All Laziness is Spiritual Laziness
In my 5-day Overcomer’s Email Course, I never fail to get a response on Day Three’s email: laziness. “Oh man, this is my struggle,” the emails pour in. “It’s so hard to motivate myself to do what I need to do each day!” Laziness is no stranger to us. Even the most productive people have sneaky ways to be lazy if they let themselves; little distractions and insignificant tasks they use to procrastinate what really matters. But we don’t talk much about laziness in the church because – much like gossip or physical boundaries – we don’t see it as a spiritual problem.
This is Why You Can’t Overcome Temptation
As a young “Christian”, my walk with God was little more than trying to follow rules. Trying to overcome temptation was an uphill battle against an ever-prefailing human self. I spent my Bible study trying to memorize the “lists” of Christian character qualities in the New Testament – then attempted to implement those virtues on my own strength. It’s no surprise I failed to overcome temptation – my walk with God wasn’t much to speak of, since God wasn’t very much part of it at all!
A Pregnant Student is Not the Problem
This weekend I read Maddi Runkles’ story: How she discovered she was pregnant her senior year of high school, confessed to her school, and consequential to the sexual sin that caused the pregnancy was not allowed to attend classes or walk in their graduation (though she did receive a diploma). I then read the statement by Heritage Academy – why they dealt with a pregnant student in the manner they did.
How to Make Time for Reading
One of my most frequently asked questions is, “How do you have time for reading?” Between working from home, momming a toddler, and at the writing of this post growing a second little baby, reading has to be prioritized or it won’t happen! Reading is one of my passions, but for many years it had to go on the back burner. My teens and early twenties (up to age 25, really) were spent working full time while also taking college classes. I only had to time to read my assigned work, not the books I longed to read!
Ten Must-Read Posts on Biblical Sexuality
Biblical sexuality is a topic shrouded by confusion. A lot of black and white lines are drawn in places that often feel very… gray. Pursuing biblical sexuality isn’t as simple as not having sex before marriage, either; biblical sexuality is the active pursuit of God’s ultimate intention for our lives. What is that intention? Holiness! It is holiness that keeps us in relationship with Him – a holiness bought by Christ and maintained by the Holy Spirit, for whom our bodies are temples. This is why sexual sin is so grievous, and why biblical sexuality is such a worthy pursuit.
How to Let Go of the Guy You Grew Up With
You know who I’m talking about.
There are pictures of the two of you in diapers. Your moms have known each other for twenty-plus years. Or maybe you met through youth group in 9th grade and were inseparable until high school graduation. You were always “just friends” – nothing more – until he started dating.
Then something changed.
The “Never Enough” of Crunchy Motherhood
I am a home birth mom.
Having my babies at home thrusts me into the world of crunchy motherhood – a place I never imagined I would be. Before our first child I was a gimme-the-drugs diva who thought cloth diapers and vaccination fights were for crazies. Now I’m in the middle of crunchy mom world, somewhere between moon child and manicured prepster, unwilling to give up either aspect of my mothering identity.
Where Conservatism Goes Wrong
This week on the Uniquely Woman podcast, we are tackling an issue that plagues conservative circles: Basing worldview on a reaction to the world rather than on what the Bible says.
We provide a few examples of this – e.g., holding motherhood up as the highest calling of women, viewing women as objects of sexual temptation instead of humans made in the image of God, and advancing courtship as the answer to hookup culture.
Ten Things to Do While You’re Waiting
I talk about waiting a lot. Waiting is part of being human; it’s not something we only do while single or in college. We’ll always be waiting for something.
But a season of waiting doesn’t mean sitting still. To the contrary, our waiting seasons can be a time of great productivity! Whether the season lasts a few weeks or a few years, here are ten ways to steward this time well.
Open Yourself to God’s Unexpected Will
God’s will. We wonder what it looks like. We think discovering is the key to the future; that God has a grand blueprint for our lives, unalterable by our choices. We tell people “God has a wonderful plan for your life!” instead of “God wants to walk through every day with you!”, and the resulting worldview serves only to box God in.
Every Heart Kneels to Something
I read it a hundred times, in several different versions, but never in the version in front of me. I kneel over the page and read it again:
“…I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:1-2, HCSB)
Do not be conformed to this age.
Is Biblical Submission Dangerous?
I was clicking through some of my referral links – the ones that send people to my page – and one pingback took me to a girl’s blog where she expressed her distaste for my post, “The 5 Myths of Modesty”. But her dislike for my stance wasn’t limited to the belief that women can wear whatever they like, regardless of responsibility or consequences; rather, Hannah expressed: “I just want to speak about my opinion of this dangerous, “submissive-attitude”.”
Submission: is it dangerous, like Hannah claims? I addressed this issue as it relates to modesty in my post, That Day My Husband Told Me What to Do. Subsequently, I did some research in both secular and Christian sources to evaluate both worldviews.
When God Gives Your Sister What You’ve Been Praying For
It might be a boyfriend, a marriage, a baby, or a job. Whatever it is – she has it, and you don’t.
If you’ve walked this path beside her for a while it probably feels unfair. If you’ve been waiting longer than she has, it may seem unfairer still. Yet it happens all the time: God gives your sister the very thing for which you’re waiting. How do you respond?
Dear Christian: Become the “Spiritual Leader” You’re Looking For
The words “spiritual leader” are synonymous with Christian dating culture. If you’re a single Christian woman, you’ve been taught, told, and everything short of commanded to only date men who are spiritual leaders. We talk about this as if the term is actually written in Scripture (it isn’t, though it’s insinuated: Eph. 5:22-23, 1 Cor. 11). The result? A confusing, limiting conversation that is straying further and further from the biblical model of church and family structure.
Don’t Wait Until You’re Worthy
To-do list ran into appointment which ran into dinner, and before I knew it the clock read 5 PM. I’d done everything I needed to do – except the one thing that really mattered.
Overwhelmed with guilt, I glanced at the Bible propped up on my cookbook stand. I’m sorry, I whispered. Why is it so hard to make time for You?
The Difficult Road to Lasting Friendship
This week on Uniquely Woman, Lisa and I are tackling the next episode in our friendship series. We’re discussing how to prepare your heart for deeper friendships, as well as how to keep the bonds of those friendships strong. We women long for friendships, but in so many seasons of life they seem beyond our grasp.
This is the Sex Talk You Never Had
“Is lingerie sinful?”
“What is oral sex?”
“How do I get over my husband’s sexual history?”
These questions have a common denominator: many of their authors never received a sex talk. If they did, it was insufficient or laced with the influence of cultural worldviews. Our Christian young women are seeking answers about their sexuality.
The world is ready to give them what they want.
We need to reach them first.
Why We Need Sexual Discipleship
Christians are already being sexually discipled – by the world. Young women learn about sex from Cosmo magazine, novels, and girl’s nights. Young men are exposed to pornography at as young as eight years old. Sexual addictions and perversions are as present in the church as they are in our culture, but no one wants to speak up because of the shame.
The ENTJ’s Guide to Not Messing Up Your Marriage
Three years ago this February, Josh and I stood on a stage and committed to honor one another for life.
We said our vows.
We exchanged our rings.
We shared our first kiss.
And after our guests went home, the honeymoon ended, and real life began, I discovered something astonishing: I’m not cut out for this.
Three years later, I’m still not cut out for it – yet here we are.
Finding Grace After Moving: How to Transition Well to a New City
This week on Uniquely Woman, Lisa and I are discussing a topic brought up at the podcast meetup we hosted in December. How do you acclimate to a new life after you move? Moving changes your whole life and it can take a while to find your footing.
Also, we had some sound issues with this recording and while we edited out as much as we could, this episode has a lower sound quality than our typical podcast. Thanks for your understanding and for listening!
Angry Wives and the Men Who Love Them
I used to think if I stayed pretty enough, slim enough, “made an effort”, it would make up for my hot temper. It didn’t.
I used to think if I managed my house with the superwoman ability of June Cleaver, he wouldn’t notice the lash of tongue. But he did.
He once told me there was nothing that pushed him away more than an angry woman. Yet here he is, married to someone with all that potential, and he loves her anyway. He loves me anyway. It doesn’t make sense.
Dear Girl, Stop Running From Your Sexuality
We’ve been taught to run from our sexuality.
Good Christian girls don’t talk about it; they aren’t even sure what to do with it. We know sex is for marriage, but what do you do before marriage? What do you do with these desires?
I can tell you one thing NOT to do: run from it. We need to stop running from our sexuality. I’m not talking about sexual sin or temptation; I’m talking about sexuality itself – our capacity for desire, the foundation of marital intimacy. Our sexual selves don’t suddenly “turn on” once we say “I do”. Our sexuality is part of our identities.
How to Cultivate Worship in Your Home
I used to think an atmosphere of worship required flickering candles, Bethel music, and hour-long prayer sessions. When I was single, that used to be my reality. I’d read my Bible, turn on worship music, and spend more than thirty minutes enjoying the presence of God. It felt like worship. It looked like worship.
Then I quit my job, moved to a new state, and had a baby – all in the span of one week. My life was upended for good, and in that transition I learned that worship is not a sequence of activities or a certain kind of music. It’s an attitude.
The Friendship That Started With Birth Control
This week on Uniquely Woman, Lisa and I are answering a commonly asked question: how did we meet? It’s a fun story that didn’t involve meeting in person until December of 2016. Since this is a Q&A episode, it’s only four minutes long – so be sure to take a listen! (And if you’re new to the podcast, scroll through past episodes to see some of the awesome topics we’ve discussed – including an episode on birth control itself).