8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument, 9 also that the women should dress themselves in moderate clothing with reverence and self-control, not with their hair braided or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for … Read More
Why Call God Father and Not Mother or Parent?
The answer to this question may be partly cultural and due to “Israel’s temptation to follow after fertility Gods.”[1] Missiologist and Fuller Theological Seminary professor Scott Sunquist also notes: “Why not Mother?” The simple answer is that we are not given “Mother” as a name for God. The deeper reason may be that “mother’ or “mother earth” were designations for … Read More
Learning from Eowyn
“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.” Laura Esquivel “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch Much that I’ve struggled to articulate and steal back about God’s view of women and raising daughters is captured in an intriguing scene involving … Read More
The Proverbs 31 Woman: An Important Corrective for Our Times
I tend to love strong, capable female characters in books and movies, especially spy thrillers. As a pastor, however, I fully acknowledge that—in real life—degrading and oppressive attitudes and actions toward women have been rampant throughout history. And that, sadly, many of these attitudes and actions have been vehemently defended by various religions, including Christianity. But, honestly, even our irreligious … Read More
Rethinking Harmful Stereotypes in John Eldredge’s Teaching
Although there are others who do not share my experience, on the whole, John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart had a positive impact on my life. Among other things, his insights on Satan’s strategy are worth the price of the book and are probably the most helpful thing I’ve read on that subject. Eldredge’s influence was so profound in my ministry … Read More
Stealing Back Proverbs 31:10-31
I’ve used this illustration before but on November 19, 2017, one of the most notorious murderers of the 20th century died: Charles Manson. After the second set of murders associated with his name on August 10, 1969, one of the Manson cult-killers wrote “Helter Skelter” on the refrigerator of the house in which the murders took place. The phrase was … Read More
What Jesus Wants in 2021, Part 4 of 4
In this multi-layered passage we’ve been considering (Luke 10:38-42), Mary is our example in both her listening and, specifically, in her listening to Jesus. And this brings us to our final and most important point for 2021: Jesus tells us that Mary shows us a better way to live. (42) A close friend casually looking at this story has often … Read More
Inconvenient Horrors
If you missed it, I’m not surprised. It was certainly underreported by the media and, let’s face it, few of us like to dwell on violence—especially when it’s real and against our most vulnerable. Less than two months ago, 2,246 medically-preserved fetal remains were found in the Illinois home of a recently-deceased doctor. Yeah, that’s right— over 2000 medically-preserved fetal … Read More
A Critique of Gothardism, Part 2 of 5
As an exercise in discernment, this series critiques the teaching associated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Advanced Training Institute International (ATI), and specifically their founder, Bill Gothard. His teaching includes a myriad of distortions and this post addresses examples under the first two of six main areas (listed at the end of Part 1): the use of … Read More
How to Stay Married and in Love for a Lifetime
*This piece is written in tribute of George and Barbara Bush’s 73-year marriage—the longest in Presidential history—and is dedicated to my newest son, Josh Ginchereau, who is about to marry my youngest, one and only daughter, and dear friend, Emily Elizabeth Austen. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they … Read More
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