For the past five and a half years we’ve been actively teaching our kids (at the time of writing, ages almost 6, 4, and 1) to sit through church. When this is mentioned, I’m inevitably asked a series of questions:
“Do you not like Sunday school?”
“Don’t you want a break?”
“Why would you do that?”
“Aren’t you afraid of what people think about your kids staying in adult service?”
A few weeks ago I answered questions about hospitality on Instagram. The questions and my answers were not saved, so I am sharing some of what I said here in a blog post for permanent reference! The topic of hospitality is near and dear to my heart. I truly believe it is both a lost art and a gospel mandate; people are most comfortable opening up their hearts and lives in context of a home. Further, most Christians know they should share and live their faith in community, but because hospitality is not prioritized, this faith-sharing never actually happens.
![Is Breastfeeding a Moral Issue? [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/kevin-liang-xBLv_ddXr8k-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
In the third segment on women’s issues on Verity podcast, we are discussing the controversy around breastfeeding: Why is it that this has been raised to the level of a moral issue? What does Scripture say about it, and how has this played out in history?
Breastfeeding is just one example, though, of a greater issue: The guilt and shame of the mommy wars.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and like All Saints Day, we like to celebrate this small holiday in a way which connects to its church history. Though we no longer have access to much history of Saint Valentine (who was likely a conglomeration of more than one person by that name), the church legends associated with him grant much greater meaning to this holiday than the commercialized version would have you know.
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-1080x675.jpg)
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.
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.
![Reframing Pregnancy and Birth [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/anna-hecker-wqcQ6ODwPxU-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
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.
We’re Christians. We believe the message that it’s not by works of righteousness, but according to his mercy he has saved us, and we’ll all say amen to that. However, I know that I’m not the only one that’s bought into the lie that I have to parent by a certain method in order to get the right results in my kids.
We are in that awkward stage of marriage where the holidays are no longer the “free and easy” of our dating days, when events could be attended without coordinating a babysitter. But we’re not quite to the stage of parenting where our girls can really engage with the holiday, either. But I don’t want to wait until our girls are older to start making family traditions and enjoying the Christmas season.