Reformed SHEology

T oday is Reformation Day . Happy Reformation Day everyone! In honor of this very historic day, I thought I'd share the following photograph from my own personal photo album: This photo was taken of me on October 31, 1995. I was a senior in college, and this was at a "Reformation Day Party". That's me, standing next to the 95 Theses, looking very pensive . . . and stroking my beard . Ok, let me just address the first question: no, that is not a real beard that I grew on my own. The beard is made of crepe hair, which is a special kind of wool used to make theatrical beards and mustaches. You can get it at any magic shop or wherever theatrical makeup is sold. Crepe hair is cool because you can mix different colors and make your beard look like it has grey patches or red highlights, and match it exactly to your own hair so it looks very realistic. Anyway, I had gone to college in Massachusetts and a bunch of my friends had heard that one of the Christian clubs

T his month on Reformed SHEology our film of the month has been the much anticipated Fireproof . Yet because I live in the UK I have not been able to view this movie yet. For those of you who have been blessed enough to see the movie you will be very familiar with the featured book The Love Dare . In the movie the couple "dares to rescue their choking marriage from the flames of divorce and temptation using The Love Dare book as a guide." When my husband came home from America, he brought back for me the ESV study Bible (yeay!) and to my delight a copy of The Love Dare . It was like Christmas day when he came home! As I set aside my new Bible and opened up my copy of the Love Dare I was met with the following words of warning: Receive this as a warning. This forty day journey cannot be taken lightly. It is a challenging and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination. It is not mean

A s Christians we're all too familiar with the fact that we can have many different idols in our lives. Unfortunately as God opens our eyes to one and we let go and deal with it, another is just around the corner. We'd be fools to think that once dealt with, we are free from them once and for all. Idols can be very subtle and once our eyes are opened to them they are often painful to let go of. The problem is that something as simple as wanting to keep a clean house can become an idol. As Tara Klena and Judy Dabler write in their excellent book, Peacemaking Women: "It is not the object that is the problem - it is how much we desire it that is the problem." So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise when I say that even our husbands can become idols. I can imagine some laughing at that statement but when we really think about how our husbands become our idols it becomes quite a serious matter. When I say the husband can become your idol I am talking about the

D ave Harvey has written an incredibly profound book on marriage that I recommend for everyone, whether married or single. The book is called, When Sinners Say "I Do". Harvey explains the basis of the book as follows in the preface: "Marriage is the union of two people toting the luggage of life. And that luggage always contains sin . . . to get to the heart of marriage, we must deal with the heart of sin . . . But we must start where the gospel starts; there lies the hope for sinners who say 'I do'" (pp. 15-16). The tone is set in the first chapter with the statement, "What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage" (p. 20). Using the analogy of an uneven button-down shirt, Harvey illustrates that when we get the first button right (theology), then all the other buttons of marriage will fall into place. A marriage that is not built on God is like putting the first button of your shirt into the wrong hole. Nothing that follows

H ere in the States we have a cable television program appropriately titled, "Bridezillas." The entire premise of the show can be adequately summed up in this short clip, running only 21 seconds: Somewhere along the way we have adopted the idea that a wedding is all about the bride. What a travesty! When we consider the beauty and symbolism inherent in the wedding ceremony, we can see why any bride who asserts, "This is MY DAY!" is reducing this occasion to a grotesque, debased imitation of the real thing. Newsflash: it's not about me! Now, I'm no wedding expert, but I think if we notice the way the wedding ceremony is set up, it is reminiscent of the relationship between Christ and the Church. The groom arrives first, and the bride comes to meet Him: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be c

I t's no secret that most young girls begin planning their weddings from a very early age. But have you ever stopped to consider how much further planning we tend to do when it comes to being married? Some women already know what they want to name their children. Some have already picked out their dinnerware for special occasions. Although I was never one for planning my wedding or decorating my future home, I had already decided upon what I wanted to be called, which is exactly what I'm called now. That's right. I swore I would not change my last name - not even hyphenate it. I have become so accustomed to my maiden name that calling myself by any other name seemed like . . . how did I describe it? Oh, yes: "an assault on my identity." Naturally I am grinning as I write this. The sentiment just smacks of smug rebellion and self-love. Needless to say, I no longer feel this way about changing my last name. Let's just be clear: there is nothing wrong with ke

M arriage is supposed to be permanent, correct? If you agree with that statement, then you need to define what you mean by permanent , lest you come to a misunderstanding like Larry and Cheryl: This clip was taken from Curb Your Enthusiasm , a show that commonly portrays Larry David as the bumbling fool. But this time, Larry is correct! We do not take our marriages into eternity with us: For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30, cr. Mark 12:25) Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. . . (Luke 20:34-35) Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the hu

T his past weekend was the first ever Revive Our Hearts ' True Woman Conference held in Schaumburg, Illinois. The conference drew over 6,300 women and was simultaneously streamed via webcast to over 3,000 internet connections! After returning from the conference for two days, I still do not have words to express or describe what the experience was like. The speakers were so powerful I am still digesting what I took in. However, if I review my notes, I can definitely see several points that were applicable to our ministry here at Reformed SHEology and so I'd like to share them with you: 1) "Wimpy theology makes wimpy women" - John Piper. This is so true! Bad theology has indeed had a profound effect on women. Either we reject the Bible and embrace femininity, or we reject the Bible and embrace legalism. 2) "In every situation, God is always doing a thousand different things that you cannot see and you do not know" - John Piper. This is encouraging i