Rachel Morton, Author at LUTHERWOMAN

Who Am I Really?

How many of you have been to an event, sat around tables with a bunch of other women, and been asked to introduce yourself? Do you usually start with “hi, my name is ______,” and follow that with what you do for work, hobbies you like to pursue in your free time, or maybe some vocation God has given you (think wife, mom, sister, friend, etc.)?

This is what I asked women from my church to do when we gathered this Fall for our yearly women’s retreat. I said, “tell the people around your table who you are.” As I listened to the conversations around the tables, I chuckled as they all responded exactly the way I thought they would.

There was much laughter when I brought them back as a group

Bible Journaling: Prayerfully Practicing the Pause

Do you ever find your mind wandering when you read? How many of you have picked up a book (think light fiction, nothing requiring a ton of brain power), read three pages, and then realized you have no idea what you just read? I do this all the time, and that’s when I’m trying to read for fun! Sometimes I just have too much on my mind to focus on the words on the page.

When I’m reading fiction, it doesn’t really matter how much I retain from each page as long as I get the gist of the plot line. But what about reading for retention or reading that requires some intentionality? What about when I’m trying to devote myself to the Word of God, when I’m

Single ≠ Invisible

Dear single gal sitting around a restaurant table with all of your coupled friends and feeling like a third wheel, I see you.

Dear single gal sitting in the church pew alone, I see you.

Dear single gal standing up in yet another wedding wondering when it will be your turn to wear the white dress, I see you.

Dear single gal going on amazing adventures while wishing you had someone to share the experience with, I see you.

The Mundane Life: An Opportunity For Thanks And Praise

As a small child I thought I would grow up to be a princess and a mom. When I got older I thought I might teach piano lessons and high school English. At one point I thought I would be a doctor or surgeon, and wanted to be the next Dana Scully performing autopsies for the FBI. Then I thought I would become an author while also being a church worker. Everytime I imagined my life, I pictured it full of grand adventures; the idea of being a “grown up” with a job and money to travel and do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted was so alluring. Little did I know that “adulting” is nowhere near as glamorous as it seems when you’re young!

That’s not to say that adult life is “boring.”

The Burden Of Shame

Have you ever been in a situation where you did something—or something was done to you—that made you feel ashamed? A time that you were so hurt, embarrassed, or humiliated that you could hardly stand to look in the mirror? A time that you even thought, “If they knew _____ about me, they would never look at me the same way again”? Have you ever thought terribly negative things about yourself? “I’m a failure. I’ve made too many mistakes in my life. Maybe I’m just a mistake. I’m not worthy of being loved.”

Dear sister, don’t live in shame! That’s a burden you weren’t meant to bear!

Alone And Lonely…Even In A Crowd

I grew up in a large, tight-knit, homeschool family in Texas. When I went away to college it was the first time I had been to a “real school” since kindergarten. To call this transition a culture shock would be an understatement!

I was so excited for the new phase of my life. I was excited for the “college experience” and all that entails, and was thrilled to begin preparing for a career in ministry that I was so passionate about. I was also terrified to go to what felt like a “huge” school with so many people from around the country, and felt a lot of anxiety over leaving the people and places I was so familiar and comfortable with. I’m what people call an “ambivert”

Spiritual Disciplines: The Active Pursuit Of God’s Purposes

There was a time in my life when it took me 20 minutes to walk a mile on the treadmill, and that was when I thought I was pushing myself. The first time I tried to do a push-up I face-planted on the floor. The first time I tried to make a budget I totally underestimated how much money I should set aside for gas and groceries. And then there was the time that I vowed to learn to eat healthy and then gagged on the vegetables I didn’t particularly care for.

All of these were things I thought I could just “start doing on Monday” and then excel at. As it turns out, I had to discipline myself to workout and eat healthy and make wise financial decisions.