Why the “Inner Beauty” Conversation Needs to Change
“Can I want to be beautiful?” is not answered by telling girls to focus on an undefined “inner beauty” or forcing them to mentally accept a body they struggle to embrace. It is answered by showing them the balance of God-defined body image.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Apocrypha
The Apocrypha is the set of books found in the Catholic bible but not in most Protestant versions of the Word. If you grew up non-Catholic (or even if you grew up Catholic) you might not know the history of these books or why the Catholic Church accepts them, and the Protestant does not. In this episode of Verity we delve into church history to explain how this difference came to be, and why!
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Epistles
The epistles – letters of Paul, James, Peter and others – reflect the daily walking out of the gospel as we learn it in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These books were quickly reproduced and distributed among the early churches. In this episode of Verity podcast, we discuss why the epistles can be trusted as authoritative and their importance to the whole canon of Scripture.
An Open Letter to Every New Bride
They tell you the rose-colored glasses come off. And the newness you feel now – that excitement of standing on the brink – it will unfold into the new-old of day to day, still novel, yet normal. Don’t let it go.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Gospels
Moving from the Old to the New Testament in the gospels at last, this episode of Verity podcast delves into the reliability of the gospels, how they were written, why their date of authorship matters, and more!
The gospels build on the Old Testament foundation and rely heavily on the witness of the prophets. Jesus liberally quotes the Old Testament as proof of His own authority. Knowing both is important to appreciating the authority of Scripture.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Writings
The Writings are the third portion of the Hebrew Bible, made up of books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These books were believed, by the Jews, to have one level less authority than prophetic books. Some of them were debated regarding canonicity, such as Song of Songs. But interestingly, it is books of Wisdom/Writings (the Ketuvim) that are read at every major Jewish festival.
How the Bible Was Canonized: The Prophets
The Prophets are the second of three sections in the original Hebrew Bible. Now that we know how the canon of Torah was established, it’s important to ask HOW and WHEN the prophetic (and historical) books were deemed authoritative.
In this episode of the Canon Series on Verity, we delve into the canonization process and history behind these books.
How the Bible Was Canonized: Torah
This series answers ALL your questions about the compilation of Scripture from the beginning to the end! In this first episode on the canon of Torah, we discuss the first five books of the Old Testament (also called the Pentateuch), who authored them, and how they lay a foundation for the rest of the Bible.
Racism and the Western Church
How do we respond to racism as believers in Christ? Where is the balance between what the world teaches and how we, the church, should respond?
In this special bonus episode of Verity with Phylicia Masonheimer, I interview my friends and co-pastors Emmanuel and Samantha Danso of Grace Innovation Church in London, United Kingdom. They offer a gospel perspective on an issue that is dividing many in the body of Christ.
God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle
There’s this rumor that God won’t give us more than we can handle.
We use the line as a comfort when our friends encounter hard times. We console ourselves with it when life becomes overwhelming. But the scary thing about this rumor is that it’s quite simply untrue.
To the Girl Who Doesn’t Love God
I knew love as a choice. Even when falling in love with my husband, it was the product of a planned, discerned choice for a man who shared my values and life goals. Love was not an impulse, sometimes not even an emotion. It was an action. It was resolve.
The Day I Scheduled God Out of My Life
It goes against my nature to not schedule something. But I’ve found that God can’t be scheduled in every season. I have learned to arrange my life to be reminded of Him throughout the day: fifteen minutes at the kitchen table, ten minutes while nursing, five minutes on a walk, fifteen minutes at midnight. God isn’t looking for a consecutive minutes spent on Him. He’s looking for hearts that seek Him wholly.
Dear Girl, Not Everyone Will Like You
If you are seeking God and His approval, you will walk in such a way that you need not fear offending those around you. You will walk in the fruits of the Spirit – love, kindness, self-control – that make us more ‘likeable’ in general. But you will not be bound to people-pleasing because you will have pleased the One whose opinion truly matters.
44 Questions We Asked Before Getting Engaged
Before we were engaged, Josh and I asked each other a LOT of questions. Getting engaged is a big decision and we wanted to be as united as possible before making that jump! Recently I shared that Josh and I went on some “special” dates when we were dating – dates a little different than what you see on Pinterest.
You Are as Safe From Sin as You Are Close to Christ
Years ago it was Pastor Bob Coy of Fort Lauderdale’s Calvary Chapel; more recently Willow Creek, John Crist. Each time what I feel is not surprise, not shock, but a deep disappointment – not because I expected the failure – but because I’ve seen this same event every few months for years. More than anything, I’m saddened.
And I’m also scared.
Why I Didn’t Marry My “Type”
God doesn’t want his men confined. He wants them strong, free, and bold, ready to stand up for Him and lead their families in their faith and freedom. So that’s what he gave me: An un-boxed man.
Dear Husband, I Don’t Know You Yet
A lilac bush scraped the glass every time the wind danced through its branches, and with each scrape I paused over the list before me. I was leaned against my hope chest in the sunlight, my bible at my elbow, chewing on the end of my pen as I thought carefully over each bullet point. I tried to keep my cursive even so it looked pretty. After all, I planned to have this list a long time: I was only sixteen.
Eight years later I found the List. It was folded neatly in the back of my high school bible…
How Does a Busy Couple Make Time For God?
Early in our marriage Josh traveled often for work and it was tempting to use the time we had together selfishly, at the expense of our mutual walk with the Lord. So in our dating and engaged season, and now our married life of six years, we have implemented some methods to keep us in the Word in the midst of busy times.
What I’d Tell My Daughter On Her Wedding Day
She’ll be standing there, a flower on her chest, watching me put on my makeup. My bridesmaids will hover and the photographer will click and they will all be helping me, including her. But they only know me now; she knew me before them all. After all, I was her baby once. Now I’m going to be his.
Why My Boyfriend Called My Dad
When I was single, I asked the guys I dated to call my dad once they wanted to make it "official". Looking back on those years, I asked myself - did this standard really serve me well? The answer is an unwavering "Yes". I would not do it any other way. While this...
Resisting Holy: How to Embrace Your Identity in Christ
I am on board with striving for holiness. I will dedicate to holiness, read about it, pray about it… but to take the title Holy? To stand before a perfect God and claim worthiness like this? Not me.
How to Grasp God’s Vision for Your Life
What is a vision in terms of life as a woman? The Dictionary defines it as the “the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be”. Synonyms are perception and discernment. But being a visionary does not mean becoming a professional worrywart. To understand what it means to have vision and thus, how to keep it, we must see how it directly impacts our lives.
Go With Him Two: Jesus’ Call to Selfless Service
I flipped open my notebook and read over scribbled notes dated April 24th. Matthew 5:38-42 38 “The law of Moses says, ‘If a man gouges out another’s eye, he must pay with his own eye. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the one who did it.’ 39 But I...
Eight Ways to Love Your Sister
The dim lighting of past years had shielded me from the truth, but there it was in blue and purple: the mark of womanhood. Spider veins. I completed the natural first step: I screamed. Then the natural second step: I texted my sister: "OMW I HAVE SPIDER VEINS ON MY...