Category: the church

+ anxiety, bible, Coronavirus, counseling, Covid-19, depression, emotional health, fear, freedom, Panic, suffering, the church, Uncategorized, Virus

Five Ways to Decrease Fear and Anxiety Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Every day my Facebook feed wall is littered with updates on the novel coronavirus. Friends share a fresh perspective, up-to-the-minute stats, helpful tidbits and humorous memes in the spirit of staying informed and lightening the mood. These are uncertain times and people need information to feel safe. They want to know the current impact across the globe and how they and their loved ones … Read More Five Ways to Decrease Fear and Anxiety Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

+ bible, Coaching, communication, communicator, Complentarian, consistent, counseling, Egalitarian, emotional health, equal, ezer, ezer kenegdo, freedom, God, influence, leader, love, Marriage, mental health, mutual submission, relationships, shift, submission, the church, Uncategorized

A Week of Clarity & Mutuality: Boundaries in Marriage

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I am so stinking excited to introduce you to my guest writer today! I know you will enjoy reading her article, she has a lot of wisdom to share. Sarah Coates is the founder & owner of One-Eighty Counseling P.A. She started the group in 2007 and has facilitated the company’s growth to become one of the largest Mental Health & Substance Abuse private … Read More A Week of Clarity & Mutuality: Boundaries in Marriage

+ bible, communication, communicator, Complentarian, consistent, Egalitarian, equal, ezer, ezer kenegdo, God, influence, leader, leadership, love, Marriage, mighty, mutual submission, powerful, relationships, spiritual, strong, submission, the church, Uncategorized

Common Misunderstandings About Egalitarianism

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“I believe Scripture when properly interpreted along with tradition, reason, and experience all support a posture of equality toward women rather than hierarchy,” (RHE) in the home, church, and world. The more I research and study equality between the genders, the more obvious it is to me that wrong assumptions and misunderstandings about mutuality flourish. Since I hate wrong assumptions and misunderstandings, I would … Read More Common Misunderstandings About Egalitarianism

+ barriers, bible, communication, communicator, Complentarian, connector, consistent, Egalitarian, equal, ezer, ezer kenegdo, freedom, God, influence, leader, leadership, love, Marriage, mental health, mighty, mutual submission, powerful, relationships, spiritual, strong, submission, the church, Uncategorized

A Week of Clarity and Mutuality: Definition of Terms

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“Women can’t be pastors, it’s not biblical.” This statement and similar ones were drilled into my daughter Teagan’s head on a near-daily basis at her fundamental Christian school. At the time of her enrollment years earlier, I inquired about the school’s doctrine and was given a copy of their “manifesto,” a nonpartisan list of “we believe” statements that most Christians would agree are central … Read More A Week of Clarity and Mutuality: Definition of Terms

+ bible, Complentarian, Egalitarian, equal, ezer, ezer kenegdo, God, influence, Marriage, mutual submission, relationships, spiritual, submission, the church, Uncategorized, Women in Leadership

A Week of Clarity and Mutuality

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When I drop the term egalitarian among my friend circles, I’m typically met with a glazed stare, the one that lets me know I’ve lost my audience. I get it, it’s not a common word and it’s not used much outside of theological colloquy. For a while now, I’ve incorporated the concept of egalitarian theology in my writing and speaking, although I don’t always … Read More A Week of Clarity and Mutuality

+ barriers, bible, communication, consistent, ezer, ezer kenegdo, goals, God, influence, spiritual, the church, Uncategorized

3 Major Barriers to Reading the Bible

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During my late teens, I began experiencing slight vision changes. Objects were blurry and distorted. Simple tasks like reading, writing, and facial recognition became a bit challenging, but I compensated by squinting and holding my books and papers closer to my nose. Since the vision changes were gradual they didn’t register as a concern until I could no longer read speed limits and road … Read More 3 Major Barriers to Reading the Bible

+ Coaching, counseling, eating disorders, freedom, goals, God, grief, influence, love, mental health, new year, powerful, strong, the church, trauma, Uncategorized, Women in Leadership

Sitting With the Broken: Part II

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During an intake session, a new client reported multiple traumas along with an eating disorder. When I asked if she had received treatment for the eating disorder, she stated she had seen a church counselor about ten years earlier. “Basically I was given Scripture to quote whenever I felt the urge to restrict my food or purge it after eating.” “Do you still restrict … Read More Sitting With the Broken: Part II

+ bible, God, grief, love, the church, trauma

Sitting With the Broken: Part I

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On a crisp November evening just before bedtime, my phone alerted me to a new text. “I just got a phone call, my daughter died in a car accident today.” I stood frozen by shock searching for something of value to say to this grieving father. A wave of sadness swept through my body as I eked out a feeble, “I am so sorry.” … Read More Sitting With the Broken: Part I

+ bible, Coaching, communication, consistent, counseling, ezer, ezer kenegdo, failure, freedom, goals, God, influence, leader, leadership, Marriage, professional development, relationships, strong, the church, Uncategorized, Women in Leadership

Failure Doesn’t Get the Last Word

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The most abysmal failure of my life was the time I planted and pastored a church and after four years of loving, nurturing and pouring my whole self into it, it died. I’ve succeeded at so many things, but this thing I could not do. In 2015, just one year into the church plant, my marriage weathered its toughest storm. That crisis tormented my … Read More Failure Doesn’t Get the Last Word

+ agent of rescue, bible, Coaching, communication, communicator, consistent, counseling, Egalitarian, equal, ezer, ezer kenegdo, freedom, goals, God, influence, leader, leadership, love, mighty, powerful, strong, the church, Uncategorized, Women in Leadership

Crossing the Terror Barrier

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How I loathe coming against the terror barrier, it’s…well, it’s terrifying! What is the terror barrier you ask? It is the invisible obstacle that separates the comfort zone from the growth zone and it’s excruciating to cross. The comfort zone is predictable, cozy, safe, easy and in my opinion very boring. The growth zone is unpredictable, risky, and vulnerable, but it can be thrilling … Read More Crossing the Terror Barrier

+ Complentarian, Egalitarian, Marriage, relationships, the church, Women in Leadership

The Other “F” Word

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Feminism has become the other “F” word. Speak it in any friend circle and you’re likely to provoke a myriad of emotions and strong responses. You either embrace the movement or you hate it; there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground here. A colleague recently shared with me the sordid details from her book club’s current selection. Just one chapter in and she … Read More The Other “F” Word

+ Complentarian, Egalitarian, relationships, the church, Uncategorized, Women in Leadership

In Praise of Female Pastors Part III: The Debate

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  In the West, two polarized groups are used for defining the standard roles of women in the context of the home and church: complementarians and egalitarians. For clarity’s sake, complementarians believe that God established a biblical hierarchy by placing men in authority over women and that he calls women to submit to male leadership. Within this view, only men are to assume leadership … Read More In Praise of Female Pastors Part III: The Debate

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