Feb 8, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology
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.
Feb 8, 2017 | Podcast Episodes
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).
Feb 6, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology, Singleness
Excellent.
It’s who I wanted to be. Excellence – my goal in work, home, marriage, motherhood, friendship – in every circle of life I would be at the top. I would not just do good; I would be good. I would be good at everything.
I sought new tasks and worked willingly: typing, scrubbing, cooking, writing.
I found the best deals and the cheapest groceries and cooked the healthiest meals.
I got up at 5 AM, planned my day, made the list, did the things.
I became a business. I worked out regularly. I dressed myself with as much style and class as I knew how.
Because I had to be excellent.
Feb 1, 2017 | Motherhood, Podcast Episodes
Inspired by this article, Lisa and I are discussing how to enjoy being a mom in today’s Uniquely Woman episode. Motherhood is hard and it’s a gift from God, and that dichotomy often needs an attack plan in our daily lives.
Feb 1, 2017 | Dating & Marriage
He would be happier with her, I thought. He would be better off.
Always there, the silent witness to my marriage; a quiet presence to my pain. Hers was a face I knew as well as my own, though I’d never seen her. Hers was the voice in my head and in my heart, telling me I was never enough: never fun enough, never compassionate enough, never – her.
He should have married her, I’d think, and work harder to be everything she was and more.
Jan 31, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology, Christian Womanhood
Christians talk a lot about sexual purity. We talk a lot about being pro-life. Yet we’ve ignored the chasm of understanding between these two issues – issues that are integrally connected not just in reality, but in our spiritual lives. We brandish our “pro-life” monikers as if it’s a given – we’re Christians, after all! – yet fail to understand what sanctity of life looks like day-to-day.
The truth is this: “Pro-life” is not just a political viewpoint. It is a lifestyle.
Jan 26, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology, Dating & Marriage, Sexuality
I invited Jesus to my lingerie shower.
He attended, no questions asked.
In the jokes and the gifts and the lace, His presence was real. He didn’t look like Himself, of course – His face was the face of my friends, the women who love Him and love me. But Jesus was there, right in the middle of our raucous laughter and our innuendoes about marital sex. He saw the joy, the anticipation, and the love of the women around me – women celebrating the sexuality He designed.
Jan 25, 2017 | Motherhood, Podcast Episodes
This week on Uniquely Woman, Lisa and I are talking about how to deal with postpartum hormones in a godly way. We include some ideas for weathering the baby blues and dealing with hormonal changes as well as resources if you struggle with postpartum depression. Don’t walk this part of life alone!
Jan 24, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology
A pang strikes my heart every time I write about the church. It’s the same discomfort I get when confronting a friend about a sin issue; a necessary pain. I wouldn’t want to take joy in correcting a flawed ideology, but neither should I ignore anything that hinders the gospel’s advance.
But in writing about the church – from women’s ministry to the millennial message – I have a weighty responsibility. The church is not a building, after all. The church is people. The church is me.
Jan 23, 2017 | Christian Life & Theology, Dating & Marriage
The world needs us, you and I.
It needed me when I left, and it needs you for staying. You wouldn’t know it from what the magazines say… the Instagram posts about wanderlust and adventure, about moving out and moving on. The world makes it seem like I’m bigger, bolder, for leaving.
And you – the girl who never left home? You’re the one who “settled”.
