Posts by Aimee Byrd

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Well this is strange. My daughter was playing a song called "Car Radio" off her phone while we were riding in the car and something about it made me think of cancer. Well, not just cancer in general, but cancer and faith as Todd Billings describes it in his outstanding book, Rejoicing in...
There are plenty of commands in Scripture to be discerning. As I am reading through Christopher Ash’s excellent commentary on Job, I am realizing what a great illustration this book of the Bible is on the significance of separating the truth from the lies. I’m also getting further...
Have you ever thought about what your dying words would be? Well, I have, and I asked that question to my Bible study gals as we were studying the faith of the patriarchs. In Hebrews 11:20-22 we see faith that finishes well. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph end their lives holding fast to the confession of...
Have you ever had a deep sense of your insignificance? Have you ever had one of those leveling moments when you wonder why the heck God has allowed you to continue with the blessings and responsibilities that he has bestowed on you? Have you thought that you may not be able to keep it going, that...
These days we use the word friend as loosely as “Sure, you look great in those jeans.” And so we use a qualifying word when we want to express an actual friendship, a “He is a good friend,” or “She is a true friend” kind of thing. Plenty of thinkers have lamented...
These days we use the word friend as loosely as “Sure, you look great in those jeans.” And so we use a qualifying word when we want to express an actual friendship, a “He is a good friend,” or “She is a true friend” kind of thing. Plenty of thinkers have lamented...
One of the main reasons I even began blogging and writing is that I sensed a real need for women to understand their responsibility to be good theologians. And even now as I travel and speak, I am finding that many women in churches under good teaching still do not have a firm grasp of confessional...
Irony of ironies, as we’ve become vigilant advocates for providing our future dinner foul with proper elbow room to roam freely, our children may be the ones living in caged conditions. Actually, there is a bit of a media storm erupting over a “new” style of parenting that has...
As I was listening to the latest Mortification of Spin podcast yesterday, something struck me a little different. Carl asked about Thomas Oden’s contribution and legacy and we answered appropriately. But this time as he was asking that question, I thought about something else. I think an...
My husband has an irrational fear of food poisoning. I can’t even tease him about it, because I would then be the one who has to deal with the imagined stomach aches. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard him ask some sort of question before we sit at the table to the effect of...
I came across this excerpt from Martin Luther’s Tabletalk today. It is under the chapter heading “Offences”: We little know how good and necessary it is for us to have adversaries, and for heretics to hold up their heads against us. For if Cerinthus had not been, then St. John the...
I read an article over the weekend on the Aquila Report that disturbed me. The article warned of a disturbing trend that we will see in our churches in 2015: “What is this one trend? It's that your most committed people will attend worship services less frequently than ever in 2015. [...
Have you heard of the book, Eat This, Not That! ? I thought I would play off of that for a teaser to a book review I have featured on Books At A Glance . Here is a bite: How does one abide in Christ? We read a passage like John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me...
Carl takes his queue from "My Fair Lady" as he asks me a preposterous question at the end of today’s podcast . We are all meeting up to do a batch of recordings tomorrow and I have half a mind to show up filthy, stinky, and crass, which is what the world would look like in the...
Our upcoming podcast takes a look at the best seller's list for Christian books. This year, I would love to do what I can to get people reading with more discernment, and to pursue reading good books. While I want to continue to highlight good books on the blog, this goal also means that I...
Now here is an entertaining news story. It's actually a couple of years old but new to me today: Missing Woman Unwittingly Joins Search Party Looking for Herself. Really. It happened. A woman who was on a bus tour in through Iceland decided to go back to the bus and freshen up while they were...
Something came up at the end of the sermon this weekend when the pastor was speaking on the last verse in his text, Matthew 2:13-23: “And they went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” This...
For such a small book, O. Palmer Robertson’s God’s People in the Wilderness: The Church in Hebrews has greatly colored my thoughts about the church. Again, the premise of the book is that “For the writer of the Hebrews, the church of today finds its most proper definition in terms...
So as I was happily viewing all of the pictures and posts on Facebook of my friends and family enjoying their time together over Christmas, I came across one of those shares that makes you go, “Hmm…” It is one of those articles that could function as a parody of itself. Above a...
This is the title of an awesome article over at The Art of Manliness blog. In it, Brett McKay opens with an embarrassing moment that has motivated him to a life of fitness. It was the dreaded fitness test in the sixth grade. Apparently the positive pep talk he gave himself while the girl before him...
I’m currently reading through O. Palmer Robertson’s short little book, God’s People in the Wilderness . It is tying in well with the reading I am doing on the Parable of the Ten Virgins . The premise of his book is that “For the writer of the Hebrews, the church of today...
Twas just days before Christmas and in the bunker underground The spin was still spinning, but the Ref Pack could not be found. Extra paper clips and gum held their stockings with care With hopes that the Puppet Master soon would visit there. The cohosts were doing some last minute shopping Taking...
Now there is a leveling question. It is asked by Thomas Shepard in The Parable of the Ten Virgins. The question is part of his sermon notes on the visible church of God. Shepard opens with the point that the church is the very place that God prepares his bride to meet Christ, and that it is not the...
Yesterday I gave a critique on the lack of good readers in the church. Today I want to offer a very practical suggestion to get people reading and sharpen their discernment skills. It's something I have really enjoyed doing. This article was oringinally published in 2011. I took a year off from...
So this is interesting. This weekend I began reading Karen Swallow Prior’s fantastic book on the life of Hannah More titled Fierce Convictions , and I stumbled upon a paragraph lamenting the quality of women’s reading material in the mid 18th century. I could have written something...
There are quite a number of books that I have bought over the years with every intention to get to reading one day. They sit waiting for just the right time to crack open. Some people like to stock pile emergency items for their pantry in case of some sort of national disaster. I may not have any...
I wrote this article a little while after signing my first book contract. About a year after it was published, a friend asked me if I regret writing the article. I can honestly say that I don't. As a matter of fact, I stand behind it even more now. Sure, I participate in marketing and think...
I’m headed up the road to participate in tomorrow’s live Mortification of Spin panel at Cairn University. This is going to be an interesting conversation. The topic is “Getting Through College Without Becoming a Heathen.” Again, I find myself coming to the discussion with a...
I ’m really looking forward to a Mortification of Spin interview we will be doing with Todd Billings on his upcoming book, Rejoicing in Lament . Todd has been diagnosed with a rare, terminal cancer at the age of 39, and his book explores how living in his condition relates “to the...
This is the month of Thankfulness. All you have to do is log on Facebook to affirm it. Many friends participate and show their gratitude by posting a different thing they are thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. While it’s good to give thanks for our blessings, Flannery O’...
So every Thursday night my husband and I have a date. Whiskey is poured, we sit together in our famous “hot tub chair” and watch our favorite show, Parenthood. Last night Matt was busy grading papers and my brain was expired for the night. So I turned the TV on to the channel of our...
I think everyone agrees that convictions are a good thing. All you have to do is scroll through a Twitter or Facebook feed to see many strong beliefs held by your friends in cyber-world. Some of these convictions are well-intended, but uninformed. I am afraid that many Christians fall into this...
Well, he had me by page 31. Of course, I want it to be true. A while back ago, I wrote an article about my top three questions I have when I get to heaven. What I only hinted at then is my cockamamie housewife theologian theory. I was too embarrassed. But now, thanks to David Allen, I am going loud...
There’s an article being shared all over the internet this week titled, “ Don’t Waste Your Two Most Productive Hours. ” The article reports on the statement by behavioral scientist Dan Ariely that our two most potentially productive hours are the two hours after we are fully...
With Thanksgiving in two weeks, I thought I'd share this excerpt about the first Thanksgiving from Nathaniel Philbrick's great book, Mayflower. We do not know the exact date of the celebration we now call the First Thanksgiving, but it was probably in late September or early October, soon...
I reviewed Timothy Witmer's new book, Mindscape over at Books at a Glance . Here is a teaser: Does becoming a Christian affect your thinking? Should it? How does your faith and knowledge of God change your private thought life? Have you even thought about the significance of your thought-...
Tim Keller is a well-known contemporary voice on the topic of the church and cultural engagement. He writes pretty extensively on it in his book Center Church . And not only does Keller write on this topic, he’s just a pretty darn engaging guy in general. You will notice from our podcast...
Let’s face it; discipline stinks. Our children illustrate all too well this truth that we learn to cleverly disguise as adults. No one asks for discipline. And yet, loving parents know that it is necessary for growth. Our Father in heaven also disciplines every one of his children. And so we...
Ever since I read about Bart Campolo’s announcement that he is an atheist and how he wants to give his life in service to others as a humanist chaplain, I have been perplexed about this vocation. I knew what a humanist was, but couldn’t quite wrap my head around a humanist chaplain. In...
Okay, so it’s official now. The Christmas catalogues are coming in the mail. Every year, the Christmas season seems to be stretched longer and longer by beginning earlier and earlier. I know that when I do my happy housewife grocery shopping today, I’m going to find all the nostalgic...
Last weekend I had the privilege to attend a women’s conference featuring Susan Hunt as the speaker. It was a small gathering at a quaint, PCA church in Frederick, MD. Faith PCA was hospitable enough to open their event to the local churches. And so 106 women from 15 different churches filled...
Good Question , Todd. I received some new interest in the topic, a little bit of pushback, and one really good suggestion. A pastor emailed me a suggestion about defining our terms clearly. Since we started off with a two-kingdoms response, I thought it would be good to define this doctrine using...
This was the closing statement made by Chris Larson on the latest Renewing Your Mind Broadcast : “The State of Theology.” Ligonier Ministries has just teamed up with Life Way Research to conduct a survey of 3,000 people to find out what Americans believe about God, the Bible, man, and...
“It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things; but to convert rebellious wills costs Him crucifixion.” ---C.S. Lewis This quote was given for part of the morning reflection before worship. So as I was sitting in my seat I was thinking about how often we try to be or...
Things have been pretty crazy at the new bar/website. Todd, Carl, and I didn’t realize just how busy we would be with all the new frequenters. You know what they say, bartending involves counseling skills. And not to name any names, but some of us are a little more sensitive than others...
I am meeting up with Todd and Carl this Tuesday and Wednesday at Westminster Theological Seminary to particiapte on a panel discussion with Dr. R. Kent Hughes for the 2014 Pastor's Conference . I'm honored that WTS invites a housewife's perspective into the discussion. But it all got me...
My cohorts and I have been reading through Todd M. Brenneman’s Homespun Gospel for a future podcast. So the recent book review of it over at 9 Marks was interesting to me. Matt McCullough does some interacting with the book. The premise of Homespun is that sentimentality has triumphed as the...
When Your Husband is Addicted to Pornography , Vicki Tiede (New Growth Press, 2012) I saw that Tim Challies has highlighted that Vicki Tiede's book is available for free today on Kindle. I posted this review when it was first published two years ago and thought it would be a good idea to repost...
I remember the time. I remember it well. This girl was selected for the fashion page in my first year of high school. Yep, picture in the yearbook. That’s me in the mustard skirt, representing the girls in the Freshman class. This is a reputation I took seriously. I didn’t want to be...
I remember the time. I remember it well. This girl was selected for the fashion page in my first year of high school. Yep, picture in the yearbook. That’s me in the mustard skirt, representing the girls in the Freshman class. This is a reputation I took seriously. I didn’t want to be...