Category: Dying Daily

What are Your Labels?

I don’t like labels. They turn me off. “Emergent” this. “Reformed” that. Baptist, Catholic, Charismatic, Calvinist, Arminianist, Non-denominational (a non-label-label).

There was a time, however, when labels felt right–when labels were one way of sorting out the world. High school. Everyone wears a label in high school, whether  self-assigned or not. Carlos Whitaker wrote a post a week or so asking about high school labels. We all had one…

…Stoners, wannabes, slackers, jocks, skaters, punks, preppies, geeks, goths, loners…

My high school labels were both deserved and unwarranted. I teetered between the in-crowd and the outcasts. I had friends and foes on both sides. I was popular on a Monday and rumored to be a whore by Thursday. Continue reading What are Your Labels?

Easily Offended? Yeah, That's Me

I have a confession to make: I am easily offended.

There, I said it. I’m not proud of this fact. I certainly don’t like sharing this detail about myself, but it’s true. How do I know? Allow me to direct you to Exhibit A.

I have had the fortune of having my blog posts submitted to ChurchLeaders.com, a site dedicated to providing relevant articles for, you guessed it, church leaders. Last week, I casually checked my posts for any comment activity that needed my response. Much to my horror, I found that one post in particular had 20 comments, almost all of which slammed me.

People called me arrogant, harsh, unkind, judgmental, and just plain old mean. I couldn’t believe it. I sat there stunned, staring at the computer screen. Then, I did what any Godly, loving , woman would do… Continue reading Easily Offended? Yeah, That's Me

The Cross vs. The Ladder

I can do all things…

I can do all things…

I have whispered these words to myself. I have held them close and allowed them to blanket me. I can do all things. Me. He is somehow not in the equation.

If I just read enough. If I just devote myself enough to His teachings. If I just push through one more time, then…then I can do. I can accomplish. I can succeed.

I look to the cross and see the work He has done, but I am working, too–striving, pushing, pulling. I can look to the cross, except as I squint my eyes under the pressure of succeeding, as I furrow my brow under the weight I have placed on my own back, the cross looks less and less like a cross. It resembles something quite different… Continue reading The Cross vs. The Ladder

Your Testimony is Not as Lame as You Think

I met her at my old church. We were both about to graduate form high school and looking for some kind of direction. We met once a week, with one other girl and our female youth pastor.

We would share our praises or prayer requests every week. It seemed I was always sharing something “more sinful”, darker, more difficult. She always seemed fine. Her sins were nothing compared to mine.

Yet, one day we were asked to share our testimonies–tell each other how we met God and what He had done for us. She froze. She fumbled. She wouldn’t talk. Then, after a few moments of silence, she said something that totally shocked me…

Continue reading Your Testimony is Not as Lame as You Think

Confessions of a Modern Reject

I’m just warning you in advance, it’s about to get candid up in here (I really hate the expression “up in here” and yet it seemed apropos).

Needless to say, I have some confessions to get off my chest. I have some secrets to spill and some dirt to sweep out from under the bed. Like huge dust bunnies…with fangs.

You won’t be impressed. You won’t be inspired. You might actually reconsider revisiting this here blog, but a girl’s gotta confess what a girl’s gotta confess… Continue reading Confessions of a Modern Reject

Questions for God

I’m a bit of a question-asker. I always have been. I was the little girl, grilling her mom with the never ending “why”?

I don’t think God minds us asking questions. Jesus asked us many questions. In fact, in asking questions I have begun to understand more fully the grace of God and His sovereignty in my life. As I have grown in my faith, however, the questions have not stopped, but simply changed.

So in honor of question-askers everywhere, here are some questions I would ask God. Maybe I will get to in heaven. Some are big, perhaps unanswerable questions. Others are small, trivial, even silly questions. But again, I don’t think He minds.

Continue reading Questions for God

Christian Women and "S Word"–The Why and the How

Yesterday, I talked about the issue of  “submission” and asked why it is that some Christian women have a difficult time submitting to their husbands (or even the thought of submitting to their future husbands).

Today, I’m talking about the “why” and the “how” of submission: Why should women submit and how do women submit?

Firstly, the husband is to the love his wife as Christ loves the Church, so let’s assume that is the case in my discussion of the “why” and “how” (perhaps a follow-up post about what to do when a man isn’t following the Lord in marriage might be helpful).

So, first off, the “why.” Well, it’s a pretty obvious one… Continue reading Christian Women and "S Word"–The Why and the How

If I Didn't Know Christ

As some of you may know, my husband and I spent a few days last week in fabulous Las Vegas.

Whenever I am in Las Vegas, I am reminded of my old life—my life before I was fully committed and walking with Christ. I have “old Vegas stories” (a.k.a before Christ stories).

I also have “new Vegas stories” (a.k.a. after Christ stories).

Yet, on this last trip, I started thinking about my old life and–more than that—what would my life look like if I had never returned to Christ or even met Him in the first place? What or who would I be if I didn’t know Christ? Continue reading If I Didn't Know Christ

We are Starting a Church

When I met my husband, he told me during our engagement that he knew God had called him to start a church. I should have gone running. I mean, I had said these exact words on numerous occasions: “I never want to be a pastor’s wife.”

And here I am, along side my husband and a few family and friends, starting a church. My husband’s vision became my vision. God’s vision became our vision.

God has given us a different sort of vision for the church He has called us to start, however. We essentially aim to go back to basics… Continue reading We are Starting a Church

If God Had a Tagline…?

My husband is a marketing guy. Some would even say a marketing genius. I’d agree. Since being married, he has opened my eyes to all that is marketing, from the good, to the bad, and the ugly.

Once, a commercial for a new car or a deluxe meal deal would  gloss over me, as I sat dazed in an advertising overload induced stupor, now I actually pay attention.

“Ooh, that’s bad,” I’ll catch myself saying. Or perhaps an ad will flash upon the screen that is so slick, so streamlined, and so sophisticated that I will be legitimately impressed by a group of random advertisers somewhere.

Really, it’s all in the tagline though, isn’t it? That is what we remember. Some of the greatest taglines in history have practically sold a product themselves. Words can mean so much and have so much impact.

What about one of the greatest taglines in history? Can this simple little phrase meant to sell shoes speak into our spiritual lives? You know the one I’m talking about? Continue reading If God Had a Tagline…?