As a child, I was the shy, sensitive, sickly girl who cried at the drop of a hat. Because I did not seem as physically or emotionally resilient as the children around me, I felt fragile by comparison. It turns out that I am not so fragile. In fact, I can be downright persistent when I […]
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Beauty and Brokenness
I’ve heard the songs, the stories, the gooey, gushy narratives about the beauty in brokenness. God loves us just as we are, and there is no point in pretending we are any better off than we actually are. I’ve also heard the pushback. Is all this all this talk about brokenness just celebrating failure? Shouldn’t […]
Teaching Young Children about Social Justice: An Interview with Beth Bruno
One of my favorite things about Don’t Hide Your Light Under a Laundry Basket is that I got to feature the voices of some of my favorite people in the book. Today’s interview is with Beth Bruno. Enjoy! Tell us about yourself, your family, and how motherhood and ministry connect in your life. I live […]
Baseball, Beatitudes, and Being a Disciple.
“God is like a parent watching a little league game, beaming with pride every time his awkward little kid steps up to the plate. He’s not withholding his approval until we reach the major leagues—even when we miss the swing, God is yelling ‘Great try! Now square up and lift your elbow a little.’ Then he turns […]
If Only: Regret and the Real Nature of Church Growth
Got regret? Today’s guest post is from my wise friend Michelle Van Loon, whose new book, If Only, focuses on the taboo topic of regret, and how in Jesus “past regrets can be transformed into present wisdom and a flourishing, free future.” Seriously. You are going to want a copy of this book. My friend […]
Loneliness, Community, and Loving the Common Enemy
I've been reading The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee for one of my classes. It talks about the epidemic of loneliness in the United States, the impact individualism has had on the American psyche, and how strong, cohesive groups, from the Crips to the Amish, the military to the Benedictines, create a sense of true […]
Love Should Never Include Disclaimers: Why Christians Need to Stop Trying to “Fix” People
There was a time when I thought it was my Christian duty to point out anything I thought someone was doing wrong. I called out teachers for being too hard on other kids. If the pastor said something I disagreed with in a sermon, I informed him of it afterward. I made sure people on […]
Mismatched Dishes and Thanksgiving: The Beauty of Imperfection
It didn’t occur to me until I saw the pictures cropping up on Facebook. Beautiful tables set with sparkling place settings. I glanced back at the picture my husband had snapped and posted. The food looked as good as it had tasted, but sure enough, our table was set with decades-old mismatched dishes. Instead of […]
When We Are Impatient With God’s Work in Our Lives.
I read Isaiah 1 this morning. It's a powerful passage, one that is often quoted in justice-oriented circles because of it's condemnation of empty religious rituals and insistence that righteousness means helping the oppressed, defending the cause of orphans and fighting for the rights of widows. Good stuff. But, hoo boy. It's kinda dumb to […]
“Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable”: Lament as an Act of Worship
Here’s the last post from my friend Pam on dealing with the “waves of adversity” in our lives. I am becoming an avid cyclist, some would describe me as a obsessive cyclist, but I enjoy cycling and participating in road races. It’s a newer passion and I find myself being coached and encouraged by those […]
Are you going to live a little more or die a little bit? Joan Chittister on the spirituality of struggle.
My friend Pam and I spoke at a women’s conference in Moose Lake, MN recently, about the “waves of adversity” we all face in our lives. I’ll be posting follow-ups for the next couple weeks, so the women who were there (and anyone who wasn’t!) can continue to chew on and discuss the topic. This […]
Stillness in the Storm
My friend Pam and I spoke at a women’s conference in Moose Lake, MN recently, about the “waves of adversity” we all face in our lives. I’ll be posting follow-ups for the next couple weeks, so the women who were there (and anyone who wasn’t!) can continue to chew on and discuss the topic. This […]
Should Christian Women Color Their Hair? On Dissatisfaction, Cultural Conformity, and Battling the Inner Barbie
A couple weeks ago, I had about a foot of hair cut off my head. When you’re the busy mother of four, and have the sort of Hermione-meets-Rapunzel hair that you can almost watch grow, it’s easier to just twist the whole mass up on your head, secure it with industrial-strength hair accessories, and forget […]
How Do You Preach the Gospel and Breastfeed? Adventures of a Female Evangelist
I’m thrilled to be featuring a guest post from Jessica Fick, who I met last week on Twitter and promptly fell in love with. (The fact that she happened to be in Wisconsin right then for an evangelistic crusade at UW-River Falls didn’t hurt, either–the photos in this post are from that.) Enjoy! I pulled […]
Faking It: Why You Should Stop Treating Your Husband Like a Toddler, and ACTUALLY Respect Him.
There’s something I’ve noticed about many popular Christian marriage books and speakers. They don’t seem to have a very high opinion of men. Oh, they think that men should be “in charge.” But often, it is implied that women should just wink and nod knowingly at one another, that although everyone knows women are the […]
Author, speaker, and mommy of four, living on coffee and lots of grace. Pastor at Darrow Road Wesleyan Church. Student at North Park Theological Seminary. Passionate about justice, mercy, and the "one anothers."
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- 50 Shades of Broken: Why Do Women Fantasize About Abuse?
- John Piper, Women in Combat, and How Gender Roles Fall Short of the Glory of Humankind
- How Much Money Does it Take to Be A Good Christian Woman?
- Faking It: Why You Should Stop Treating Your Husband Like a Toddler, and ACTUALLY Respect Him.
- Asking for a Friday FAVOR! What Do You Think Belongs In a Book About Mutual Marriages?
- I am never sure what to say…
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When you’re having a sleepless night of the soul
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Who do you hate? And is it right for you to be angry?
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Wives, Submission, and Slavery, Oh My! A Sermon on the Household Codes
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When you’re not good enough, and it’s okay.
- Comparing the Anointing Stories - Marg Mowczko: […] For a detailed analysis of the anointing...
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dan ohlerking: great thoughts. working on a message for our team ...
- Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany | Marg Mowczko: […] [9] Jenny Rae Armstrong has written a be...
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Teresa Castillo: I was so blessed to find this article. Only today ...
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Jeannie, RN: You really muddy the water when you add your unedu...
