In one sense, table manners are simply the way we eat. But they're more than that. And without practice and reinforcement, it's easy to slip back into selfish habits, undermining the eternal potential of family mealtime.
Read moreMom and Dad Can Hardly Wait
Ever notice how “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” comes with “some assembly required”? Parents are often overwhelmed by the expectations of their children. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Read moreMommy, Let Me Help You!
What do you say when your kids ask you if they can help? That’s a daily dilemma for busy moms whose kids long to jump in with unskilled hands and clumsy feet. It's rarely, if ever, efficient to say yes. It’s so much easier to just do it yourself. It’s faster and more certain it will be done right. Or at least the way you like it. But if you always choose the efficient and effective way, you may miss out on some of the most vital windows of instruction.
Read moreIf You are Welcome—Give Thanks
Without training, children will learn what is fast becoming the accepted response to every expression of gratitude: No problem. The problem with "No problem," however, is that it misses echoes of the divine when we say "you are welcome."
Read moreStill Learning from Jane Austen
"Looking for my Darcy in a world full of Wickhams." That phrase caught my eye from the front of my friend's t-shirt. I chuckled. And I winced. As a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I got the meaning right away. So few good men, so many jerks. Ah, if only it were that simple. Indeed, the honorable men are often outshone by the dashing cads. But the clever creator of the t-shirt captured only a slice of Miss Austen's razor wit.
Read moreMaternity is Not about Me
“You’ll need proof. Can you get a copy of the death certificate?” I remember the awkwardness of trying to answer that question while booking last-minute plane tickets to North Carolina for my father-in-law’s funeral. Who would fake their dad’s death just to get a discount—and not a very good one at that—on airfare?
Read moreWhat is a Christian Christmas?
I'm so distracted and busy in December. I love to buy gifts for people, and watching all the websites of my favorite stores for good deals is like a game that I can't stop playing. Just when I think I'm done shopping — I have something for everyone on my list — my inbox chimes with new offers, and I start finding reasons that I should keep buying. Is it wrong to buy presents at Christmas? Am I taking away from the spiritual meaning of the holiday by doing all the same things that my unbelieving neighbors do? How do I keep Christ at the center with so many distractions? Is it even possible to have a Christian Christmas anymore?
Read moreThe Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving Secret
It’s good to remember the 1621 Pilgrims of Plymouth, but I suspect they would tell us to look back even further to the source of their thanksgiving. How was it that a small band of believers was able to give thanks when they encountered financial loss, bitter weather, and inadequate food; when half their number died, when they subsisted that first winter on a handful of dried corn kernels each day, when they didn’t know if any would live to see the spring?
Read moreKey to the Christian Life: Be Fruitful
What's the essential message to guide you in all of life—a simple encouragement bringing clarity for Christians wondering what to do with their life or seek direction in work, in education, in relationships, and in ministry calling?
Consider the first two words the Bible records God speaking to mankind. It's a call He issues throughout the whole Bible: "Be fruitful."
Fruitfulness is what God expects of His creation, the evidence that we are Christ's disciples, and what glorifies the Father.
Are you fruitful? Perhaps the greatest impediment to fruitfulness is that we are notoriously conditioned to be consumers.
Our souls need the truth Jesus revealed to His disciples the night of the Last Supper:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ... As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
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Dear Overweight Woman
And you are dear. I’ve been overweight and I’ve been the ideal weight, and I know the frustration and discouragement and agony that attends the former. But do not despair. There is hope. The overweight believer has just as much reason to hope for marriage as does the physically ideal one. Why? Because God is able. And marriage is a gift from Him; not a reward for those who manage to fit the current ideal of beauty.
Your worth and value come not from a number on the scale, or even from your ability to cut calories and get yourself to a gym to shed unwanted pounds — and believe me when I say I understand how unwanted they are! Regardless of your girth, you are precious. You are valued. You are worthy, because you are the crown of creation (1 Peter 3:18). You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). And yet you are utterly unworthy. Apart from Christ we are all unworthy (Romans 3:23, Luke 17:10). And we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2). Your sin is painfully visible. But it is not insurmountable.
You have the same access to the Risen Lord; to the One who said, “Your sins are forgiven, now go and sin no more” (John 8:11).
It won’t be easy. But the desire to please God — to honor Him with your body (1 Corinthians 6:20) — is a powerful motivator. And He will send the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to help you (John 14:16). It is possible to overcome obesity. But the goal should never be to turn a head or even snag a mate. The ultimate goal and the one that has the power to change you, is God’s glory.
I love what David Platt writes in his book, Radical, in his chapter about the disciples. What a rag-tag group they were with little to recommend them as the right men to spread the Gospel through all the earth. Yet, he writes, “This is the design of God among his people. He is giving unlikely people his power so it is clear who deserves the glory for the success that takes place.”
Is it harder to attract a man when you’re morbidly obese? Yes. Is it impossible? No. Is it just too difficult to imagine that you could lose weight and get fit? With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). And the more difficult your situation, the more glory God stands to receive when you are victorious through Him. (Two Christian women: Mandisa and Chantel Hobbs come to mind as good role models for the journey.)
Ask God to be glorified in your story. Even as you long and pray for a husband. Ask Him to help you lose weight, to guide you to people and plans that can help you develop a healthy lifestyle. And ask Him to write the story of your life in such a way that when you tell it, you will be able to make much of Him! I am praying for you.