by Emily Wierenga | Dec 11, 2013 | Bethlehem Star, discouragement, doubt, faith, Haiti, Nelson Mandela, prison, prodigal magazine
I walked to the edge of my faith tonight. Looked down and was tempted to jump.Because sometimes there are no stars or moon, just an ink black sky and when you step outside in your sneakers and run the country mile, you can’t even see the white of your... by Emily Wierenga | Dec 6, 2013 | christmas, depression, disordered eating, faith, feast, holidays, mental illness, prayer, social anxiety
(Guest Post by Anna Elmira, a dear friend of mine who’s battled the same eating issues I have, on how holidays can be hard for those with mental illnesses. Please welcome her?) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119: 105. I sit... by Emily Wierenga | Dec 4, 2013 | daughter, eating disorder, faith, identity, Jesus, name, womanhood
My coffee is cold. I sit at the kitchen table with my Bible, overlooking the deck and the barren branch of winter, the boys watching a show in their onesie pajamas. It’s winter, and the days are short and I miss the light. But when the sun shines on the... by Emily Wierenga | Dec 3, 2013 | black friday, christians, commercialism, employee, faith, materialism, mob, shopping, trampled, walmart
I was driving down Baseline on Sunday, in Sherwood Park, Alberta, passing a thick flock of stores, duplo block structures, big box stores with their Black Weekend sales. And I was crying, thinking about the Wal-Mart worker.The one who got trampled in Long Island, NY,... by Emily Wierenga | Dec 2, 2013 | boys, character, church, faith, fatherhood, integrity, Jesus, manhood, masculinity, men, MOB Society, motherhood, mothers of boys, Ron Swanson, Titanic
Dear Sons,Your father and I watched all six seasons of Parks and Rec over the past three months, and while Leslie Knope makes the show, Ron Swanson is its backbone.And boys? I like Ron. I like him, the same way I like your father because they’re not afraid to be... by Emily Wierenga | Nov 24, 2013 | bible, children, church, faith, family, feminism, Jesus, manhood, men, patriarchy, servanthood, single mothers, womanhood
The little girl was crying.She’d been sitting beside her grandma in church but when she turned sad her grandfather scooped her up, a big burly man who barely fit in the pew, and he held her so tender and she leaned her head against his chest and I broke, right...