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Making Time for Catechesis In A Busy Schedule
By Vanessa Rasanen You don’t have to be a working mom and wife to have a hectic schedule, nor do you need to be a parent for catechesis to be important. But when your schedule is nuts, finding just five minutes seems daunting. Even the shortest of devotionals or the simplest of catechism routines can often take much longer than expected when you consider having to wrangle squirmy kids while hunting down the materials that got buried under this week’s mail or laundry or dishes or all of the above. Then the world distracts to no end — even if we manage to sit down with our Bible or our Small…
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It’s Not All About You… or Me
By Vanessa Rasanen Whatever your social media of choice — be it Facebook, twitter, instagram, or whatever — you are likely inundated with friends, acquaintances, perhaps even complete strangers sharing tidbits of themselves through opinions, thoughts, memories, or general goings-on. Given the incredibly narcissistic time in which we live – there’s even a book about it – it shouldn’t be surprising how often these tidbits feel like a slap in our face. I remember reading my friend’s post about being a stay at home mom last year. I read about her joy of “making memories” and somehow twisted it all into meaning my not being home meant I was NOT making memories. Because, you know,…
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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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The Harm of Sharing Personal Testimony
By Vanessa Rasanen Witness and testimony are good and biblical, but somewhere along the lines these became little about Jesus and much more about us. Instead of sharing the Gospel — the good news of His Grace and Salvation (and, ahem, why people need it) — too often we’re sharing stories of life-change or conversion. Left and right, here and there, we hear stories — moving, emotional, impressive, and heartbreaking — of how faith in Christ has helped someone, picked them up out of the rubble, dragged them away from the rock-bottom they had hit, and brought them into a life of joy and peace. Now, I like a good motivational story as much as the next…
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Preparing for Birth Surprises
By Vanessa Rasanen There’s something that happens to moms after birth. On one hand we somehow forget — perhaps with some time — the aches, the pain, the anxiety, and all the less-than-fun aspects of pregnancy and birth. On the other hand we rarely forget the key points of those blessed days. While we may not remember every little detail, no amount of mom-brain and no amount of sleep-deprivation can erase the memories of where we were, what we were doing, and how long we labored for those sweet little ones to enter our arms. My memory certainly isn’t what it used to be in my pre-mom days, yet I…
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When Christians Let You Down
By Vanessa Rasanen We Christians are the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14). As such we are to show Jesus to those around us, to live out our lives as testimonies to the amazing grace He bestows, and to help others hear His Word and receive this saving faith of the Holy Spirit. Funny thing about us, Christians, though. We kinda suck at it. We pretty much muck everything up (just like everyone else). Though clothed in the righteousness of Christ, while we walk this earth we are yet still sinners – plagued by our Old Adam who beckons us to come and play. Bottom…
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Having Kids in a Broken and Scary World
By Vanessa Rasanen Parenting is an awesomely hard gig somedays. Amidst the laughs and fun we have our share of messes and frustrations, tears and fights. But above all it’s the worry that wears me the most thin. If I claimed to never fear or worry about what life will bring for our children, it’d be a total lie. Then the news hits. Another atrocity. More heartache somewhere for someone. And I struggle to block it all out so I don’t completely fall apart and fail to be a wife and mom. Inevitably the question comes up… “Why have kids at all when the world is so awful?” And shamefully I admit it…
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Can Doctrine Become an Idol?
By Vanessa Rasanen Now, I’m a fairly new Lutheran, and certainly no expert or authority on our beliefs, but I at least know we hold our confessions in high esteem. We are often passionate and perhaps a bit stubborn. I, personally, don’t see this as bad. I think this fervor has helped to keep us rooted in scriptural truth for centuries. Yet I have often heard the warning: “Doctrine can become an idol”. And typically from folks who have left the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, actually. For months, I pondered this, weighing it for any possible validity. Were my friends right? Was my church, were my pastors, were all the historical theologians possibly making an…
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Offering Forgiveness When You Would Rather Not
By Vanessa Rasanen This Spring was hard. Well, about 6 months of this year was hard. I’d like to say that was solely due to our losing three babies early into the pregnancies, but to be honest, peace for our lost little ones came somewhat quickly. Much quicker than I expected. Yes, even after the first loss. Instead, I traded grief and mourning for bitterness and frustration. Okay, frustration is a lie. I was pissed. Hurt, angry, enraged. Seething, might be a good word. Someone’s words regarding that first miscarriage had hit hard and cut deep just a day or two after we found out. The initial shock and disbelief soon…
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Better to Eat Bacon Than Listen to Christian Music
By Vanessa Rasanen Imagine for a second that you are offered two plates. One piled high with bacon. The other with brightly colored vegetables. Which do you choose? Bacon, we’re told, is bad for us. While I think that’s rather debatable, I wouldn’t dare call it a health food. As such, I eat it rather sparingly — even if the 10 packs in my cart this last shopping trip suggested otherwise. I eat bacon, because I like it — not because I expect it to make me healthy or fit or improve my physique. So naturally those veggies seem like a better option. But what if they’re not regular veggies?…
