Musings
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Supporting Women Who have Mixed Feelings about Pregnancy
I am going to say something very unpopular as a married Christian woman: I am not really a baby person. I believe that children are a gift from the Lord and that human life is valuable and worth protecting from its very beginning. I genuinely enjoy children; I just have never shared the bubbling-over baby-fever Continue reading
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Why Say the Lord’s Prayer Together?
At the church where I work, we say the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday as a key part of the liturgy. At the church where I am a member and my husband is Lead Pastor, we have started saying the Lord’s Prayer as a way to conclude our services. This has been met with mostly positive Continue reading
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Every Careless Word We Generate?
Jesus tells us that, on the judgment day, we will have to give account for every careless word that we speak (Matt. 12:36). I suspect that the words we write will be judged with equal or greater severity, for written words are often more permanent and intentional. If Jesus’s warning against careless words extends to Continue reading
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The Goodness of Gardening Friends
“All my flower beds are filled with this ivy,” I texted two of my friends this afternoon. “Should I pull it or let it be? It’s pretty but seems to be taking over…” I snapped a picture to accompany my text, hoping as I sent it that my friends would reply, “Oh, that’s a rare Continue reading
author, blogger, blogging about gardening, Christian friendship, church friends, faith, faith and friendship, faith and gardening, flowers, friends, friendship, fruit of the Spirit, Fruitful Worship, fruitfulness, garden, gardening, gardening and faith, gardening lessons, goodness, honesty, iowa, Iowa life, lawn, learning, midwest living, nature, pulling weeds, spirit-filled singing, weeds, writer, writing, yard work -
Behold, Your Mother
My mom manages to fuse the Proverbs 31 woman’s virtues with Lorelei Gilmore’s hilarity. She’s the best. She taught me to think discerningly, apologize quickly, and—fortunately for readers of this blog—edit rigorously. But my mom lives in Arizona, which put a bit of a damper on Mother’s Day celebrations. Despite being 1,500 miles away from Continue reading
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For Narnia and for Aslan: Reclaiming Running as Play
I run nearly every day, which leads many people to assume that I have always been into fitness. While I have always enjoyed a good walk or hike, it might surprise you to discover that I am not naturally athletic. My mom once jokingly described me as “an indoor cat,” and some of my earliest Continue reading
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January Recommendations
It’s a beautiful sunny day in Iowa—if you don’t step outside, that is. To help you get through the winter blues, here are a few recommendations for reading, listening, and learning. 1. This podcast that sparked my theological imagination. I regularly listen to Think Biblically, a podcast by my alma mater, Biola University. In a Continue reading
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Love is a Garage Door Opener
When we were dating, I would typically get off work earlier than my now-husband, Billy. My favorite running trail went past the church where he worked, so I’d park behind the church and chase that daily tread. I ran with particular enthusiasm during that season because I knew that if I “happened to mention” that Continue reading
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Post-Election Reflection: “Return to the Gate”
My women’s Bible study is walking through Esther, which is a political tale if there ever was one. Covert plots, the rise and fall of leaders, executions, royal edicts, justice—this little book has it all! As we discussed chapter 6 today, I was struck by the following verse: “Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. Continue reading
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Who Isn’t My Neighbor? Thoughts on Cats, Concern, and Connectedness
The Backstory Four weeks ago, my husband called from work. He’d found a kitten in the church parking lot and was bringing her home. As I prepped a spare room as a temporary kitten nursery, I joined a few groups on Facebook dedicated to lost pets. I wanted to make sure the kitten did not Continue reading
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11 Lessons from 11 Years of Blogging
My favorite number is eleven, so it seems fitting to celebrate my eleventh blogging anniversary. Here are eleven little lessons I’ve learned from blogging: Continue reading
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Finding Comfort in Smallness: Lessons Among the Oak Trees
I needed to go stand beneath my oak trees today, to be reminded of my smallness. No, to be reassured of my smallness. You see, I spend the bulk of my days alone: tidying my house, running, practicing music, planning services, reading, and, of course, writing. I love my life. It is ideally suited to Continue reading
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Ryanne Molinari 