Last week, in a sermon on marriage, Mark Driscoll made a comment that launched him to internet infamy (again). Buckle up, here we go: “And some women – you’re a nag. You’re disrespectful. You’re quarrelsome. Being married to you is like a life sentence, and the guy’s just scratching on his wall every day, ‘One [...]
I have a confession to make. I haven’t been communicating very carefully for the last couple weeks. And whether or not anyone but me has noticed that (I think some people have), I feel like I need to come clean, apologize, and change. Here’s the thing. Careful communication is very, very important to me. Avoid [...]
The internet can be a brutal place. Some days, the Christian blogosphere feels more like the Roman Colosseum than Athen’s Mars Hill, a gladiatorial circus where Christian Soldiers wield sharp words against their brothers and sisters in Christ, pitting the strength of their platforms to character assassination. I’m quite certain Satan (whose very name means [...]
Is it just me, or have instances of men running for public office saying outrageous things about women’s reproductive systems hit an all-time high? It’s possible I just never noticed it before. In my mid-thirties, I’ve lived through a blessedly limited number of election cycles. My aversion to television and talk radio has kept my [...]
The blogosphere can be a bizarre place, a bubbling cauldron of controversy, rhetoric, and vitriol. Sometimes, I’m not too fond of it. I haven’t been blogging a lot lately. Yes, I’m still tired from a whirlwind summer. Yes, I needed to get the kids into their school routines. But mostly, I’ve needed to think. I’ve [...]
Yesterday, a friend forwarded me a link about the rise of acid attacks in Colombia. I was appalled. I had heard of acid attacks in places like India and Afghanistan, but South America? It got me thinking once again about the horror of these sorts of attacks, the hatefulness. While acid is sometimes used against [...]
All week I’ve been thanking my lucky stars (and, erm, God) that I don’t live within 150 miles of the now-infamous poultry sandwich establishment, and that most of my far-North friends have no innate loyalty to the Southern chicken chain. For me, the ugly, aggravating, and to my mind incredibly stupid debate has played out [...]
When I was a baby, my Auntie Lynn gave me a beautiful plaque inscribed with my name, its meaning, and a Bible verse, plucked from Proverbs 31: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” It was the first Bible verse I memorized, the words sinking deep into [...]
After the flooding that hit my hometown, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued warnings to avoid several beaches. The sewer systems had been compromised, and high levels of E.coli bacteria were found in the water. In other words: Stay out of the water, or you’ll find yourself swimming in–well–you get the idea. That’s kind of [...]
I’ve been thinking about controversy among Christians a lot lately. A writer I follow on Facebook is accused of promoting a “dangerous” liberal theology. Ironically, his theology isn’t liberal at all, just rooted in a historical Christian tradition the accuser wasn’t familiar with. Which must make it “liberal,” right? A Reformed book reviewer labels [...]
Quick: what’s your opinion on gender roles? The debt ceiling? Gay marriage? Politics? War? Predestination? Before you blurt it out–stop. Just stop. Think for a moment about the words that are about to leave your mouth. Are they kind? Thoughtful? Honoring to God? Think about the person who is asking you the question; their background, [...]
If there’s one thing that leaves me completely aghast, it’s Christians hurting one another and using religion to justify their behavior, or citing it as the reason that they didn’t step in to defend the hurting, vulnerable party. It’s the child who is abused on the mission field or in the church, but no one [...]
‘Tis the season for contentious status updates. Every year around this time, faithful followers of the Prince of Peace start picking fights with people who celebrate the “holidays,” and double-dog-daring the 3% of their Facebook followers who aren’t too chicken to do the same. I confess–the picture in this post was my temptation, a snarky [...]
Eugene Cho, pastor, social entrepreneur, blogger, and fellow Covenanter (just had to get that in there!), posted this video on his blog yesterday. It’s over eight minutes long, but seriously? Watch the whole thing. Even if it turns your stomach a bit. Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo. What does it [...]
This morning, as I was continuing my purge of my tiny office, I came across a dusty magazine that someone had passed on to me a couple years back. I was about to toss it in the trash can, when I noticed a prominent Christian leader’s name on the cover, beneath a headline that peaked [...]
Quick: what’s your opinion on gender roles? The debt ceiling? Gay marriage? Michelle Bachmann? War? Predestination? Before you blurt it out–stop. Just stop. Think for a moment about the words that are about to leave your mouth. Are they kind? Thoughtful? Honoring to God? Think about the person who is asking you the question; their [...]
I’m angry. And I’m going to spout off. But I’m going to do it gently, with humility, I hope. The day began normally. I Googled a well-respected Christian author and scholar I was recently introduced to, only to find a blog by two puffed-up pastors denouncing her “sotto voice feminism” (puh-leese) and moaning about the fact [...]
“A Broken Trust,” an article I wrote about domestic violence in the church, is being featured in the April 2011 issue of The Covenant Companion. You can read it online here: http://www.covchurch.org/resources/files/2010/12/4.2011.A-Broken-Trust.pdf Writing this article was a little bit like giving birth–long, hard, and emotionally (and even physically!) draining. But the end result was so, so [...]
Wow, it’s been a LOOOONG time since I blogged! But today I felt compelled to blog about a common, debilitating condition among Christians (and non-Christians, too): outrage. Now, outrage is not always a bad thing. There are plenty of things in this world to be outraged about, and a healthy dose of righteous indignation is [...]
Hi there! I'm Jenny Rae Armstrong, an award-winning writer, speaker, and mommy of four. I live on black coffee and lots of grace (oh, and my husband's incredible cooking). I'm glad you stopped by--stay and chat awhile!
Tim Fall: “Families that don’t talk about money are more likely to end up in a legal dispute.”
Jada and Jon Swanson: “One of the greatest gifts we have given each other is the gift of dreaming BIG!”
Tim: Victoria, you and Rob are going through some very ...
Victoria / Justice Pirate: Great post Tim. Although I was hoping it would be...
Tim: And Rachel, that is why you HAVE to visit us if yo...
rachel- even one sparrow: Congrats on your first kid graduating college! Ho...
Tim: That's my favorite line too, Aimee (even if I do ...
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