• Mary and Martha
    Mary and Martha

    Mary and Martha: What We Misunderstand as Women

    The Mary and Martha paradigm precipitated a landslide of books that subtly or not so subtly shamed women who worry about everything they need to get done. I don’t know about you, but I know that whenever I think of Martha, I get the impression Jesus disapproved. I can’t help but identify with Martha sometimes because, well, I get busy. Even my prayer times consist of lists. And part of me wants to tell Mary to get off her tush and help Martha out. Then my 21st-century mentality rises to the surface and thinks, Why aren’t the men helping out? My basic issue with the current Mary and Martha paradigm…

  • language
    abuse,  abuser,  emotional health,  language

    Language: 5 Types of Abuse and How to End It

    At first, I was going to write about the various layers of healthy boundaries we have, beginning with our skin and ending with our renewed spirit. But I got stuck at language. Most of our boundaries are either created or destroyed by language. We forget that language is first and foremost a creator of reality. It is through language that we discover and articulate our identities. Language, too, is the creator and sustainer of relationships, creating bridges of understanding between people. Redemptively speaking, how we speak and the words we use, even the tones we employ while we communicate, are in their best sense, intended to create community. The end…