As I have shared in previous posts, I am thrilled to be pregnant and granted the blessing of creating new life, but this journey has also presented me with unexpected challenges. Although I’ve had a relatively easy pregnancy physically, I did not expect the bodily changes to impact my self-image the way that they have. This aspect of pregnancy has been a new challenge, but one that has definitely helped me to grow in good and wonderful ways.

I have also written some about The Weirdness of Becoming a Mommy, and how it has influenced my sense of self. Identity change is often hard, and it certainly has been for me. At times, I have wrestled with feeling a loss of self–the loss of who I used to be, the loss of my body, the loss of marriage as I knew it–and I suppose there is a bit of fear and even grief that accompanies those losses. Even in the best circumstances, change is difficult. More Here...

I just saw a blog over at Revelife. The post asks, "Do you believe God is hands-off or a puppeteer?" I answered, "Neither. I have seen Him miraculously intervene too many times to think He is "Hands off". And I have seen Him not too many times to think He is "a puppeteer". I don't see why such a complex question should have only two possible answers either. This is how I feel about it." And then I linked them here. 

This is something I have heard and thought about deeply. I think it comes back to love. (It is my strong opinion that a lot of people today have no idea what real love is or is all about, but to avoid getting diverted to that topic, let me just say real love always wants what is best for it's object, and is never forced.) So, if God loves us, He could not create us as little robots who have no conception of doing anything other than His Will. Without the freedom to choose for ourselves, it would be the same as brainwashing, or locking us in a cage. I can't conceive of how that would be honest or loving. It certainly wouldn't be genuine. And all that is completely against the nature of God. More Here...

“Christianity isn’t a religion—it’s a relationship.” Would you agree with this statement? Specifically, it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ. This idea is supposed to be the characteristic that distinguishes Christianity from every other religion in the world.

But at times it still seems like a mere religion.

Hebrews 11:6 says God is “a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.” Without going into detail, the last few years of my life have been filled with tragedy and disappointment, especially the last six months. There have been times when I felt close to God, like He was the Abba Father (Rom. 8:15) and friend (John 15:15) He said He was. I was sure He was telling me what to do, and I went and did it. But everything either didn’t improve or it worsened. When I needed God most, He let me down or seemed far away. More Here...

Sunday was my first Mother’s Day as a mother, and I was really looking forward to it! Ike had planned all sorts of fun things throughout the day, and I couldn’t wait to celebrate the coming arrival of our little boy. I woke up, got ready for church, picked out a pretty spring dress that accentuates my growing baby bump (!), and stepped outside into the gorgeous, sunny day.

We drove to church and I strolled into the sanctuary expecting your typical Mother’s Day message. You know, something about how awesome mothers are. Instead, I sat down to an interview with journalist Nicholas Kristof, and it was the worst Mother’s Day message I’ve ever heard.

It was also one of the most important.

I say the message was terrible because it was. In case you’re unfamiliar with Kristof, he is the author of Half the Sky, which documents the plight of women all across the world. Kristof has witnessed first-hand some of the worst human rights abuses against women, and he has now staked much of his career on advocating for women. More Here...