National guardsmen and reservists often live away from their units, perhaps even in entirely different states. While families differ in their needs and preferences for support, the…
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For Those Weary in Discernment
By Vanessa Rasanen I am tired. And while a lot of that could be blamed on pregnancy exhaustion and restless sleep, some of it has to do with discernment. Discernment is tiring. How wonderful would it be if we could trust anything with the “Jesus” label on it? How awesomely simple would it be if we could determine Truth based on how we feel? Yet, it’s not that easy. As I’ve grown in my understanding of scripture and Lutheran doctrine, I’ve found myself becoming more wary when approaching the Christian writing of others, whether in blog posts, books, or even simple tweets. A red flag automatically raises when words initiate…
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Married with Friends
By Vanessa Rasanen My best friends in kindergarten were dudes. Twin boys, actually. Sure, I went on to have girl friends, but throughout school I usually felt more comfortable with the guys. Being an engineer certainly made it easier – if not a necessity – to befriend guys, and even after my husband and I were married, I still remained friends with the guys at work. Now most of my friends are on social media – no judging, please – and I have a nice mix of men and women in my friend pool, most of whom are not mutual friends with my husband. Many have warned me about this – especially as my blog garnered…
