Marvelous Happy Things

You may be wondering, "Why is she talking about modesty? Isn't that so 2016?" Well, I did write about modesty (specifically bikinis ) in 2016. But, according to a recent article detailing an opinion piece at the University of Notre Dame, this is still a relevant topic, especially for women in the church. Here is some context about me that will be helpful before we begin. I attended high school youth group at a Baptist church from 2010 to 2014. During that time, and even as a junior higher, one book that influenced me in this area was For Young Women Only  by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice. The authors cite research and focus groups to convince the reader that dressing modestly (and other topics) are biblical practices. We had at least one girls-only night where some leaders talked to us about modest dressing (for example, skirts and shorts at or below the knee, camisoles under v-neck shirts, and no spaghetti straps or bra straps showing). The goal of dressing modest...

Trigger warning: abuse, sexual immorality, violence It started to hit me when I saw the headline "Hundreds Accuse Independent Baptist Pastors of Abuse" (Christianity Today 2018). #MeToo and #ChurchToo were not new to me at this point, but I grew up in a Baptist church. Not an independent fundamental church, but still Baptist. I didn't know these women who survived abuse from their leaders, but I very well could have. Accountability for church leaders is necessary and valuable. Many Baptists prefer their leaders to have a lot of control and that their church exists independently from other churches, but these reports should cause them to consider a different structure. How does the Bible address sexual abuse? I used  OpenBible.info  to find most of these verses. 1 Cor. 6:18 ESV "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." Matt. 5:28 ESV "But I say to ...

It began with a realization and a prayer. During the last year, I realized that I do not have many friends of a different race (white) or culture (American) than me. At some point, I prayed something like, "God, please bring more people who are different than me into my life." Racial tension has been a large topic within the last year, and many of my classmates have spoken strongly about this issue on blogs or social media. I would excuse the issue by thinking that I didn't have anyone to relate to who was dealing with it. Therefore, I did not engage with it in conversation or action. God answered this prayer by putting more men and women of different races and cultures in areas of my life this semester than I think I've ever interacted with before. Last Wednesday in chapel, Pastors Derrick Rollerson and Mark Soderquist spoke about race and unity. It was humbling to listen to them confess weaknesses as black and white men serving inner-city Chicago together. Becau...

Tragedy: (n) an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe. Look around. What do you see? Pain, sadness, and tragedy. How do you cope with the loss of a friend? Of someone you knew? In a city you've visited? If you're grieving, how do you heal? Through acts of kindness or charity? Do you get mad, hating the world? Do you hate the shooters? Do you hate the rapist? Do you shake your head and say, "This country's going downhill" or "I can't stand the world today"? What do you do? Some will bring hope and healing to the conversation. Others will bring hate and continue to hurt. How do we heal? As cities and as a country, as atheists, Christians, and Muslims. As politicians and lay people. How do we handle tragedy? Voices of hope Christina Grimmie Memorial Video To Brock Turner's Father, from Another Father

All facts and quotes in this post are from Rollingstone.com. If you have been paying any attention at all to social media in the last couple of weeks, then you know that something is going on between pop star Kesha and her producer, Dr. Luke. She currently refuses to work with him and wants to "work with other labels and publishing units and receive damages." What's the big deal? She accused him of abusing her in many different ways for 10 years. In 2013, she went into rehab for an eating disorder. She cannot currently record for new labels. Many artists, the majority of whom are female, are supporting her via social media. The prosecution states that she is suing for a "contract renegotiation and money." There doesn't seem to be enough evidence to disapprove that statement. Even if all of Kesha's accusations toward Dr. Luke aren't true, a lawsuit against your employer is a cry for help. She is hurting in some way, and we should be praying for he...

Where did it start for her? How did "I love Muslims" become "we worship the same God?" Every problem has a beginning, usually just a small one. A guy who grew up with me suffered from clinical depression for years, and none of us knew it. He seemed happy on the outside, but on the inside, he was hurting. Dr. Larycia Hawkins' story is extremely important because her thoughts took a gradual progression from compassion to equality. Did Muhammad die for the sins of his people? Did he rise again three days later? Is he an equal part of a trinity? No. Without distinct principles, our salvation is void. We as believers say we have the truth. We must differentiate it from the lies. What do you do with a professor who believes a lie? Tell her the truth.

I have no clue what the congregation of Emanuel AME Church is going through right now. I can't pretend to understand, because I don't. Sometimes I wish that I was visibly emotional so that I could literally cry about people and events to God. But that's not me. I am extremely inwardly emotional. When difficult circumstances take place, I struggle to express grief. Yes, I hurt for the people of Charleston. But you could not tell that by looking at me. A song has been going through my head since the shooting in Charleston. The lyrics are "Brother let me be your shelter/I’ll never leave you all alone/I can be the one you call When you’re low/Brother let me be your fortress/When the night winds are driving on/Be the one to light the way/Bring you home." (Needtobreathe) I don't know how to lead the people of Charleston right now. My faith is not even close to being as strong as the faith of the families who told Dylann Roof that they were praying for his soul. Ho...