Last fall, we took our 12-year-old son away for a weekend of hiking and discussion while we worked through the Passport 2 Purity material together. When we went for our longest hike, it was a blustery day with heavy winds. As we went deeper down into the canyon, the pines at the top of the hill…
Category: Grow as a Church Member
The Opposite of the Titus 2 Woman
In 2011, I took my first biblical counseling class, and one session focused on the “Anti-Psalm.” The goal was to better understand what a text is saying by carefully thinking through the exact opposite meaning. It can be insightful to see the “opposite” of a text, and gives an excellent way to clarify the actual meaning. I previously did this with Proverbs 31. Let’s…
10 Things My 75-Year-Old Self Might Say to Me
Get into Scripture more than you are currently doing. Dig more. Study more. Read more. Memorize more! It is the one thing that will always make you wiser, richer, and change you. Let it be what flows from your mouth in counsel & conversation, in good times & bad. Treasure it! Seek to serve and love Doug…
Most Popular Articles of 2014: Year In Review
2014 was my first year of writing at JessConnell.com. Since we’ve nearly reached the year’s end, I thought I’d do a quick “year in review,” to give you the opportunity to read any articles of interest that you may have missed. In January, I released my first book, One Thing: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). It’s…
Convictions & Choices, part 2: What to Do When We Hold Opposite Perspectives?
In this series about convictions, we’ve talked about: Not doing something to prove people wrong, and Not doing something because other people do it. And in that last article, we left off at that pesky place where we come to a different conviction than someone else in the Body of Christ. So what do we…
Convictions & Choices, part 1: Don’t Do It Because “They” Do
We recently talked about not doing something “just to prove them wrong.” Today I want to talk about the flip side: Don’t embrace a conviction just because others do. Just as the world often goes along with lifestyle decisions because of the people around them, Christians sometimes take on the convictions of others around us without…
Just MYOB
Have you ever caught yourself listening to a sermon on someone else’s behalf? What I mean by that is, are you mentally internally saddened because, “so-and-so SURE COULD BENEFIT from hearing this,” but she isn’t there? Or perhaps you’re cheering the pastor on because you think, “Boy, I hope that couple across the aisle is paying…
“THAT Sin” Does Not Define You
“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.” ~1 John 2:12 Does one sin (or sin area) come into your mind when I say, “‘THAT sin’ does not define you?” I’ll be honest and tell you that I used to– as a believer– live under the weight…
A Generous Giver (Proverbs 31:20)
“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20 VERSE 20: “SHE OPENS HER HAND TO THE POOR AND REACHES OUT HER HANDS TO THE NEEDY.” The woman described in Proverbs 31 is a giver. You know the term close-fisted? When it says “she opens her hand,”…
“Wives, Submit To Your Own Husbands”
There are some things I can’t say without first referring you to this passage (Ephesians 5:17-33). Please read it in its entirety: Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. …be filled with the Spirit, …giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting…