Category: everyday life
“You Are More Than…” Best Mother’s Day Sermon EVER!
Mother's Day sermons are notoriously awful. Sentimental tripe that leaves some women feeling smugly self-satisfied, while others leave licking their wounds. But not this Mother's Day sermon, given by my friend James Walsh, an associate pastor at my church. Seriously? You've got ...
We Are the Pharisees
Pharisees get a bad rap. I know, I know--there's that whole "brood of vipers," "conspiring to kill Jesus" thing. Not their brightest moments. But did you know that several of Jesus' followers, and many, many members of the early church, were ...
Taking Care of Business
Just for fun--this is some very shaky footage I took at the DeepWater JAM, our version of a "recital." This is the song that kicked off the JAM, with some of our youngest students. The kids are 8-11 (except for ...
Oppressors, Activists, and Spiritual Stinginess: St. Paul’s Guide to Praying Better Prayers
"And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ." -Philemon 1:6 I was reading Philemon this weekend, and many things ...
(I know, I know--another inflammatory title. But if you're not feeling a bit inflamed by the end of this post, I don't know what's wrong with you.) Wading through statistics makes me cranky. My inner journalist, latent as she may be, ...
Simulcasting, Shacking Up, and Very Bad Blogging
I will be the first to admit that I have been a Very Bad Blogger lately. I gave myself permission to put my online presence aside for Lent, but by the time Easter rolled around, I had other things to ...
(Disclaimer--I am recovering from the flu, and only have a few minutes to bang out this post, so I am going to apologize in advance for the gross lack of citation. But that's what Google is for, right?) This isn't exactly ...
We're on the second week of the study I'm facilitating on "Half the Church," and I'm loving the discussions we're been having. I've been so blessed by the insights the women in my community have, and the stories they share. However, this has ...
Living in the Mess: The Problem With Outcome-Based Christianity
My post about the orphan crisis and world missions is up at Red Letter Christians today. I've always struggled a little with that post, feeling that it didn't quite express what I wanted to get across, so imagine my delight ...
Natasha and Sophie’s Radical Challenge
If you've read this blog for long, you know how much I loved "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream" by David Platt. Well, my friend Natasha loved it too, and blogged through the entire book. Now, she ...
Evangelicals and Eating Disorders
Yep, you read that right. "Evangelicals and Eating Disorders." That's what I'm writing about today. Rachel Stone just rocked my world with her post "How Patriarchy Gave Me an Eating Disorder." I didn't quite have the courage to share it on ...
Russell the Singing Sample Man: On Using Your Voice, Wherever You Are
Isn't it amazing when you meet someone whose gift just flows out of them, bubbling up and pouring out like an artesian spring, wherever they are, whatever they're doing? I had that experience yesterday. The first snowstorm of the year landlocked ...
Attention: No Anacondas Allowed!
It's been a busy couple weeks, and I haven't had much time to blog, so I figured I'd repost something I wrote a year and a half ago, just in case you could use a laugh. Yes, this is my ...
My Husband Rocks (Literally)
My husband is one of the most gifted people I know, and I'm not just saying that because of my good taste in marrying him. :-) Aaron is an absolutely incredible teacher, one of those people who can take complex, ...
I don't know about you, but I tend to be an all-or-nothing person. Hot or cold. In or out. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might," and all that jazz. This can be a great thing, ...
Apples and Introspection: Rosh Hashanah, Wisconsin-Style
One of my all-time favorite bloggers, Rachel Held Evans, has been learning about Judaism as part of her "Year of Biblical Womanhood" project. Yesterday she posted about Rosh Hashanah (including a yummy challah recipe from a Jewish friend), which peaked ...
Getting Schooled: It’s NOT All About Us
Figuring out how to balance going back to school with a job and 4 kids has not been easy. Sometimes I'm tempted to whine, about the expense, the time it takes, and whether or not furthering my education will actually ...
A Million Little Things
Lately, I have been getting the urge to blog again. A million little things crossing my mind--"ooh, I should blog about that!". So far, I haven't. But now I'm thinking, why not? Taking a couple minutes out of my overcrowded ...
Fixing the Fit
Today when Carter, age 7, got off the bus, he complained that his feet hurt. Looking down, I saw the problem. "Your shoes are on the wrong feet, buddy," I pointed out."They usually are," he replied, completely non-chalant.After I quit laughing ...
Proofreading Symbols and Signs of the Times
I figured that my kids would eventually reach the point in their education when helping them with their homework would require more than a cursory glance on my part. But I didn't expect it to happen like this.Tonight, my nine-year-old ...
…and then, my dog died…
I guess there's not much more to say than that. :-(He was a gentle, patient dog that had been a part of our family since Jamison was a one-year-old, curly-headed Gerber-baby-clone. We'd known this was coming for a couple months, and ...
A Better Thought…
I am replacing my previous post, in which I fretted about politics, self-employment, and my children's welfare, with something better:"Do not worry and say, What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed? ...
Patches: Lost and Found
When I came home from my grandparents 60th anniversary celebration (yay!) last night, Patches was nowhere to be found. Since Patches is fifteen years old (that's Jamison, my 12 year old, hugging the harassed shitzu-poo--note the cool breed name and spiffy 1990's ...
"Oh Captain, My Captain"
So Carter, in an attempt to civilize his annoying baby brother, established a school in the kitchen, drawing charts and stars on our refrigerator (which is coated with blackboard paint) and teaching Grant proper school ettiquete. The school was running quite smoothly ...
It’s ALIIIVE!!!
I LOVE starting things. I love the creativity of brainstorming and fleshing out ideas, the excitement of seeing those ideas become reality and take on a life of their own, the thrill of riding the momentum created by a really good idea picking up speed ...
Focus, Girl, Focus!
So, I haven't blogged since--erm--spring? Wow! Well, I've had a good excuse--a full load of classes, kids home all summer, and more work than I had planned on doing, which is a good thing, but also a busy thing. But ...
Prayers from a 6 Year Old
Carter: "Dear God, thank you for this wonderful day, and thank you for the food. And thank you for making our world better than the dinosaurs' world--especially the stupid cavemans.":-DRead more at http://jennyraearmstrong.blogspot.com.
Dogs in Boyland
It's astonishing how much young male dogs act like young boys. So, I came home from my vacation to find that my twins (Oberon and Apollo--Apollo decided to take an extended vacation in Obie's yard for the winter, and I ...
Rest
I did not realize until this afternoon how exhausted I was.Again.I can't help but wonder--is exhaustion just the natural by-product of being a mom?Or maybe the by-product of living in a world where your mental energies are constantly taxed, while your body ...
Overheard in the Poplar Market…
(Man obviously surprised to see a friend.): "Well, whaddaya know!"(Smart alec friend): "Not much. How ya doin'?":-D I love Wisconsin. :-DRead more at http://jennyraearmstrong.blogspot.com.
