Is it a Sin to Drink Alcohol?
In this episode Phylicia breaks down the Old and New Testament history of wine, its symbolism in Jewish literature, and the contrast of being filled with alcohol versus being filled with the Spirit.
Viable Options | The Role of the Church in Pregnancy Care
For the past 50 years, the most voluble engagement of the Church in America toward the conversations of unintended pregnancy and abortion has largely been the proclamation of a moral message.The reason is simple, there is a real and weighty moral issue at stake. There...
Winter is just around the corner…
Okay—I know we're in fall right now, but it seems like winter is just around the corner! With this thought stuck in my head, I wanted to take some time to revisit some of my favorite winter activities in more detail ahead of the excitement of the season. Maybe you're...
On legalism, Bible versions and the Will of God
I wrapped up a recent Ask Anything Monday that inspired me to go back to my AMA-styled blogposts. When I do these types of AMAs, I'm trying to do my best to steward a few of the amazing questions that came in on Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes, to continue the fun,...
Does Jeremiah 10 Prohibit Christmas Trees? (And Other Good Questions)
This question comes up a lot at Christmas: Is Jeremiah 10 a prohibition of Christmas trees? Let's look at what it says. Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in...
How to Get Your Kids to Own Their Faith
Yesterday, on a whim, I asked for some input on a new theology curriculum for parents/kids. I just wanted to hear some of the struggles with discipling kids and teaching them about God. I was inundated with replies! I was a bit astonished at the amount - I'll be...
Dishonor Culture and God’s Better Way
Last week I had an experience I will never forget. Josh and I were wrapping up a date night by stopping by the grocery store. We were on another side of town, a wealthier area, and he dropped me off at the store while he got gas. The store was nearly empty as I picked...
When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll
Unless we're close - down the street, in your life kind of close - all we can see of other's lives is what they show us. People assume that if someone doesn't dump their vulnerability onto the internet, they don't struggle or experience pain. There are all kinds of...
Anxious and Worried About Many Things
In the last week we attended a wedding and a baptism. We witnessed the unity of a young man and woman becoming a new family. And we witnessed the unity of six new believers joining the family of the church. Both baptism and marriage are sacraments, sometimes called “a...
He Will Be Faithful Again
We moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia when I was 37 weeks pregnant with Adeline. Some of you have heard this story - how Addie was born 5 days later in a previously unplanned home birth, with a sweet Mennonite midwife - the only practitioner who would take me so last...
Church Matters… But Why?
We seem to be hearing a cacophony of messages about the church. We hear that the church, the gathering of committed believers led by Christ, is important. It matters. We also hear devastating stories from within the church. Abuse and cover-ups, pride and favoritism,...
Do All the Good You Can
Each of us is in a corner of the world the other can't reach. I can't reach the people in a Georgia suburb like the people in the Georgia suburbs can. I can't reach the neighbor in southeast London like the people in southeast London can. You can't reach the people in...
The Cost of Real Community
Yesterday after our church's first service a group of families walked next door to the playground and, as our progeny swarmed the slides and swings, we talked about the cost of community. In the sermon this week, our pastors talked about the cost of Christian...
The Risk of Falling Back in Love
I want to be jealous. I look around at other couples and make up stories in my head – their life wasn’t as hard, their losses not so grievous, their betrayal not so deep. I think, we had it worse. But that’s a lie, because everyone born into this imperfect world is touched by that imperfection. We all carry hurts and we all pass through trials – some are just less visible than others. What we do in those trials, and who we become (the plural “we” of marriage) has the power to be a witness to this wasting world.
How do you avoid making someone a “project?”
Verity '22 Streaming AccessNow Available Introduction This November we were so excited to bring back the third annual Verity Conference located in Petoskey, Michigan. 250+ women came from all around the United States to join us in person, and over 200 women watched...
Live a Bold, Gracious Faith
I travel a lot as a Bible teacher. I've been to all kinds of conventions, conferences, and women's retreats. Usually the goal of these events is something along the lines of "encouragement in Christ" - which is a great goal, something I hope all women gain from gospel...
If You Don’t “Get” The Holy Spirit…
When I was a kid the Holy Spirit was that dispensable, confusing, and honestly, boring member of the Trinity who none of us really understood. God made sense. Jesus seemed nice. But the Spirit? We didn't know what to do with Him. When I look at church culture today,...
Together We Redeem Your Bloodline
A few weeks ago I talked about generational sin and the uphill battle many believers face to break the chains of their family line. I don't know why the Lord keeps laying this topic on my heart of late; perhaps because, as my kids get older, I see more clearly what my...
Answering Kids’ Theology Questions
Some of my best conversations with my five year old happen when I’m putting her to bed at night. When it’s time to sleep, her mind starts swirling with theological questions and conundrums. She’s a lot like me in that way. Some questions are easy to answer, like “Can...
Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage
For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. A husband and wife can’t possibly imagine all that those words will entail when spoken during their marriage. Couples dream of having children, but...
Prayer is War
I write this to you tired. Physically, because we’ve had a taxing week of back-to-back speaking engagements for me, followed by a bout of sickness so severe it took me out for several days and currently has Josh down for the count. I am still struggling with the...
How Did Sabbath Become Sunday Worship?
In recent years there has been an increase in Instagram posts and resources encouraging Christians to revert from a Sunday celebration of worship to a Saturday Sabbath. Why is this? To answer this question we have to look at the history of Sabbath and how it transitioned to Sunday worship! The celebration of Christian community and the resurrection of Christ on Sunday has been a standard in the Christian church since the first century, but it’s important to know why the Christians diverged from the Jews on their day of meeting.
Five Views of Biblical Creation
We attach a lot of emotion to the topic of creation theories. Sometimes this is because it’s a view we were always raised with and questioning or challenging it feels like breaking apart faith itself. Remember: challenging our worldview doesn’t mean we necessarily walk away from our viewpoint. It forces us to be honest about what we believe and understand the questions skeptics are asking – even skeptics who are fellow Christians.
The Constant I Have is You
In other years I’ve written about why I chose you; how I worked through insecurity and fear; how we processed our independence; how we fought for our covenant; and last year, how our community made our marriage what it is today. All those things are still true and still in process.