Thoughts from My Corner of the World
Everyday Obstacles (Photo taken by me at Table Rock Dam) We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary by visiting Branson in December last year. The weather was unseasonably warm, which worked in favor for our stay. One afternoon we drove to Table Rock Dam and sat on the edge, as good little tourists should. I sat... Continue Reading →
I spent a good part of 2021-22 attending to the subject of disability theology while processing my life-long experience with my older developmentally-delayed sister who has lived with cerebral palsy from birth. Together we sorted through past memories to compile a short book for her to share with others. Many of those stories are available... Continue Reading →
Bad Girls Years ago, Liz Curtis Higgs wrote a series of books with tantalizing titles: "Bad Girls of the Bible," "Really Bad Girls of the Bible," and "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible." They sold really well, undoubtedly displaying sound Biblical exegesis. Each of the books featured a cover depicting a woman's alluring, seductive gaze.... Continue Reading →
In Women and the Gender of God, author Amy Peeler points out that Jesus, born of Mary, is a human male. We're comfortable with his humanness. In times of struggle and suffering we cry out to Jesus. It is his very humanity that gives us courage, as humans ourselves, to approach him in prayer. After... Continue Reading →
We know so little about Mary - the mother of Jesus - the woman who carried the Son of God for nine months in her womb. Years ago, I spent months reading and researching all things Mary for my final graduate project at Johnson University. Protestants were beginning to examine and expound on the Biblical... Continue Reading →
Mother, May I? The division over women’s roles and their supposed inability to address theological issues within the Restoration churches is the impetus for this paper. Of particular importance are two concerns. If a husband’s rule over his wife is inviolable as established by the creation narrative in Genesis, why in Luke’s gospel does God... Continue Reading →
Today’s devotional reflections are from 1 John 1:1-4. This letter is written by John. It sounds like he has input from others in a community of believers. They were living in or near Ephesus (but that’s for another post). I imagine Mary, the mother of Jesus, was living among that community. If you remember, before uttering... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite verses is found in Matthew's Gospel: “Lo, I am with you always!” I’ve clung to that promise from my childhood onward. I bought the small plaque (pictured above) with the verse in German when living in Nebraska nearly 20 years ago. It now hangs in my sewing studio often reminding me... Continue Reading →
A. Introduction In this series I begin sharing a good portion of my research project completed two years ago for my Masters in New Testament from Johnson University. It focused primarily upon Mary, Joseph’s wife, the mother of Jesus. These posts will expand further upon my original project, “Mary, Mother May I?: Finding Hope for Restoration... Continue Reading →
A while back I did a comparison of the angelic encounters of Hagar, Manoah’s wife, and Mary, mother of Jesus. The angel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary (Luke 1:26). The angel of God appeared to only two other women in the Hebrew scriptures: Hagar and Manoah's wife (Gen 16:7-16; Gen 21:8-21; Judges 13;... Continue Reading →