Faith Archives - 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

Did God Really Say?

Somewhere along the line, the voices in my head that helped me write stories and think through problems started using their powers for evil. Did that really happen, my brain would ask me, or did you just dream it up? It wouldn’t pick at the big, important events; it would just question small details. Did Mom really tell you that, or did you make that up? Are you sure anyone would believe you if you said that out loud? No one else seems to remember that— you’re probably wrong. Your friends will think you’re stupid.

Tiny questions and doubts that on their own didn’t do much but together managed to chip away at the self-confidence that had seemed so effortless growing up. By college, it felt like my brain was some frenemy that might

Remember Mary

It was a typical snowy winter night in Colorado. I had waited till everyone went to bed, staring out the frost covered window waiting for Santa. I was 5 years old and I was determined to see Santa for myself. As I stared outside into the dark night, I could see the streetlights from the living room window and I watched as the snow fell slowly in front of me. Every sound I heard, made me wonder if Santa and his sleigh had landed on our roof. At one point gazing out the window, I swore I heard sleigh bells. I don’t know how long I stood at that window waiting for Santa, but I eventually gave up and went back to bed. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see Santa. Have you ever eagerly awaited something, to just be disappointed? Years later, it makes me evaluate if I am as eager for the arrival of the Christ child as

Am I Qualified to Serve?

When I was in the 5th grade, my Mom signed us up to volunteer for Christmas Unlimited. This organization collected toys for low-income families and foster parents. In the weeks leading up to the Christmas shop being open, the volunteers neatly arranged new toys on long shelves that took up the entire store. Each toy was worth a particular amount of points. When parents came into the shop, each was allotted a certain amount of points to spend for their family. After the Christmas shop opened up, as a volunteer, we walked the long isles with eager parents hoping to find the perfect toys, helped answer questions and then led them to the table where they neatly wrapped the gifts, sealed it with a bow and put them in large black garbage bag to take home. ,br>,br> Over the years, my Mom and I

The Idea of “Ideal”

I can't remember the day. It wasn't like in the movies where the girl slowly brings her face up to the mirror and she suddenly feels different. It did not arrive suddenly, and I didn't even see it happening. I noticed it more and more, that I looked in the mirror and I hated what I saw. When I looked, I cringed. I did whatever I could to do to get away from that mirror and move on with my day. As I went on with the mundane chores I had on my agenda, I felt a heaviness. I felt a weakness. It transformed from “well….It will have to work for today” to “I can't look at myself at all today”. Looking at the mirror and hating what I saw was starting to turn me into a different person. I didn't want to be around people anymore. I stopped caring about myself. I would stop doing my hair and my makeup, I wouldn't

Holiday Traditions

Not going to sugar coat it, when it comes to Holiday Traditions I’m one cynical sister. At least the ones that come with large consumeristic attachments…these ones often leave us wanting more before we’re even grateful for what’s set before us. Holiday traditions can also carry an emotional weight when we’ve experienced something tragic in and or around a holiday.

Perhaps it’s a first holiday, with holiday traditions that someone isn’t there for. Or perhaps it’s a love gone wrong that leaves us cynical about that holiday for years to come. Maybe it’s a bit of a mixture of all of them.

There isn’t one holiday tradition that I’ve clinged to year after year.

Celebrating the Reformation with our Families

Yay! It’s October! As we go down the aisles of the stores we are filled with Halloween decorations, pumpkin spiced everything, and costumes for every age. When the secular world thinks of October, many think of Halloween.

Yet, as Lutherans, we know that October leads us to a big holiday in the church year. The Reformation. Now, maybe you know what that is and maybe you’ve never heard of it. For those of us that didn’t know what that was until later in life, the Reformation is the day Martin Luther decided to nail the 95 Theses on the Catholic Church door. Fun fact: The word theses is a fancy way to say sentences. Martin Luther wrote 95 sentences confronting the Catholic Church on how they were selling indulgences to get people to Heaven.

Home Sweet Home

I’m a sucker for those cute signs one hangs in their house, like; Home Sweet Home or Home is where the heart is…but those signs, as cute as they are, are just one more thing.

In all seriousness, what does Home Sweet Home mean to you?
What do you define as home, where do you define as home?

These days those signs might be more accurately read.

Home is where all my stuff is.
Home is where I hole up after work.
Home is where I binge watch… and the like.

When it Didn’t Go as Planned: How God Led Us Through Brokenness to Belonging

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge where I am today. Not too long ago, I wrote here about burning out after spending ten years in a high-profile firm. Little did I know then that God was about to uproot everything in my life—or what seemed like everything. People’s lives change; they move away, or they move on, and soon after writing that article, our lives began to shift dramatically.

My family struggled to find our place in our community and church, despite our efforts. We tried to integrate, to contribute, but it felt like we were not needed, or even wanted. My daughter faced challenges at school, and I found myself involved in some complicated and challenging situations within the church. Despite my sincere efforts to contribute and

Seeking Comfort in Prayer Among Chaos

I’m usually up before the chickens during the week and I like to enjoy a cup of coffee with my husband in silence before he leaves for work. After he leaves for work, I accept the challenge of motivating my two teenagers to get up and get ready for school. As I sip my coffee, I think about my to-do list and chores I’d like to accomplish daily as a stay-at-home mom. I don’t know about you, but my days rarely go as planned. God always has a keen way of showing me his plans and not my own very early on each day!

A year ago on a nice inviting spring day, my daily routine started out similarly except I wasn’t thinking about my to-do list. I was thinking