Blog

Knowing God by Name Leaders Forum

This on-line Knowing God by Name Leader’s Forum is a place where you can interact with other leaders about the Knowing God by Name Bible Study. I’ll be posting links with leader resources, and I encourage you to post your comments, questions, answers and suggestions, so that we can all learn from each other.

18Nov2008 | Mary | 13 comments | Continued

The Need for a Creed

Everyone has a creed. Even those who say they don’t believe in creeds have a creed. Their creed is: “I don’t believe in creeds!” What exactly is a creed? It’s simply a statement of belief. Creed is derived from the Latin word credo, “to believe.” Therefore, if you have the capacity to believe in something, then you have a creed – even if it’s an unspoken one.

6Jan2009 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Paper Stars

Just before Christmas, I spoke at a Ladies Christmas Tea about the wonder of the Season. The title of my talk was “Paper Star.” I shared how the simple paper stars hanging on my tree remind me of my family history and traditions. There’s so much more to the ornament than meets the eye - [...]

26Dec2008 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Revolutionary Women

I’m getting ready to hop on a plane tomorrow morning for my bi-annual trek down to Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. I’ll be teaching an intensive Master’s level course on Feminist Theology. I’ve taught this particular course for many years, at Southern and at other seminaries.
Those of you who know me well know that I [...]

19Nov2008 | Mary | 1 comment | Continued

Only What is Helpful for Building

His mother was not home, but the young boy wanted to draw, so he got out the bottles of ink himself. His sister agreed to pose for him. In his eagerness and excitement, the young artist made an inky mess of his hands, clothes, table and floor. Just as he was finishing his work, his mother returned, and for a moment, stood in the door and silently took the scene in. Then, instead of scolding him, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your sister!” and kissed him.

7Nov2008 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Tipping the Scales in Your Favor

One of Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post paintings shows an elderly woman buying a large Thanksgiving turkey. The butcher is standing behind the counter, weighing the turkey on his scale. Both the butcher and the customer on the other side are eyeing the scale with pleased expressions on their faces. At first glance, it appears like a regular transaction. But upon closer examination, we discover the reason for their self-satisfaction.

6Nov2008 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Gab, Blab and Gossip

I once saw an advertisement that enticed people to buy cell phones so they could engage in more “gab, blab, and gossip.” Are you a talker? Do you enjoy gabbing, blabbing, and gossiping? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying good conversation, but the Bible warns that excess speech is often accompanied by sin. “Where words are many, sin is not absent…” (Prov. 10:19, NIV)

5Nov2008 | Mary | 1 comment | Continued

How Does Your Garden Grow?

When I was young, grown-ups often greeted me with the sing-songy question: “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?” Since my name is Mary, they used this line (taken from a famous nursery rhyme) instead of the traditional “How are you?” I must admit it mildly irritated me. They no doubt thought they were being clever and cute, but I didn’t like being called “contrary.” And I didn’t really understand the meaning of the rhyme.

4Nov2008 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Love to Listen

Listening is an active process involving more than just the ears. The Chinese character for the verb “to listen” contains the symbols for ear, eyes, heart, and undivided attention. Active listening involves giving our undivided attention - hearing with our ears, observing carefully with our eyes, and understanding with our hearts.

3Nov2008 | Mary | 0 comments | Continued

Does Your Speech Make the Grade?

Take a moment to evaluate your speech habits. How good are they? If a grade of 100% represents perfection, what grade would you give yourself? If you don’t swear, and aren’t given to gossip or outbursts of anger, you might confidently give yourself 80% or perhaps even 90%. Compared to the people around you, your speech might deserve a pretty high mark. But what if you graded your speech according to God’s standards? Take this 20-Question Test to see what kind of mark you’d get…

2Nov2008 | Mary | 1 comment | Continued