They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. He brought them out of the utter darkness, and tore off their shackles. Pslam 107:13-14 (NET)
In this series, I want to share some truths I’ve learned from scripture about how to make decisions as a follower of Christ. God showed me most of these truths a couple years before I moved to India when I was going through a difficult time. At the time, I was struggling with indecision and uncertainty … Continue reading God, What Should I Do?: A Christian Approach to Decision Making (Part 1 of series)
I’ve been putting off writing about this for awhile because it is such a vast topic and God has given me so much to say on it, that it’s overwhelming to try to find the time to get it all down - much less organize all the ideas in the most coherent way. So, I’ve … Continue reading A Time to Refrain from Embracing: When Should A Christian Separate or Divorce? (Part 1 in Series)
I received a variety of responses when I first told people about my husband’s affairs - from comforting to downright hurtful. But one of the most helpful and insightful comments came from a wise woman who, after I told her my story, immediately asked, “How’s your faith?” You see, this is war. Spiritual war. … Continue reading Why Didn’t God Tell Me My Husband Was Cheating on Me? (Part II)
This is the second post in a series about the “sending away of foreign wives” in the book of Ezra: a text that is very confusing for the modern reader - but is actually extremely timely for the church today. In my first post, I gave you an overview of the story from the book … Continue reading Put Away Your Foreign Wives … And Your Digital Haram!: What the Book of Ezra Has to Say About Porn Use Today (Part 2 of 4)
I had an epiphany this morning. For the three years that I was in India, I felt closer to God than ever before. I felt that God was talking to me and I was hearing His voice. I felt that many promises that God had given to me in earlier years (both that He had … Continue reading Why Didn’t God Tell Me My Husband Was Cheating on Me?
Well, since I’m diving into hard things on this blog, I might as well jump right into one of the hardest parts of the Bible to understand - let’s roll up our sleeves and delve into Ezra chapters 9-10, where the Israelites, en mass, send away their foreign wives. (In an effort to write shorter … Continue reading Put Away Your Foreign Wives … And Your Digital Haram!: What the Book of Ezra Has to Say About Porn Use Today (Part 1 of 4))
So, you think you can look at porn and it will not affect your brain or your life? Think again. Porn affects the brain in ways similar to a drug addiction. It also can wreak havoc on your life, just as other addictions can. Here are some startling facts about porn use: (these facts are … Continue reading This is your Brain. This is your Brain on Porn.
I’d like to introduce you to another ‘old friend’ who has popped out of the pages of my Bible to walk this road with me. She’s a woman from Samaria. And one day she met Jesus by a well. And then she became a church planter. The first one. Ever. Here’s her story: John 4 … Continue reading The Woman at the Well was the First Church Planter: How Suffering Prepares us for Ministry
In the first days after my husband’s adultery was revealed, I asked God to give me a word - to tell me what He thought about the situation. He led me to open up my Bible to the story of Amnon’s rape of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-22). I’ve put the full text here because I … Continue reading Adultery is Rape
A couple years ago, while I was living in India, I was at a park with some friends when I found myself surrounded by about 50 teenagers on a field trip. They were very eager to talk to me, a foreigner, and to practice their English. I found out that they were visiting from a … Continue reading Breaking the Chains