The Five Email Newsletters I Never Miss
As I limited my time on technology and social media last year, I found myself drawn toward email for keeping up with friends and the world. Isn’t it funny how email was the first “big thing” and it’s still here?? I’ve found that reading longform newsletters and blog posts is much more refreshing than the 15-second hits of Instagram and Facebook. There’s more room for explanation and context, more room to sit and read instead of tapping through.
How to Really Love Your Child
I can’t forget the time I held an “Ask Anything Monday” on Instagram and someone asked me for my five favorite parenting books. I answered honestly: I don’t have five! I barely read any. My kids are ages 5, 3, and 4 months at the time of writing and I’ve read two ?? parenting books so far. Honestly, I find most parenting books either behavior-focused or too lenient and child-centric. I don’t like labels (gentle parenting? So anyone who doesn’t subscribe to that model… isn’t gentle? No thanks!) and I’m very selective about who I listen to regarding parenting. That leaves me with not many options.
On MLK Day: What If We Listened?
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Would you believe I spent most of my life thinking of this day only in terms of retail sales and ski resort blackout dates? I knew who MLK was (sort of) and what he did (a little) and I knew his actions were significant for black men and women. But I’m not black, so I paid little attention.
Are We Part of Esther’s Anointing?
A few months ago (in the heart of 2020) I received a rush of questions regarding “the Esther anointing” – a particular anointing of God on women to bring the power and transformation of God’s kingdom to political and social spheres. This phrase was new to me and I could not find much regarding its origins. Eventually I was clued into the book from which the phrase was taken: The Esther Anointing by Michelle McClain-Walters.
The Kingdom Call for Conservative Christians
If we believe God sovereign only when our candidate is in power, we do not believe God is sovereign at all.
My Boundaries with Technology for 2021
Since reading The Tech Wise Family by Andy Crouch a few years ago, I’ve worked hard to create boundaries with my phone, laptop and TV. Though we aren’t anywhere near as strict as the Crouch family, we do endeavor to have tech boundaries in place. The quarantine of 2020, however, really did a number on our family culture. I don’t regret the increase in family TV time (we probably watched five seasons of Forged in Fire and the Great British Baking Show, each, plus other favorites) but going into the new year and a new school semester for the girls we need to get back to our boundaries.
Five Bible Reading Plans (And How to Finish Them)
I’m writing this at the turn of the new year, when many of us begin thinking about a Bible reading plan for the next twelve months. I personally use the last week of December to plan my study focus for the next year along with my annual goals. However, there is no bad time to choose a reading plan! You don’t need a new year to adapt your study, and you can quit a reading plan that isn’t serving you anytime. Read that again!
50 Places Your Money Will Make a Difference in a Child’s Life
This Christmas, I get to hold my three month old son in my arms. I get to gather my two older daughters together, rumpled in their ballerina pajamas, on Christmas morning. I get to hear their hearts beat as I hug them and see the life dance in their eyes.
Not every mother gets to experience that this Christmas.
![Modesty & the Real Weaker “Brother” [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/jeremy-bishop-h9NU6laTNzM-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Modesty & the Real Weaker “Brother” [The Women’s Issues Series]
Don’t cause a brother to stumble.
We’ve heard this phrase applied to modesty, but do we really know the context of Romans 14? Who is the weaker brother – the man, or the woman? The answer varies based on who we’re talking about, but that’s not something you learned if you grew up in purity culture. In PC, the weaker brother is always the man.
Where is God in the Grief and Evil?
The tears came hot, pouring from the corners of my eyes in the dark, forming two spots on the pillow behind my ears. Josh was asleep, Van was snoring the soft purr of a baby in his bassinet. But I couldn’t sleep.
I closed my eyes and saw them again.
The baby born still and cold.
The child hungry and thin, his eyes looking widely at the camera as if it could feed him.
![Synthesizing Christianity and Feminism [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/lindsey-lamont-hUWINRMPvsc-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Synthesizing Christianity and Feminism [The Women’s Issues Series]
Jesus was a feminist… or was He? Within the church we see a sharp divide between Christians who call themselves feminist and those who go so far as to take the label “anti-feminist” – and everything in between. Feminism has morphed and changed with each of its four waves, with the mission developing as time goes on. The feminism of 2020 is not the same as the feminism of Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
How Our Family Celebrates All Saints Day
All Saints Day was first instituted in 735 AD by Pope Gregory IV, who moved the date from its previous observance in May to its new date of November 1st. This day was meant to celebrate the martyrs, and most likely emerged in the first few centuries after the Diocletian persecution of the church (which came before Constantine legalized Christianity in the 300s). The “saints” were (and are) believers in Christ and/or martyrs for the faith.
![Gender Roles in a Christian Marriage [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/samantha-gades-N1CZNuM_Fd8-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Gender Roles in a Christian Marriage [The Women’s Issues Series]
What does Genesis 3:16 mean – her desire is “for” her husband? What does 1 Timothy 2 intend, saying women must remain silent? How does this play out in marriage? This is the subject of this week’s episode of Verity podcast!
Little Graces Are His Glory + Postpartum Favorites
I asked for a small thing.
It wasn’t much, and I didn’t deserve it. But I asked all the same.
It was a short list, a prayer I prayed before Pilates each morning or while making toast in the afternoon. A breath prayer, you could call it: Please Lord, let it be cool weather after the baby is born.
![Ascetic Motherhood & Why Hard is Not More Holy [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/bethany-beck-82NHIKIvKNc-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Ascetic Motherhood & Why Hard is Not More Holy [The Women’s Issues Series]
While hard things do come with motherhood, and hard is not bad, neither are we permitted to make new laws out of personal choices. If we make personal motherhood choices that limit our freedom and result in more difficulty than the choices another mom makes, that is not a higher and holier road. It’s simply a freedom issue.
![Relational Barrenness, Singleness, & Discipleship [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/jess-bailey-K9BOrwoFVYc-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Relational Barrenness, Singleness, & Discipleship [The Women’s Issues Series]
Why is singleness treated like a second class status? Or a holding pattern until life really begins?
Is contentment an equation to get a relationship?
Is singleness really a gift?
How can marrieds bless the singles in their lives?
Use Up Your Life
This life is the only one we have. It’s our only opportunity to make an impact in a fallen world. It’s our chance to spend every last minute doing something for the kingdom of God.
Why Boyfriends Do Not Get Husband Privileges
For many Christian girls, the boundaries in dating are fluid and ever-changing. How far you go depends on who you are with, and the standards of purity are, well, fifty shades of gray.
How the Bible Was Canonized: Canon Q&A
After weeks of studying how the Bible came to be and how to study it, my followers still had a few more questions! In this episode of Verity I answered ten or so final questions that came up during the series, including topics like the church fathers, Amplified Bible, Book of Enoch, how chapters and verses were developed, and more.
How to Have a Quiet Time as a Couple
Whether you’re dating or newly married, pursuing God together is the surest way to build a strong relationship foundation. If you’re dating, spending time in God’s Word as a couple will strengthen your resolve for purity. If you’re married, regular devotional times will transform your attitudes toward one another.
A Little Grace: Van’s Birth Story
Every pregnancy the Lord permits a particular challenge to enter my life. This one was no different. With Addie, we moved to a new state at 37 weeks along. With Eva, Josh lost his job when I was 7 months pregnant. And with Van, Josh resigned his job, unwillingly and due to difficult circumstances, three months before I was due. Having been through major life events during pregnancy three times, I can only believe God uses a season which can be incredibly anxiety-inducing on its own to further increase my dependence on Him. And while I wouldn’t choose the difficulty we’ve faced during pregnancy, I can say that incredible sweetness has come out of it as well.
![How God Sees My Body [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/septian-simon-OWSC2LRuO8U-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
How God Sees My Body [The Women’s Issues Series]
In this episode of the women’s issues series on Verity, we talk about the biblical view of the body, why it plays into the theology of resurrection, and how it affects our view of female sexuality.
![Reframing Pregnancy and Birth [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/anna-hecker-wqcQ6ODwPxU-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Reframing Pregnancy and Birth [The Women’s Issues Series]
In this episode of Verity Podcast, we begin a new season! Each episode dives into a separate women’s issue and how the gospel addresses it. Pregnancy and birth are discussed at length here on the blog, and this episode outlines some of the most important points I’ve covered in posts.
How the Bible Was Canonized: Bible Study 101
How do we study the Bible effectively? If you’ve followed the Canon series on Verity podcast, you know a lot about the history and development of the Bible – which should enhance your appreciation for it! But when it comes to the day to day, how do we break down these words and learn who God is?