Most childless people struggle with Mother’s and Father’s Days. It is an unfortunate but understandable part of the grief of not having the children we wanted. It’s even harder in church services for us to applaud those who get the life—and children—we hoped for. That’s why I think we’re better off focusing on God, instead […]
Jesus
My Bible Hero
I was caught unawares in a recent interview* on childlessness when the interviewer asked, ‘Who are your bible heroes?’ I thought fast. Who is my hero in childlessness, the one who most inspires me? I thought about Jesus. I thought about Paul. I thought about the disciples. I thought about the old testament too. And […]
Legacies of Faith: The God Who Weeps
It’s Mother’s Day again. My church is holding a Mother’s Day service. Other childless Christians might appreciate the dilemma this presents. On the one hand, I love my church and want to be part of it. On the other hand, Mother’s Day can be one of the toughest days in the calendar year. There are […]
This Jesus
Have you ever found church tiring? I know I have. We have internal church politics, fanatical offshoots, people leaving the church in droves. We have hypocrisy and apathy and disillusionment. We have COVID-19-weariness, the effort of trying to keep the living body of Christ alive in lockdown. We live in a world where Zoom fatigue […]
Just Like a Lamb
Jesus is often referred to as both lion and lamb in the bible. I can certainly see why Jesus would be referred to as a lion. I grew up thinking of Jesus as ‘the lion of Judah’. But it was only recently that I realised how much like a lamb he really was. We know […]
It’s Still Easter
Easter was two weeks ago, but I’m still thinking about Jesus, remembering all he has done for us. I can’t get over the fact that God made himself human, becoming completely vulnerable in order to willingly die on our behalf. How like a lamb Jesus was, as one ‘led to the slaughter’. He didn’t speak up. […]
Overcome With Grief
‘Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last…All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the woman who had followed him from Galilee, stood […]
Easter Eggs
In gaming, the term ‘easter egg’ refers to hidden gems within the game that can only be found by tooling around. Easter eggs cannot be found simply by following what you see on the surface; they are found only by exploring seemingly empty rooms and dead ends. In the same way, Easter is not just […]
Childless People Have ‘Real Families’ Too
I constantly read online rhetoric about ‘working families’. All too often, this means two adults with children. It is the mainstream, the norm, the personification of the popular-yet-mythical ‘nuclear family’. Of course, not all forms of family fall under this definition. Traditional assumptions view families as adults-plus-children, which excludes childless people and treats them as […]
Five Things I Learned From A Church Scandal
The worst time I ever had in worship ministry was when our worship team went through a big scandal. Church scandals are tough at the best of times. But when it happens in your own team to people you love, by people you love, it is downright heartbreaking. And destructive. I’ll spare you the sordid […]