I am an architect, but I'm not. I am a missionary, but I'm not. Sound confusing? Maybe the confusion subsides when we embrace a view of vocation as separate from that of career -- as something that far surpasses nine to five work hours, salaries and benefits, something that begins to describe the condition of an individual's gifts and passions, heart and soul. And maybe this paradigm shift could be a way for many women to find greater peace ... Read More about Bearing Fruit In Season
Passions
The Circle of Homemaking
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question most children hear at some point during their growing-up years. My plan wasn’t much, by some standards. I just wanted to be a wife, a stay-at-home mother, and by extension, a full-time homemaker. Making a home isn’t just the “career” I happened to fall into, however. As a young woman, I was deeply influenced by Edith Schaeffer’s books, especially The Hidden Art of Homemaking. I ... Read More about The Circle of Homemaking
The Life of a Dabbler
There is an old saying, “A jack of all trades is a master of none,” oft quoted to describe someone who can do many things but none too well. Welcome to my life. I’ve always been a dabbler. I dabble in this, I dabble in that. Yet, no skill has ever gone very deep. I sing, but not too well. I draw, but only moderately. My piano skills are passable, but don’t set any music in front of me. I write, but my actual understanding of the ... Read More about The Life of a Dabbler
How to Find Your Vocation
Your vocation: what is it? It isn’t exactly the same as your career or job, says Jeff Goins, though it may include them. Its scope is life-long: it is the theme you will return to again and again, however many times your specific job description might change. The fact that I've gone from teaching English abroad to housekeeping for wealthy summer neighbors in the rural United States doesn't have to rock my sense of calling: I just choose ... Read More about How to Find Your Vocation
Diversity in Children’s Books: A Personal Passion
I'm not a mom and I don't know if I ever will be, but I cannot remember a time before I stepped (or toddled) into my role of big sister. My younger siblings are two, three, six, ten, eleven and twelve years younger than I, and came into our family from all over the world. We have skin tones at our dinner table ranging from ivory to olive to roasted coffee bean. We have straight brown hair, wispy blond hair, and curly black hair. Another role I ... Read More about Diversity in Children’s Books: A Personal Passion
The Night A Dream Came True
The night the dream-come-true news slipped into my life, I was oblivious. Looking back, I wonder at how Jesus must have chuckled, because I was on the recumbent bike watching television at the time the email arrived. I had no idea my life was about to change forever. The Wait It had been sixteen months since I first emailed the editor at my dream publishing company. She is an author I admire, an editor I respect, and the books published by ... Read More about The Night A Dream Came True
Are You Shaped To Be a Faith Builder?
When my first child was born someone gave me a baby gift that stayed in the drawer for a long time. Because I didn’t know how it was meant to be used. It was two hour-glass-shaped pieces of flannel sewn together, with filling in the middle like a quilt, but it wasn’t large enough to be a blanket. When I showed my husband the gift he shrugged his shoulders. I stuck the thing in a drawer. One day the gift giver said, “Do you like the burp rag ... Read More about Are You Shaped To Be a Faith Builder?
How to Spot Your Children’s Spiritual Gifts
by Rebecca Miller Over a decade ago, I worked with a spiritual gifts ministry in my church. Under the supervision of our pastor, we worked to help identify spiritual gifts in the members of our congregation and to help them find places to plug into service in the Body of Christ. Instead of taking people who hated working with kids and making them be Sunday School teachers because it was their “turn” or asking people to be just another warm ... Read More about How to Spot Your Children’s Spiritual Gifts
“Sorry, I Can’t. That’s Not My Spiritual Gift.”
by Teri Lynne Underwood It seems every few years Christendom goes abuzz with spiritual gift inventories and tests we can take to determine where we fit into the Body. I’m not opposed to knowing your spiritual gifts. In fact, I think it can be incredibly helpful to understand where your giftedness lies and how you can best use it to serve within the church. But, as with all things, I fear we can take it too far. My husband jokes that my ... Read More about “Sorry, I Can’t. That’s Not My Spiritual Gift.”
Concerning Spiritual Gifts…
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant…” (1st Corinthians 12:1) Spiritual Gifts: Unity and Diversity In The Same Body. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” (1st Corinthians 12:4-6) What are spiritual gifts? Spiritual gifts are: “the ... Read More about Concerning Spiritual Gifts…
live kindly
There are many questions we must ask ourselves when making a purchase: Can I afford this? Do I really need/want it? Is it of good quality? There is one question, however, that many of us forget to ask ourselves: Would this purchase be a fair-trade? "Fair Trade" is probably a term you've heard a few times lately. Before you write it off as a passing fad, let's think about what it actually means. Fair-trade is exactly what it sounds like, a ... Read More about live kindly
Soapy Idolatry
If you ever come to visit us, and use our bathroom, you'll notice that we have two different soap dispensers next to the sink. One contains Dr. Bronner's lavender liquid soap, and the other, antibacterial Softsoap. A little strange to have two, but those soap dispensers actually represent a big victory for me spiritually. After I got married, one of the many things I was very excited about was having my own house and keeping it the way I ... Read More about Soapy Idolatry
