By Molly Barnett Over a month ago, before our state imposed stay-at-home laws, my husband and I heard a knock at the kitchen door as we relaxed on the couch after our son went to bed. Slightly rattled by the unexpected greeting, I gingerly walked to the door, and cautiously gazed out the window only to see our neighbor smiling and waving on the other side of the glass. In that moment I simply had to laugh at my previous suspicion and realized with embarrassment who I had become in this age of texting. What once upon a time had been an expected sound at the door, had become a…
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Memorization for Moms (and Other Busy Ladies)
By Heather Judd Gradually I am learning how much more pleasant life is when we embrace the present season rather than covet the blessings of the past or the future. This includes not coveting how my neighbor seems to be in the same season of life and yet accomplishing so much more than I can manage. My selfish heart is so very good at seeing the blessings I don’t have and the crosses I do while ignoring the good I would miss and the pains I would suffer if circumstances differed. In my present season of baby-raising, I could make a long list of things I am not currently accomplishing: learning German, reading epic poems,…
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Paintings for Holy Week: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus in Art
By Anna Mussmann One of the worst things about celebrating Holy Week without the chance to go to church is how easy it is to lose the sense that our Lord’s death and resurrection is something we celebrate with all Christians throughout the ages. Christ died and rose for each of us, yes, but also for all of us. In times of struggle and suffering, there is great comfort in remembering the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and the communion of the saints in which we join. We are part of the Body of Christ no matter how long we must self-isolate. Our ability to participate in…
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Why I’m Grateful to be Pregnant During This Pandemic
By Anna Mussmann It’s crazy to see how quickly daily life in America has been upended in the last few weeks. I’ve seen a few articles that say this is a terrible time to have a baby. In some ways, I suppose that’s true. I’m nearly full-term with my fourth child. My midwives have already announced a number of changes to their practice that leave me wondering what will happen when I go into labor. In some areas of the country, hospitals have decided not to allow husbands to be present during labor, and official recommendations now include separating babies from their mothers (potentially for a full two weeks) if…
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Resources, Babies, and a Possible Book Club (Off-site Highlights)
Dear Friends, Greetings! It’s been a long time since I posted a round-up of links. I don’t know if this is a good time or a bad time to resume blogging–things are a little crazy out there right now, aren’t they? Perhaps, though, now is just the time to find good stuff to read that ISN’T the news. First, a few links related to current events: If you haven’t already seen them, do check out these encouraging Synodical resources on responding to the novel Coronavirus. In addition, I couldn’t help laughing at Pastor Fiene’s “interview” with the virus itself (there’s some sound theology in his piece right along with the…
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What My Noisy Toddler is Teaching Me About Lent
By Anna Mussmann My husband and I try to teach church-appropriate behavior, and my kids are usually pretty respectful and attentive. It’s a joy to hear their voices bellowing “Alleluia” or joining the Sanctus. However, around the age of two, each of them has gone through what we might call a loud period. During this time, they are not respectful. They are not attentive. They are loud, belligerent, and embarrassing. Heavy, too. I go through a period of negativity myself during this phase. I’m annoyed if the announcements last too long. If my husband tries to discuss the sermon, I’m like, “Huh? Yeah, I guess there was one, wasn’t there?”…
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I Don’t “Deserve” Self Care. I Rejoice in God’s Good Gifts Instead.
By Molly Barnett Social media and elsewhere have been saturated recently with messages of “self-care” by well-intentioned people who boldly declare, “you deserve it.” Insert any number of things for “it,” and do it in the name of “self-care” because you work so hard, don’t you? So maybe my cynicism has already surfaced, but I cannot help but question this modern mantra for the hard-working woman, particularly for the mother. Now that God has given me the vocation of wife and mother to fulfill, I wonder what it means to take care of myself as a Christian woman living in service to others while messages on the importance of self-care…
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Missing This Blog (from Rebekah Theilen)
To second what Anna wrote earlier this summer, I, too, often find myself thinking of topics I could use for potential articles. I miss the days when this blog was more active, and we, as the readers, were able to hear from fellow Lutheran women on the themes that come up in our daily lives and vocations. It seems words have in no way stopped, but moved. With a steady stream of words in the visible spaces such as Instagram and Twitter, blogs are now a quieter, less popular medium. Public blogs require more maintenance and upkeep, including the more tedious work of formatting and editing. If you’re going…
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Lovely New Book from Kloria Press (A Review of Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart)
Review by Anna Mussmann I love what Kloria Press does. Each of their books takes a theologically rich hymn and illustrates it for children. What makes these volumes special, though, is the way the illustrations tell an independent story that complements the hymn, demonstrating its relationship to the life of the Christian. The format allows a simple picture book to become surprisingly deep. Kloria Press has produced a number of board books, but it’s their larger picture books–like this new one–that have the most scope for story. They also might be described as more daring in their themes, presenting events and imagery atypical of the kind of religious books for…
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New Site for Lutheran Home Educators
By Deaconess Mary J. Moerbe There are a lot of women who went to college, got degrees, and then, whether by design or development, stayed home following marriage. Some call themselves professional homemakers, emphasizing home over house. I’d like to suggest that those who homeschool can also consider themselves professional homeschoolers. Does that mean I think you can make money by opening your home as a mini-school or one-room schoolhouse? Not necessarily. At the same time, what we do within our vocations is not a hobby. We are not hobbyists, but professionals! There is not particularly job training for marriage or parenting. After all, our vocations cannot be boiled down…
