Seminary has stretched me in many ways and urged me to grow in empathy and experience. One class I am taking this semester is Christian History 50 CE - 1500 CE. Stick with me here. My class has learned about ancient theological arguments that have shaped the faith we practice today and divided the then-forming Christian tradition. Our professor arranged a visit to an Eastern Orthodox church to learn about their traditions, which are different than ours in the western church.
Read MoreEveryone seems to think that money is corruptive and poisonous to the soul – it can be if you turn it into an idol, but it can actually be propelled for good. Over the past few years, I’ve seen God work His way in my life by teaching me some important lessons about money. The biggest lesson being that I needed to trust in Him, including with my finances.
As we move into 2023, examine your life. What is distracting you? I am in no way saying to quit your job or dismiss your family because you feel they are distracting you from God. The point I am trying to make is this: Is your mindset on Christ? Are we living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27)? Are you living as an example of Christ for others?
Read MoreSo we have hung up our new calendar for the year and have decided to start a few good habits (or at least one) in 2023. We have spent December 31st thanking God for the blessings of 2022 and our hearts are full of praise and thanks to God. As the new year dawns, we are glad but with it we draw a curtain on the unknown. The blank fresh dates on the calendar will soon get filled up. But for now, it is empty and blank.
Read MoreHappy Monday, friends! I have a mini quiz for you to start off your week: Does the idea of sharing your faith make you uncomfortable and anxious? Do you feel inadequate to share your faith because you don’t have the right education or an actual Bible degree? Have you ever felt the whisper of the Holy Spirit to speak up in conversation, but chickened out due to fear of judgment?
Read MoreBetrothed. This wasn’t a modern-day engagement. In ancient Jewish culture, there were two ceremonies involved in marriage.
Read MoreYoung and innocent Mary lived in Nazareth a town in Galilee. She was so excited, she blushed as her friends teased her as the bride to be. Mary was engaged to Joseph; she had seen Joseph a few times in family gatherings. He looked like a kind; compassionate man and she looked forward to starting a family with this godly man. As Mary’s friends left and her parents went about making the wedding arrangements, Mary caught herself all alone.
Bated breath. A moment suspended in time. Bated means to lessen or diminish. It also means to moderate or restrain. There were two pivotal times where the weary world waited with bated breath - unbeknownst to them of the greatest miracle in time.
Read MoreSometimes, the Christian story seems fantastic. By the word "fantastic," I mean it seems fanciful, imaginative, too good to be true. God the Father, who just is, creates a perfect world for the Son whom He loves (Colossians 1:16), with no need or obligation to do so but by necessity a desire.
Read MoreIn her timely and vastly important book, Jen Oshman walks us through five specific ideals which our culture in particular shoves at women. She peels back the layers of lies, desires, and promises with a biblical lens. Cultural Counterfeits: 5 Empty Promises Of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More begins with the premise of the prodigal son parable and how we are prone to follow the call of sin and the world.
Read MoreThere’s this song by Taylor Swift called “Everything Has Changed” that I have always loved. The lyrics are:
“All I know this morning when I woke
Is I know something now
Know something now I didn’t before...”
As children, we learned about the history of Thanksgiving. We made turkeys out of our painted hands and Indian and Pilgrim hats out of construction paper. We learned that Thanksgiving was a time when people from two diverse backgrounds shared a meal together. Yet, there is more to Thanksgiving than just this.
Read MoreI feel like my future was served to me on a silver platter, but I didn’t want it and sent it back to the kitchen. When we jump ahead of God’s will for our lives, we might get bruised.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it becomes a time we can reflect and thank back on the year we have lived. Maybe this has been the worst year of your life. Maybe this has been the best. Either way, reflecting back, you always, always have something to be thankful to God for.
Read MoreAs a mother, have you wondered about how to train your child? Or maybe you feel your own parents have not trained you well? Recently a young mother asked me, “Aunty, where do I start? Is there a list somewhere?” So this article is for Neha and others like her.
Read MoreWe received an interesting offer from our blogger network to promote a Christian banking company called adelfi. At first I, Alycia, was unsure of whether or not this fit into our values here at Tirzah. However, I considered how I choose to do my own life. I personally believe in doing all I can to support the household of God (Gal. 6:10). Personally, I have been on a journey to learn about things like Christian health sharing programs, businesses, and more
Read MoreThis first verse of a lyric I recently wrote represents for me the reality that God is transcendent - completely different from us, being infinite, holy, and perfect - but also immanent - close to us. This is something I don't think I'll ever fully understand this side of heaven, but it is wonderfully, amazingly true.
Read MoreJesus at my house!? Have you wondered what it would be like if Jesus walked into your house/ apartment or room? As I pondered that, I wrote this poem. You may want to read it and reflect on the verses given.
