Nearing holidays and—hopefully—nearing the Holy.

As we get closer to Christmas, I admit it-I get hooked by all of the secular, of-the-world stuff. That *one* more thing that will complete the stocking. Trying to ensure exact, mathematical parity between my two children. 

Several years ago, I picked up a copy of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the unlikely event you haven’t heard of the 2014 best seller, the magical process of “tidying up” is to go through each of your belongings and hold them in your hands asking if they spark joy. [read more of this post at Grow Christians]

Raising Feminist Kids? Me too.

 

Or trying to.

In raising my kids, I’ve been surprised that I turned out to be the kind of parent who wants to shield their children from the world. I thought I’d be open and honest about sin, about brokenness and pain and suffering, about how much is wrong in the world.  On this, I am also led by my children.  When first being told that such a thing as war existed and there were wars being fought at that moment, my then three year old declared we had better get over there and explain that it should stop. The idea that women used not not be able to vote or wear pants and men didn’t cook is deeply shocking to my children.  But I’m realizing that on sexual violence, I am irrationally hoping that the dots I have set out will somehow get connected by my children. It’s not enough.

I wrote a piece over on Grow Christians on the topic—click over there to read more.