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Question: What is going on in the situations below? 1. Boy watches movie where “good girls” are always really “bad girls.” 2. Girl is told by boy on Monday, “I love you.” On Tuesday girl watches talk show about boys who cheat. 3. Boy begins dating girl on Monday who is four years older. On Tuesday boy reads article saying older girls always control relationships. 4. Girl watches movie where boy falls for girl who is mean and plays hard to get. Messages and information we receive today may be …
I’m on vacation. But it’s hard to get rest t0day. We save up vacation days to rest but are usually more exhausted by the time we get home.
You should probably read this first: PART I (if you don’t, your computer will implode…)
Speaking on singleness is not something that makes me jump up and click my heels together. I enjoy talking about relationships…broken or functioning…but staring at singleness right in the face is not my idea of fun.
Four years ago I had the privilege of hearing John Wooden speak. What stood out to me was his sincerity and wisdom. He was not asked to speak because he had the hottest new book or motivational talk. He was asked to speak because he motivated others by living the life he preached.
SIDE NOTE: I am starting to re-think these whole “Ask Joy” videos….because… 1) I am running out of different places to sit in my office for the recordings. 2) I never came up with a good “sign off.” (Trust me, “Abschied meiner kleinen Freunde im Ausland!” just didn’t work.) 3) I realized hearing a short question is not how I am wired to respond. I always want to know more. I keep feeling like I am giving a million caveats of “I don’t really know the whole story.” …
I wasn’t going to post this “Ask Joy” response because I was really tired when I recorded it and I hope whoever asked the question doesn’t feel like I am un-empathetic…it’s just those lazy eyes that kick in when I am fatigued.
I promise.
On Sunday my pastor gave an overview of where we have been as a church and where we are headed. The story of our journey this last year actually gave me chills.
(Maybe there was just a draft.)
The pendulum swing. Close eyed open mindedness. Love and hypocrisy. Evil and regret. False humility and genuine humanity. Cynicism of past generations. Blindness towards new repetition. Divorce after two years. His fault. Her fault. Happiness as the end all. Feelings as the determinant of truth. Fear of the word respect. Manipulation of love. Consumed by the idea of other. No sense of other. Questions with no answers. Results with no reason. An uncomprehendable God. A good God. A silent God. Loudness. Cemeteries filled with peace. …
Trying everything in my power to not laugh for this one.
Bless you boy…wherever and whoever you are. I appreciate your boldness and honest feelings in asking this question. We just happen to differ.
Oh, and I am a woman…just in case that wasn’t clear. Read more
Last week my friend Lisa said, “You have a lot of people telling you about their relationships, don’t you…” I do. And I enjoy it because I am passionate about it, but it can also be hard to hear all the brokenness that is keeping people from successful relationships. I pray that being a listening ear and attempting to give advice to my friends actually helps and isn’t just another “voice to a conversation.” Sometimes we talk and converse so much that we forget to …
Sia: The Church of What’s Happening Now When I was five my dad, a pastor, took me down to his office to play while he worked. Normally I would run around the halls of the church or go in the dark sanctuary and roll down the aisle as fast as I could until hitting a pew. We didn’t get out much. This particular night though, my dad set up a movie called the Jesus film. He went into his office to work and was going …
From a single Mom: “Can men see me for who I really am, or are they always going to see me as “mommy me?”
Tomorrow I have the privilege of speaking at Pepperdine University with Dr. Ken Canfield on a fun topic.
Porn.
How infinite is space And who decides your fate Why everything will dissolve into sand How to avoid defeat Where truth and fiction meet Why nothing ever turns out as you planned These are things that I don’t understand Yeah these are things that I don’t understand Things I just don’t understand – Coldplay Maybe it’s our generation, or maybe it’s just my age and the realistic fact that with age comes pain and questions…but it appears lack of understanding is why many question God’s …
(Now that I think about it, maybe I like this devotional because it talks about “JOY” all the time. It was my subconscious narcissism that drew me to this book!)
“Ah, I have picked up magic in her nearness.” –Poet Ezra Pound I don’t vomit that much. In fact, prior to puking on Monday night after the final episode of The Bachelor, I can tell you the time, place and scenario of my last barf. It might have been the food I was eating, I’ll give you that…but all I know is that the moment I began watching the episode my stomach started turning. I have only seen the last few weeks so if my …
Is there power in submitting or does submission always = loss of power?
Have you ever had someone tell you they “suggest” you do things differently? But “suggest” probably means your method was moronic?
(a fictitious letter)
Dear Fellow Friends of Rachel,
Did you know that infants, if put in a pool, start swimming naturally? It’s kind of scary to watch because, well, they are infants. What more can they do than sleep, eat, poop and cry? Letting go of an infant takes a huge amount of trust in the child’s natural instincts. Something we can’t see.
I thought this blog was finished when my friend came by my office this morning. I decided to include her story. She shared how she has been hurt by our Christian community here in Portland. I asked her why and she expressed how words had been said to her in harsh ways.
Dear Christian Friends,
This whole Pat Robertson bashing has to stop. We are wasting our energies. I am surprised and appalled at the viciousness I have “heard” via Twitter and Facebook about Robertson’s comments regarding the Haiti tragedy.
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