The narrowness of my beliefs was safe, comfortable, and secure. I trusted the people I’d read and heard. Their commentary was enough to authorize what I believed, and to question those ideas felt like spiritual treason.
Then I read the Bible for myself.
A few weeks ago I did a mini-series on my Instagram stories regarding the misapplication of popular bible verses – verses like Jeremiah 29:11. The ensuing conversation in my community was both exciting and discouraging. In one sense, it was exciting to see how many believers recognized the problems with taking verses out of context and misapplying them. But it was saddening to see how many people had learned these verses in their wrong context, and how many of them were overwhelmed and discouraged when they found out this was the case.
The role of fathers is vital. The love of a good father shows a daughter the kind of man she should look for in a spouse. But what happens when a father’s example becomes a template?Â
I think we’re seeing the result of this in Christian dating. Young women enter the dating sphere looking for a copy of their dad. The problem? Fifty year old men don’t come in twenty-two year old bodies! A few weeks ago I discussed three misconceptions about biblical masculinity. If there were a fourth, this would be it: Your husband is not your father.Â
There’s a fundamental difference between true victimhood and a victim mentality. A victim mentality is adopted, even when that person is not actually a victim of hurt or abuse. It is characterized by a “life is against me” attitude. This mentality is limiting; it keeps a person from living out their potential.
This post is not in reference to true victims of abuse. If that’s you, please find counseling and mentorship, a safe place to find healing and to work through your past. What this post deals with is a victim identity and mentality; victimhood as a lifestyle. There are several ways to identify this in a person, and following are four consequences of living in defeat instead of overcoming by the power of God.
From the very beginning of my blogging “career”, I committed to never pursue numbers. As hobby became part time job and now a supplemental income for our family, I have been constantly tempted by the appeal of the numbers game. While I certainly educate myself about marketing, social media trends, and blogging issues, I continue to prayerfully remain faithful to what I knew was necessary at the beginning: To write truth and write it well, whether or not anyone reads it.
Everyone wants to know my list of recommended bible study resources. Though plenty of bloggers have written about this same topic, every list is different based on the needs and bible study habits of the individual. Not everyone has a religion degree like I do, but everyone does have access to the same resources I use to study the bible and teach it to my readers. You don’t need a ministry degree to be a faithful student of God’s word!Â
If you Google “feminism”, it has a simple definition: “The advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”Â
That sounds like common sense, and it is.Â
I used to struggle with these same sentiments toward the Pentateuch – those first five books of the bible so full of law (and sometimes confusion!). In my rush to find something I could “apply” in thirty minutes or less, I missed out on beautiful theological truths hidden in this unlikely book.
This week, Lisa and I tackle the idea of interpreting Bible passages well. We want to be faithful to the Scripture and what they actually mean and that requires intentional study. We share five questions to ask before you decide that your interpretation of a Bible passage is correct. We also include some helpful thoughts on Bible study.
Facebook comment streams are a dangerous place, but I find myself drawn into them, almost unable to resist. Perusing the argumentative stream on a blog post recently, I saw a theme emerge. The post was discussing modern Christian men. The comment thread was peppered with descriptions of masculinity: Words like leadership, protection, providing, littered the discussion. But in equal number were comments decrying the existence of man-buns and murses, guys who don’t hunt and drive a Prius – as if biblical masculinity required a certain haircut and hobby list.