Fun. I love fun. Fun is good. I’m having to relearn this. When I was a kid? Fun was good. Somewhere along the road? Fun became bad. Wrong. At least in my mind, it did. How could we have any fun if we are Christians? No time fun. There is a whole world to save. No, really. We need to save everyone. Everyone is on their way to Hell. Almost everyone. A few of us are not. We prayed the... Read more
I used to feel so guilty. When my kids were young. I remember having a pastor’s wife who led our bible study. She would come in at 9:00 am. The first words out of her mouth would be… “I trust that you all have spent time in the word already this morning”. Ugh. Are you kidding me? It took everything in me not to roll my eyes out loud. Do we get any points at all for getting ourselves out... Read more
I lost my voice. I knew it was coming. I went beyond the point of no return. The slippery slope, as they say. Too many questions. Out loud. If I only would have kept my mouth shut. I tried. Honestly tried. The fear was real. Fear of what people would think. And fear of what I was actually thinking. I had the kind of questions that were bigger than our church could handle. Shhhh. Don’t say it. Don’t ask it.... Read more
So why has most of my Christian faith been based on fear? I’m not even kidding. As I look back, it started when I was nine years old. One movie. The whole trajectory of who God was/is was set to go in a different direction from then on. Ready. set. Go. The rapture is gonna happen any day. Make sure we are all ready or we will wish we had been. Watch out for the mark of the Beast. It... Read more
Dear Mom of littles, I know. I remember. Long days. Even longer nights. Will I ever sleep again? Am I going crazy? I must be crazy. 4 kids. What was I thinking? They are cute, but. It’s agonizing sometimes. Failure seems so real. And why do people show up at my door only when my house is trashed? Oh… maybe because it is more often than it isn’t. Toys and laundry and books and bottles. Will it ever end? How... Read more
Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Don’t think of a big pink elephant. Yep. Just pictured that dang elephant inside my mind. Always. We learned this in a parenting class when our kids were little. Use positive language. Instead of saying “Don’t go into the street.” Try saying “Stay on the sidewalk”. Instead of “Don’t run”. Say “Walk.” The power of words. And I worked hard on this. Not using negative words. Helping our children to not think of the... Read more
I watched Matt Chandler say what he said. I watched it more than a few times today. Trying to wrap my mind around it. Trying to put words on how I feel in this moment. So, I write…. Sexy? A fad? I’m just trying to be cool? All this deconstruction? Doesn’t it make me so popular? C’mon, Matt. What are you trying to do right now? Are you grasping at straws? Wanting to take us all down with you and... Read more
I looked at our calendar hanging in the kitchen this morning. December 1st. Immediately my mind went back in time. Years of advent calendars with our kids. From the ones with the little chocolate candies, To the one that told the story of the manger. This was the day. Get the season started. Excitement was in the air. No advent calendar up in our house this year. I could ask Lance if he wants one? It would probably get ignored... Read more
Don’t be confused, Karen. God is not the author of confusion. If in fact, you are confused? It’s from the devil himself. So I shake my head. Partly in disbelief. Mostly trying to shake out the confusion. Let me get this straight. For real. Don’t love your life. If you love it, you will lose it. As a matter of fact, hate it. Give it up. If you give up your life for God, you will find it. Ok, then…... Read more
Someone listen. Please. Anyone. Why does it seem like everyone around me has their head in the sand? Someone look up. Look out. Can we stop burying our heads in the sand? There is a whole world out there. Billions of humans. Life to explore. Questions to ask. Answers to be found. People to love. Ways to grow. Why can’t I go out there? What happens if I step out of this cage? What are we all so afraid of?... Read more
Karen Ruth Shock
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