Studying the Bible (When You Just Don't Know Where to Start)

I recently (this morning) decided that I need to slough off some of my anger towards God and start studying the Bible. I want to be one of those people that knows the Word back and front. I want to be able to quote verses off the top of my head when I need to make a snarky insightful comment on someone's Facebook status. I want to have these verses at my fingertips when I'm having a bad day or a bad hour. 

Despite being raised in a Christian household and attending DOZENS of different Bible studies throughout my life, I had never really learned HOW to study the Bible. Do I just open up to a random page and start reading, trusting that 1 Kings 2:3 is exactly what God wants me to hear? Do I need to find a good devotional online or at Family Christian Bookstore? Do I need a concordance or lessons in ancient Aramaic? (I hope not, but my dad would tell you there's no better way to read the NT!)

If I Had My Way...

If I had my way, bereaved mothers would stand out. They would look different. The world would be able to see, at a glance, that we had suffered the most tragic loss you can imagine.

My Thoughts on Parenting

I struggled long and hard before publishing this post. On the one hand, I felt like there are a lot of other posts going around that I simply don't agree with, and I jumped at the chance to offer my own opinions. On the other hand, I know that several people (friends of mine) might be offended by what I have to say.

Please know that I am not trying to spark a debate. I'm not trying to tell you that your parenting style is wrong. Really. If I was trying to do that, I would approach you directly (and privately) and tell you. I may disagree with you, but I am respectful enough to keep my distance. All I ask is the same from you.

"I Would Die" (12.20.2013)

But the thing is, you don't.

What frightens is not Death,
it's having to emerge, the lone survivor,
from the burning wreckage.
It's remembering the closeness of the bomb,
the crash of concrete and the crush of brick.
It's breathing in the dust and rubble and saying,
"This is my home.
This is where I will live."

3 Arguments Pro-Choicers (and Pro-Lifers!) Need to STOP Making!

For my entire life (but especially since becoming pregnant), I have been adamantly Pro-Life. This may come as a surprise to some, but I also consider myself a feminist and (in some ways, at least) rather liberal.

I am Pro-Life not because I believe that women shouldn't have to right to control their bodies, but because I believe they should not have the right to create someone and then kill that someone simply because another life would be inconvenient.