Well-Read Mom
In addition to the maternal embrace, prayers, and tears of Saint Monica, Saint Augustine needed the wisdom, presence, and friendship of Saint Ambrose! He needed a home and a community to find God and serve Him.
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I realized that I was, in fact, trying to protect my children. This is a natural response, and it is largely our responsibility to do so. But it’s also our responsibility to equip our children, especially as they get older.
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How often do we create fortresses around idols: things, relationships, or even people that, while beautiful and admirable in their proper sphere, can potentially obscure the true End? We weigh the cost of giving with the toll it exacts on our happiness, and too often, we favor the path of contentment over the “Severe Mercy” of death: death to self, to contentment, to ease, to ambitions and hopes.
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I am due with a new little one any day now (prayers appreciated!), and the very clear reality of labor and birth is looming over me pretty much non-stop. While I must admit that I am battling some fear, I am also incredibly aware of my posture in front of this reality. This baby is coming, and only I can walk the road before me. It is a task that I have been given, and I must either grudgingly accept or gratefully receive. Both of these options are open to me, but it seems that there is one that offers more freedom. Freedom for me is in the active surrender of saying yes.
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If “true grit” is an unflappable determination in the face of any circumstances, however horrific, challenging, or dire, the question remains: is this a natural gift or an attainable virtue?
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I have found myself wallowing in pity lately. I have found myself screaming to God, “Why me? Why can’t you let up? Why do we have to have one legitimate trauma after another?” I have found myself trying to reason with God, believing the maxim that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but telling God that I think I am plenty strong enough for the time being; thank you very much. And then I picked up True Grit, and I met Mattie Ross.
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How do people find hope in the face of flagrant cruelty or disdain? The answer, as the ten Booms poignantly and concretely discovered, is found in the One Who endured the greatest suffering of all.
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This book appears on my Top 10 list. It’s just plain fun. And how often do I allow myself to read for pure pleasure?
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We are a lonely culture that values “being rebellious” over true, deep happiness and fulfillment. Really, it all boils down to pride, yes? But truly, I need people. I always have and always will need people—and there is true freedom in following something proposed in love.
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Reading the same books together gives people a common language with which to facilitate broader discussions. It builds culture and community.
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