Comments for Words

Comment on A Shift In Mindset by Israel

Israel — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:09:20 +0000

this is such an exciting time for me as well. I feel like the things that used to keep me up at night wrestling with God regarding the ins, outs and what-have-you’s are of much less of a concern. It really seems like for me, anyways that everything I’ve experienced spiritually, searching and hoarding information (and occasionally mouthing off about it) is simply, cliche’ alert, prologue and that God’s got such bigger plans and abundance for us to live in the near future. Thanks for the testimony, I love that Tozer quote.

Comment on A Shift In Mindset by Ron Troyer

Ron Troyer — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:10 +0000

I definitely encourage you to continue in your spiritual reawakening.

I recently had to get smacked around for not being the spiritual leader for my family, because I realized that I was in a similar situation. I was learning a lot theologically, but I needed both to reignite the relationship I had with God, as well as help fan the flames in my wife and child.

Comment on Well, Why Not Change It Then? by Rachel B.

Rachel B. — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:37:19 +0000

Gosh, I have thought about this post constantly since you put it up. There are so many prayers I have for my children. One of the most constant is that they will know truth and beauty and grace and love and true freedom in Christ. I hope there’s a way around the mistakes of religion and a path to God not fraught with betrayal and deception and fear and guilt. But I doubt there’s a path without pain, and the simple fact is, I can only point them in the right direction … man, it KILLS me to admit that. I need to start teaching them now to forgive me for my inability to guard them from my mistakes.

Comment on Fathering and the Art of Simple Metaphors by Ron

Ron — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:41:39 +0000

Wow. That’s awesome. Sounds exactly like what my little man does.

But that really is an awesome metaphor.

Comment on I hate it too by Well, Why Not Change It Then? – Words

Well, Why Not Change It Then? – Words — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:58:44 +0000

[...] This post is a response to Israel’s last post. Read it here. [...]

Comment on I hate it too by The Pit of Despair « All These Blessed Things

The Pit of Despair « All These Blessed Things — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:44:05 +0000

[...] one of my dear loves has just borne her fourth beautiful son. There is a world outside my funk! One of my other dear loves broke my heart with a glimpse of restoration and a reminder of hope. I sent a text to another [...]

Comment on I hate it too by Rachel B.

Rachel B. — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:02:19 +0000

Wait, that should read that I plan to trade the fierce grip on doctrine, upheld above so many things, for an open-handed approach to doctrinal issues. Just to clarify.

Comment on I hate it too by Rachel B.

Rachel B. — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:28:39 +0000

You know I hate it when he’s right, but somebody from our past shared Romans 5.1-5 with me recently. …Suffering produces endurance which produces character which produces hope.

v. 5 *and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.*

Gosh, I hate it when he’s right.

As a Christian parent, I will try to instill fewer absolutes, less knowing ABOUT God, and a more open-handed approach to adhering to doctrine in hopes of replacing those things with more love, more living like Jesus, and more learning to tune my heart to Our Father and knowing the soft brush of His whisper across the corners of my mind.

May God forgive me for the hardening of my heart simply because I needed to protect it at too early an age.

Comment on I hate it too by wrestleswithGod

wrestleswithGod — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:48:34 +0000

I do not envy being a parent. I think being a christian parent raising any child in a christian environment is going to inevitably expose their child to an atmosphere that they will clash with (if not at the time, in the future). Since a church is a group of broken people trying to live their lives as God leads them, naturally theres going to be mistakes. I think my parents did a wonderful job and I am so thankful for the examples and boundaries they gave me. I feel like a lot of the nasty things I inherited was from this christian sub-culture that is stewing in itself, be it out of fear, obstinacy or anything really.

“…or maybe it’s a perfectly normal (albeit unfortunate) of making your faith your own?”

Jen, I appreciate what you said because this is the same conclusion I’m coming to, out of evil comes good and I think the good can really be appreciated to a rich, full extent. I’m curious myself if it’s even possible to avoid the initial impact because I know not everyone made it out with the same conclusions. *Pour one out for my fallen homies*. Because of the love of my parents and mentors God’s grace was shown. I hope I didn’t come across like I was whining about my folks cause mr and mrs Beachy are badass!

Comment on I hate it too by Jen M

Jen M — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:17:05 +0000

good, honest post. as a Christian parent, i am constantly mindful of how so many of my friends associate a Christian upbringing with the baggage of guilt, fear, hatred, etc that you mentioned. do you think it’s possible to raise children without that being a part of it? or maybe it’s a perfectly normal (albeit unfortunate) of making your faith your own? i can remember submitting to Christ in my 20s and it took a few years of wrestling with these demons as i sought to delineate my real, living relationship with Christ from the teachings of my mentors.

either way, good post. i know there’s much more meat here than what i honed in on.