I would like to be able to tell you that this is something I’ve overcome, but it isn’t. Even as an adult I find myself using it as an excuse not to speak up (no one will listen to me), to aspire (I should be home with my family), to start things (someone else could do it better).
World Vision and Christianity’s No Good, Very Bad Day
“There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe that had been given to him. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. “Then […]
Christmas and Death
I’m thirty years old, and all of my grandparents are still living. I know this is an unusual thing. My husband lost both of his grandfathers before we ever met, and three years ago I stood by his side at his grandmother’s funeral. I know my turn is coming. Two days after Christmas while visiting […]
An Open Letter to Laura Meyers
Dear Laura, I recently read your post on the collegian about feeling like minority on your college campus, and it really resonated with me. Ten years ago, I could have written something very similar. I was admittedly not red-headed or left-handed, but I was a conservative Christian at a state university, and on top of […]
Nice Unicorn
Growing up homeschooled is a little like growing up with a unicorn that only you can see. You spend all day, every day, pretending that it doesn’t exist so that people don’t think you’re weird, and then one day you meet someone who says “nice unicorn. What’s his name?” And it’s just such a relief […]
Because You’re a Girl
My brother is eighteen months older than I am. He was my best friend for many years, my playmate and my confident. We were homeschooled, and there were no other children in our immediate neighborhood, so we did everything together. When I was eight we moved “into town,” a little Mayberry neighborhood with families and […]
“I am less interested in discussing or seeking to change anyone’s mind regarding their opinion on the morality as much as I am interested in engaging how people in the church treat gay people. I believe this is an honest point of unity even for those who vehemently disagree on those points: whether it’s your opinion that the Bible prohibits or permits homosexuality, your opinions should in no way inform your response to gay people. In either case, the response is love. Not just tolerance, but love. Tolerance is a secular value though it feels like wisdom in many cases. But honestly, who wants to be ‘tolerated’? I don’t wish to be simply ‘tolerated,’ I wish to be loved. And this is what we must strive for if we wish to in any way communicate the priorities and mission of our savior.” -Derek Webb
If you find yourself asking, “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.