Pumpkins carved by my two youngest boysLast night I sent Hannah (my eldest daughter, age 25) this text:Your 3 youngest siblings are trick-or-treating. Don't faint.Within seconds, my phone rang and I answered it.Hannah responded, "Who has my mother's phone and where is she?"Many Christians believe that making the day a harvest day or calling it… Continue reading Christians: Happy Halloween or Not?
Category: Legalism
Homeschool Movement and Abuse? Introduction
The lawsuit from my former abusive church has come and gone and I have been doing some deep thinking - - trying to figure out what brought us to that particular church - - - what made that church appealing to us? I had to acknowledge that this church, like other prior churches,… Continue reading Homeschool Movement and Abuse? Introduction
Hannah’s Personal Story in Her Own Words
Readers: I've had this post in my "draft posts" for quite some time, but the time to post it is now and I will explain more about that very soon. You'll see why it is important to hear from her own words. I shared my perspective of Hannah's story in the most popular blog post,… Continue reading Hannah’s Personal Story in Her Own Words
Hyper-Modesty in the Church, Part 2
Does Hyper-Modesty Lead to Lust? Yesterday's post dealt with the subject of hyper-modesty with regard to how we dressed, the preoccupation of not showing cleavage, not accentuating a woman's figure, diverting eyes when seeing female joggers on the road, staying away from public swim areas and areas where people are dressed immodestly, etc. I also… Continue reading Hyper-Modesty in the Church, Part 2
Hyper-Modesty in the Church, Part 1
Do You Have Modesty Police in Your Church? Before we came to the church, our family had general guidelines on modesty. It wasn't a big deal. There were no rules, but I shared with my daughters to generally try to wear clothes that didn't draw attention to female body parts or cause distraction. I tried… Continue reading Hyper-Modesty in the Church, Part 1
In Honor of Hannah
* * * Today, I'd like to honor someone very special to me - my eldest daughter, Hannah. When Hannah told me she was leaving home so abruptly that very sad day, she told me that she couldn't set one more foot in that church. It was killing her. She knew… Continue reading In Honor of Hannah
Legalism: Do Not Expose Your Thighs!
* * * And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9 My family didn’t have too many problems with modesty. Prior to coming to Beaverton Grace Bible Church, we didn’t have any “formal” teaching on modesty. It was a natural and seemingly obvious… Continue reading Legalism: Do Not Expose Your Thighs!
List of Cultic Tendencies
Charles Lester wrote a list of cultic tendencies (originally posted Oct. 1991 in Spiritual Counterfeits Project newsletter) which can be viewed in full online at the Battered Sheep website. The entire list can be found here. Below are the items that hit a nerve with me. Is your pastor fully accountable to a board of… Continue reading List of Cultic Tendencies
Spiritual Sounding Board 