Posts by Aimee Byrd

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I was born to young parents---teenagers. But I still had a very stable home and a crib of my own. I was safe and secure. Well, ostensibly anyway. Although I was intimately knit together by God in my mother’s womb, I was born his enemy. I was sinful, unholy, a child of wrath. But God would not leave...
The MoS team was issued a challenge this week by one of our listeners. Carl, Todd, and I were asked to provide commentary on the Katie Couric interview with Carl Lentz without using the words utterly or ridiculous . This was quite a challenge indeed. As you will hear, Todd doesn't do too well, and...
Donald MacLeod ends his book, From Glory to Golgotha with a very strong chapter, "To Live is Christ." It's always a special treat when a book saves the best chapter for last. The last couple pages focus on preaching Christ and living to preach Christ. I found this helpful as a congregant, and even...
Donald MacLeod ends his book, From Glory to Golgotha with a very strong chapter, "To Live is Christ." It's always a special treat when a book saves the best chapter for last. The last couple pages focus on preaching Christ and living to preach Christ. I found this helpful as a congregant, and even...
I'm talking about this line from Donald Macleod over at Reformation21 today: "Better to be wrong in the motive and right in the message than wrong in the message and right in the motive." Interested? You can read it here .
Donald MacLeod ends his book, From Glory to Golgotha with a very strong chapter, "To Live is Christ." It's always a special treat when a book saves the best chapter for last. The last couple pages focus on preaching Christ and living to preach Christ. I found this helpful as a congregant, and even...
I just finished reading through a great little book by Donald MacLeod titled From Glory to Golgotha: Controversial Issues in the Life of Christ . Something that he said in the chapter on “The Crucified God” really stuck out to me. MacLeod breaks down the different implications of Mark 8:34, “...
This is the title of a song by the band Hozier. The song is pretty disturbing, and yet it is an enlightening and honest picture of the state of our culture. In one quick listen, it's pretty clear that "church" is neither Christ's bride, nor the meeting place of his people for worship. No, church is...
This is the title of a song by the band Hozier. The song is pretty disturbing, and yet it is an enlightening and honest picture of the state of our culture. In one quick listen, it's pretty clear that "church" is neither Christ's bride, nor the meeting place of his people for worship. No, church is...
Here's a little teaser for my latest post on Ref21: This is the title of a song by the band Hozier. The song is pretty disturbing, and yet it is an enlightening and honest picture of the state of our culture. In one quick listen, it's pretty clear that "church" is neither Christ's bride, nor the...
This is the title of a song by the band Hozier. The song is pretty disturbing, and yet it is an enlightening and honest picture of the state of our culture. In one quick listen, it's pretty clear that "church" is neither Christ's bride, nor the meeting place of his people for worship. No, church is...
My friend Dana Tuttle has another book review for us. If you have followed any of her reviews, you have probably picked up on her proclivity to read about executed housewife theologians. Dana has now moved on to American soil and the plot thickens. While we certainly would not agree with Mary Dyer'...
It's that time again, for your mid-week dose of Mortification . This week Todd, Carl, and I rant a little about all the sexual chaos that we now have to navigate through in our culture. There's the new challenges to acceptable gender labels, what biblical femininity and masculinity entail, and how...
"So it’s not an easy sell." These are two lines from the song “Nobody Loves Me” by Derek Webb. Sometimes, when I’m shocked by the latest idea that so many people are buying, I remember these words. So much of what is marketed as Christian literature reminds me of the airbrushed, digitally doctored...
Have you ever been hit just below your chest in thatsweet spot that knocks the wind right out of you? It's scary. What has reallyhappened is that your diaphragm got its clock cleaned and is now having aspasm. Until it calms down, that tight contraction leaves you gasping for air.In that moment, you...
Have you ever been hit just below your chest in thatsweet spot that knocks the wind right out of you? It's scary. What has reallyhappened is that your diaphragm got its clock cleaned and is now having aspasm. Until it calms down, that tight contraction leaves you gasping for air.In that moment, you...
In reading Scott Oliphint’s latest article on his second tenet of a covenantal apologetic, I realized that the implications of the principia of Scriptural authority go beyond what we think of when we think of apologetics. After a proper defense of this tenet, Oliphint pleas: Why would we want to...
Have you ever been hit just below your chest in thatsweet spot that knocks the wind right out of you? It's scary. What has reallyhappened is that your diaphragm got its clock cleaned and is now having aspasm. Until it calms down, that tight contraction leaves you gasping for air.In that moment, you...
After Carl has showered us with cuddly, fuzzy, nice feelings, I feel it is my responsibility to cloud my nice image a bit. I'm not sure how this incident squares with the modesty codes in Dubai that Gloria Furman enlightened us with in last week's MoS podcast, but this story of a female US Navy...
After Carl has showered us with cuddly, fuzzy, nice feelings, I feel it is my responsibility to cloud my nice image a bit. I'm not sure how this incident squares with the modesty codes in Dubai that Gloria Furman enlightened us with in last week's MoS podcast, but this story of a female US Navy...
It's that time of the week again, when the confessional and evangelical world is subjected to hear Carl, Todd, and me have a conversation that counts. Well, only if you want to. For our Bully Pulpit topic today, we discuss an issue in the church that I think many of you would agree needs some...
After Carl has showered us with cuddly, fuzzy, nice feelings, I feel it is my responsibility to cloud my nice image a bit. I'm not sure how this incident squares with the modesty codes in Dubai that Gloria Furman enlightened us with in last week's MoS podcast, but this story of a female US Navy...
I can always count on my brother to give me a cool, new workout. When we were away together over Thanksgiving we did a 20 minute, high intensity workout with a deck of cards. Good times. Like my dad, Luke is good at finding or putting together creative workouts. While I was on the phone with him...
David Wells has a great chapter on “The Love of God” in his latest book, God in the Whirlwind . He challenges our own ideas about what love is or is supposed to be against the biblical holy-love of God. He describes for the reader a truly amazing love that we would never be able to fathom apart...
Modesty can be a fighting word, even in the church these days. I could maybe even say, especially in the church. So, we at MoS thought this would be a conversation that counts. Todd showed up especially dressed for the occasion. And we invited Gloria Furman , author, blogger, and pastor’s wife, to...
Todd wrote a greatpiece challenging Donald Miller's recentpost , excusing why he doesn't go to church. It just so happens thatscience wouldn't agree with Miller's argument either. In his post, Miller bluntlyexpresses, "So to be brutally honest, I don't learn much about God hearinga sermon,"...
Todd wrote a greatpiece challenging Donald Miller's recentpost , excusing why he doesn't go to church. It just so happens thatscience wouldn't agree with Miller's argument either. In his post, Miller bluntlyexpresses, "So to be brutally honest, I don't learn much about God hearinga sermon,"...
Todd wrote a greatpiece challenging Donald Miller's recentpost , excusing why he doesn't go to church. It just so happens thatscience wouldn't agree with Miller's argument either. In his post, Miller bluntlyexpresses, "So to be brutally honest, I don't learn much about God hearinga sermon,"...
Thor Ramsey, The Most Encouraging Book on Hell Ever (CruciformPress, 2014) The title of this book prevails upon the reader to open it up and see what this is all about. It’s daring. I mean encouraging and hell are in the same sentence! It kind of reminds me of the old fundamentalist preachers my...
Today I realized what one of my main aims is in every blog post---to get you, the reader, to stay with me more than ten seconds and actually focus your attention on one thing. It occurred to me as I was reading Nicholas Carr’s book, The Shallows , that every time we jump on the internet, we are in...
This week’s MoS Bully Pulpit has Carl, Todd, and me thinking about justice. How can or how should the church best promote the sanctity of life? Well, Todd and I may seem to have a different nuance to the relationship between the church and politics. But I will just paste the Martin Luther quote...
Raw. Organic. Authentic. Non GMO. Verified. These are the labels we look for on our foods and, heck, some of them we want to use to describe ourselves, our pastor, and our worship services. As I'm writing this, I am enjoying my breakfast smoothie, replete with super fruits, kale, Greek yogurt,...
Raw. Organic. Authentic. Non GMO. Verified. These are the labels we look for on our foods and, heck, some of them we want to use to describe ourselves, our pastor, and our worship services. As I'm writing this, I am enjoying my breakfast smoothie, replete with super fruits, kale, Greek yogurt,...
About two years ago, I wrote an article about my first experience with a Kindle. I had a little fun with the description and I used the metaphor that the Kindle is a bad kisser. What I want to talk about today reminded me of just how well that metaphor can work. Many people are just plain...
Raw. Organic. Authentic. Non GMO. Verified. These are the labels we look for on our foods and, heck, some of them we want to use to describe ourselves, our pastor, and our worship services. As I'm writing this, I am enjoying my breakfast smoothie, replete with super fruits, kale, Greek yogurt,...
Mark Jones went and did it. He dropped the “A” word, turned it inside out, and left the contemporary Reformed world a little exposed. Antinomianism. Go ahead and say it, it’s kind of a fun word. But no one wants to be called an antinomian. When you first hear the word you may immediately think, “Oh...
This is my third post today, and I typically only post three times a week. What can I say, walking on the wild side! I have to links to share with you. First, here is an update on the debate with Dr. James White that is airing tonight, For Whom Did Christ Die? If you would like to watch a live...
I've been spending some time lately in the beginning of Colossians, where Paul is sharing what he has been praying for this church. I decided to write it out as a personal prayer to God for my family, church, and for some groups of women that I will be speaking to in the upcoming season and have...
I've been spending some time lately in the beginning of Colossians, where Paul is sharing what he has been praying for this church. I decided to write it out as a personal prayer to God for my family, church, and for some groups of women that I will be speaking to in the upcoming season and have...
I've been spending some time lately in the beginning of Colossians, where Paul is sharing what he has been praying for this church. I decided to write it out as a personal prayer to God for my family, church, and for some groups of women that I will be speaking to in the upcoming season and have...
An interesting debate has been brought to my attention from the folks over at Alpha and Omega Ministries : On January 24, 2014 Dr James White (Alpha & Omega Ministries) will debate Dr Michael Brown (Line of Fire radio) live at 9 PM, US EST on the topic For Whom Did Christ Die ? On the following...
I've been spending some time lately in the beginning of Colossians, where Paul is sharing what he has been praying for this church. I decided to write it out as a personal prayer to God for my family, church, and for some groups of women that I will be speaking to in the upcoming season and have...
I know that I have a good number of wonderful pastors that actually stop by to read from a housewife theologian. The latest Mortification of Spin Podcast will be edifying to you, as well as to those of you who occupy the pews. Carl, Todd, and I actually took a little field trip before recording...
I’m sure some of you more distinguished theologians drink better whiskey than I do. But I’m a housewife theologian in West Virginia. So we have a proclivity to one of the three wise men, Jack Daniels. There’s a four point process to Jack’s wisdom that I realized also makes for a good theologian. (...
Todd brings up a good point in his post about those who have never heard the gospel. It also reminded me of something I wrote a while back that is related. Sorry, Carl, that it wasn't the Stones: I was about to make some supper the other day and needed to find the right mood music. It seemed to be...
Todd brings up a good point in his post about those who have never heard the gospel. It also reminded me of something I wrote a while back that is related. Sorry, Carl, that it wasn't the Stones: I was about to make some supper the other day and needed to find the right mood music. It seemed to be...
Todd brings up a good point in his post about those who have never heard the gospel. It also reminded me of something I wrote a while back that is related. Sorry, Carl, that it wasn't the Stones: I was about to make some supper the other day and needed to find the right mood music. It seemed to be...
There’s a great section in Mark Jones’s book, Antinomianism , that is subtitled Christ’s Life of Faith. He begins talking about the two natures of Christ, his divine nature and his human nature. I appreciated this section because it’s easy to overlook what was going on in Christ’s humanity between...
[caption id="attachment_2544" align="alignleft" width="292"] Playful and robust, but perhaps lacking the qualities for mature reflection and a bit reductive in content.[/caption] This is Bully Pulpit week over at the Mortification of Spin . So Carl, Todd, and I decided to a brief pitch on what to...
There’s one thing that really bothers me about the blogosphere. It is obsessed with the new. We want the latest news, the most innovative commentary, and the most recent reactions to whatever the next new controversy is. We can even get that way with reading Christian books. I love getting bright,...