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Upon a Life
This is a guest post from my husband, Brian. Brian works casual call as a nurse and does the majority of the work involved in taking care of our land and animals. In his free time, Brian enjoys planting trees, building things (like this incredible chicken coop), and singing hymns. We’ve been married for 14 years, and I’m happy to call him my husband. *** Upon a life I have not lived, upon a death I did not die,Another’s life, another’s death, I stake my whole eternity. Although I mentioned my love for the hymnal in my first post, I don’t think you’ll find this hymn in any hymnal, unless…
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Learning Inductive Bible Study Methods with Romans 7
Over the last month or so, I’ve been searching for ways to improve how I study the Bible. I’ve used the Abide method, designed by the women at Risen Motherhood; I’ve practiced reading and narration as Charlotte Mason recommends; I’ve also written down portions of Scripture in my journal in cursive to help me commit their content to memory. Recently I came across this article by Jim Wilson, which gives a great outline for the how and why of the inductive Bible study method. I meet with a couple women from church on a regular basis and I love studying the Bible with them. We’re reading through the book of…
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Contributing to the Conversation: “Calling Evil Good: The Lie of ‘Christian’ Rock and Roll” by Spencer Smith
I grew up during the era in which contemporary Christian music’s popularity skyrocketed, eclipsing hymns and choral music in church worship services and on the radio. I remember when Switchfoot released their first big single, “New Way to Be Human,” and I loved (and still love) the song “Love Song for a Savior” by Jars of Clay. I sang “Breakfast in Hell” and “Shine” at summer camp, both Newsboys hits, and I can still sing all the words to “Let It Reign” by Michael W. Smith. I also remember when our youth group worship leader chose “Come Thou Fount” as our closing song one evening at youth group. I marveled…
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Do I Really Believe that Fullness of Joy is Found in Jesus?
You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.Psalm 16:11 Psalm 16 is one of my favorite Psalms. The Corner Room, a folky Christian band, put Psalm 16 to music on one of their albums. It’s a lovely rendition of the Psalm. Verse 11 always stands out to me. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve certainly read about my struggle with overeating. I’ve accepted that this will probably be a lifelong battle for me; however, victory belongs to the Lord. In a recent article from Desiring God, Scott Hubbard says, “Christians commit sins.…
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Driving Outside the Lines: How Grace Steers Me in a New Direction
When you drive through an empty parking lot, do you stay in the lines, or do you forget the lines and drive at whatever angle you want to? Up until adulthood, I drove inside the lines. I used my blinker whenever I turned, and I stopped completely at every stop sign. I even drove at or below the speed limit. I was a model driver in every way I could be. But something happened to me when I became an adult. I started to question the rules–just a little. Why do I have to drive in the lines, even though nobody else does? Do they know something I don’t know?…