This Woman Writes by Carolyn Henderson

Peace: The Story of This Painting

Posted on July 15, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Peace original oil painting and licensed print of wallowa lake and mountains by Steve Henderson

Solitude, reflection, meditation, beauty — such are the elements that make up peace. Original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

The story of the painting, Peace, by Steve Henderson at Start Your Week with Steve.

Wallowa Lake in Joseph, OR, is a place of quiet beauty and awe. In the 19th century, Young Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indian tribe took his people there in summer to hunt, fish, and live. The mountains encircling the lake provide a sense of protection and majesty unparalleled in depth, emotion, and color.

Sadly, this ancient land was taken from the Nez Perce people and passed into other hands. In the 20th century, however, the Nez Perce were able to acquire land nearby — not with the lake but still with the mountains — and they graciously allow all people to walk through this sacred territory and feel its peace.

It is an experience. One walks slowly through a wending trail, conscious always of the peaks overhead. There is much silence, broken only by a breeze through the trees, or a songbird creating a sound that Chief Joseph and his people would have heard. Seldom are we able to walk on land that looks the way it always has, and connect with people who have gone before us.

Peace is also available as a multi-pieced theme, licensed wall array at Framed Canvas Art.

The painting Peace reminds us that quietude, stillness, reflection, and meditation are important elements to incorporate in our lives, and while we focus as a society on being busy and getting things done, an integral part of a healthy life is taking time to reflect, and to be embraced by Nature around us.

Chief Joseph was wise enough to know that the Wallowa Lake was not just an incredible hunting and fishing area. He recognized, and appreciated, that it was beautiful.

Peace, the Original Oil Painting by Steve Henderson, is available for purchase through the website. The 20 x 40 painting is accompanied by a gold frame that is free with purchase. Peace is also available as a Licensed Open Edition Print through Framed Canvas Art.

Please contact Carolyn@SteveHendersonFineArt to inquire about any of Steve’s original oil and watercolor paintings or licensed open edition prints.

Please read the rest of this newsletter at Start Your Week with Steve.

Check out Steve’s artwork at Steve Henderson Fine Art. Original paintings — licensed open edition prints — Santa and Holiday. Steve’s licensed work is available at Great Big Canvas, iCanvasART, Amazon.com, Light in the Box, and Framed Canvas Art.

If you are a manufacturer who would like to use Steve’s artwork on your products, please contact his agents, Matt Appelman (matt.appelman@artlicensing.com). You can see Steve’s Art Licensing page here.

Check out, also, Steve and Carolyn’s products at Amazon.com:

The Misfit Christian: Empowering the Believers and Seekers Who Don’t Fit into Contemporary Church (paperback and digital book)

Live Happily on Less: 52 Ways to Renovate Your Life and Lifestyle (paperback and digital book)

Grammar Despair: Quick, simple solutions to problems like, “Do I say Him and Me or He and I?” (paperback and digital book)

Step by Step Watercolor Success (digital DVD workshop designed for beginning to intermediate watercolor students and artists)

Posted in Art, Culture, decor, Faith, Family, fine art, home, interior decorating, Lifestyle, outdoors, painting, Style | Tagged lake, nez perce, painting, peace | Leave a comment

Sleeping Christians

Posted on July 14, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Girl in a Copper Dress original oil painting and licensed print by Steve Henderson

Awake, oh sleeper, awake and stretch! Girl in a Copper Dress 3, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas and iCanvasART.

The Bible talks a lot about being awake, and all Christians like to think that they are so:

“Oh, yes — I’m awake all right to the evils of the world around me!”

Quite honestly, as much as we would like to think that Christians, more than anyone, are awake to the evil of mankind and all of its systems, few of us are, my dear brothers and sisters.

“Now while (Jesus) was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.

“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” (John 2: 23-25)

Does this describe you? Do you know what is in a man?

Please read the rest at Are You Awake? at BeliefNet’s Commonsense Christianity. I am an ordinary Christian, not affiliated with any form of pastoral leadership at all, who speaks up because I believe that ordinary Christians are ignored, overlooked, and used by an increasingly corporate religious establishment.

The Misfit Christian book by Carolyn Henderson at amazon.com

How odd that Christians, who are misfits in the world of men, so frequently feel that way among other Christians. Paperback and digital at Amazon.com.

My goal in writing is to encourage other ordinary Christians, not affiliated with any form of pastoral leadership, to believe in God enough to actually trust Him, to read His Scripture for themselves, and to stop relying upon books, tapes, seminars, gurus, and large Christian business establishments to do their thinking for them.

This article is linked to A Mama’s Story, Nourishing Joy, Moms the Word, Thoughtful Spot, Motivation Monday, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Paradise of Praise, Kathe with an E, Oh My Heartsie Girl, The Shady Porch, This Mommas Ramblings, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Wholehearted Home, We Are That Family, Homemaking Link Up, The Mom club, True Aim, My Disorganized Life, Moonlight and Mason Jars,

Posted in Art, blogging, books, Christian, Culture, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, Lifestyle, religion, spirituality | Tagged awake, Bible, Christianity, Jesus, misfit, original oil painting | 1 Comment

Spiritual Abuse

Posted on July 11, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Whitewater original painting of ocean waves by Steve Henderson

The waves of life come crashing against us — we really don’t need someone pouring water over our head, in addition. Whitewater, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

Years ago in my little town, there was a restaurant that was known not for the quality of its

food (above average), the ambiance of its surroundings (cheap chic), or the professionalism of its staff (non-existent). It was famous, and wildly successful, for the way it abused its clientele.

From one week to the next, customers never knew what they would be charged for — at the manager’s whim, butter pads cost 15 cents extra, and then they didn’t. Coffee refills were endless — oh no, that was last week; now it’s one refill, grudgingly allotted.

One customer, who frequented the place daily for more than 25 years, ordered two slices of toast every morning, sometimes being charged for butter and jam, other times just for the jam. Because the toast consisted of yesterday’s leftovers, every day’s breakfast looked different: one day her “two” slices of toast was one piece, cut in half. Frequently it was burnt.

To get it, she had to listen closely, because the staff yelled out, “Hey, Emily! Your toast is ready!”

Such was the business model, and judging by the way the mismatched tables and rickety chairs were filled to capacity, people loved it. The worse they were treated, the more they flocked in.

I can’t help but think of many churches when I remember this restaurant, now mercifully closed, and while I saw, and avoided, the flaws in the restaurant, I confess to spending all too long being abused on a spiritual level.

Please read the rest at Thriving on Spiritual Abuse, at my column, Commonsense Christianity at BeliefNet. As you know, I am unable to reprint the entire article, and I am grateful when you click through and finish the whole thing.

Not only am I willing to admit that I am a misfit, I am relieved to do so, because I no longer have to pretend I am someone, or something, that I am not. Paperback and digital at Amazon.com. Free borrowing on Amazon Prime.

I wrote my book, The Misfit Christian, for believers and seekers who feel out of place in their church or religious community. Oddly, rather than being spiritual failures, these people are generally dissatisfied because they are strong seekers of the truth, and when they can’t find it, they get frustrated.

Does this describe you? Please consider reading my book, The Misfit Christian. If you’re put off because you don’t know who I am, then please read the introduction, provided free at the Look Inside section on the Amazon page.

I have never held back that I am a nobody in the world’s eyes, an ordinary person with no Christian Lettered Credentials behind my name. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t learned much from the Big Guys, and they certainly don’t seem particularly willing to learn from, or listen to, us little people.

This article is linked to Serving Joyfully, 3D Lessons, Children Are a Blessing, Graced Simplicity, I Choose Joy, Jenny Mullinix, Shine Blog Hop, All Things with a Purpose, A Look at the Book, Friday Flash Blog, A little dash of diva, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Weekend Wind down, Fellowship Friday, Family Fun, Christian Mom Blogger, Essential Things, Missional woman, A Mama’s Story, Moms the Word, Thoughtful Spot, Motivation Monday

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, devotional, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Lifestyle, Relationships, religion, self-improvement, spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, Christianity, church, restaurant, spiritual | 3 Comments

Do We Really Need Prayer in Public Schools?

Posted on July 9, 2014 by This Woman Writes

The beauty of prayer is that it is an individual act, and we do it by choice, where we choose to do it — in the forest, or within the public school. Nobody can stop the inner working of our mind. In the Forest, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at iCanvasART and Framed Canvas Art.

Christians, like all humans, fuss about things, and a central fussing point of the last many years is prayer in schools.

“Our country is falling apart because we no longer have prayer in schools,” people say. emphasizing the point with 2 Chronicles 7: 14 —

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

All our problems? It’s because we no longer pray in schools.

There’s a freedom in admitting something we’ve denied for a long time. If you feel like you don’t fit in, then admit it, and recognize that you’re not necessarily the problem. The Misfit Christian by Carolyn Henderson, at Amazon.com.

Given that I’m more than a half-century old, and at no point, in my school years, did we pray in schools, I’m not sure when these halcyon days of Christian piety were supposed to exist, but whether or not they did, there are three major reasons why we Christians do not need to — and probably should not — agitate for prayer in schools.

Please read the rest at my Commonsense Christianity column at BeliefNet, 3 Reasons America Does Not Need — or Want — Prayer in Schools. As you know, I am unable to print the whole article in more than one place, and I am grateful to my readers to click through.

I am also grateful to my readers who look at my book, The Misfit Christian, and consider purchasing it. Nobody likes to think of themselves as sticking out, but if you come home from church consistently feeling sad, depressed, or out of the loop, why not admit it to yourself and do something about it?

You’re not abnormal, you know — you’re part of a growing group of seekers who aren’t finding the truth where you’re told it will be. Want to find it? Get out your Bible, read it for yourself, and ask God to give you the faith you need to believe in Him.

This article is linked to My Daily Walk in His Grace, Wholehearted Home, Raising Homemakers, We Are That Family, Ducks in a Row, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, My Disorganized Life, A Wise Woman, Time Warp Wife, Table for Seven, Titus Tuesday, A Peek into My Paradise, Tuesday Link Up, The Shady Porch, What Joy Is Mine, A Mama’s Story, The Life of Faith, Moms the Word, Women of Worship, Mopping the Floor, A Life in Balance, Mama Diane, A blossoming life, Serving Joyfully, 3D Lessons, Children Are a Blessing, Graced Simplicity, I Choose Joy, Jenny Mullinix, Shine Blog Hop, All Things with a Purpose, A Look at the Book, Friday Flash Blog, A little dash of diva, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Weekend Wind down, Fellowship Friday, Family Fun, Christian Mom Blogger, Essential Things, Missional woman

Posted in Art, blogging, books, Christian, Daily Life, devotional, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Lifestyle, painting, religion, spirituality | Tagged Christianity, misfit, prayer, prayer in schools, schools | 2 Comments

Evening Waltz — The Story of This Painting

Posted on July 8, 2014 by This Woman Writes

The best ballroom is outside, where the lights overhead are the setting sun and the rising stars. Evening Waltz, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Framed Canvas Art.

The story of the painting, Evening Waltz, by Steve Henderson at Start Your Week with Steve:

It is a beauteous evening, and a young couple dances in a ballroom of light, motion, movement, and sound. The song is the sound of the waves and the wild sea birds, and if there is an audience, they are not aware of it.

Like many people who come to the coast, this couple is in a world of their own, and because the sky is so big, the ocean so vast, and the beach so unending, they have their corner of it entirely to themselves. Seldom do we feel such freedom and grace.

Many years ago, when Steve and Carolyn and their children were walking on the sand, embraced in the atmosphere of the ocean, they passed by a young couple. The man was on one knee, in the classic pose of asking a woman’s hand in marriage, and the woman was still, listening to his words.

The entire beach stopped, every eye circumspectly watching this moment, but the couple was completely oblivious to what was happening. Vaguely, we were all aware of giving these people their privacy, but another part of us was drawn to a moment of classic romance, the kind that we frequently can’t get enough of in movies and in books. We ridicule ourselves, or others, for being sappy, but there is nothing sappy about human emotion and devotion, love for one another, and the desire to commit.

We continued walking on, granting the couple their moment, and because dusk was falling and the gentle hills of the sand intervened, we left that couple in that moment in time, and we never did discover the answer.

But we’re sure it was “yes.”

Evening Waltz, the original oil painting by Steve Henderson, is available for purchase through the website. The 30 x 36 painting is gallery wrapped and ready to hang without any frame. Evening Waltz is also available as a licensed, open edition print through Framed Canvas Art.

A generous collection of Steve’s work is available as licensed, open edition prints through Framed Canvas Art.

Read the Rest of the newsletter at Start Your Week with Steve.

Please contact Carolyn@SteveHendersonFineArt to inquire about any of Steve’s original oil and watercolor paintings or licensed open edition prints.

Shipping of original paintings, purchased through Steve Henderson Fine Art, is free to the U.S. and Canada. All other areas, contact us and we’ll figure out the shipping charges.

Check out, also, Steve and Carolyn’s products at Amazon.com:

The Misfit Christian: Empowering the Believers and Seekers Who Don’t Fit into Contemporary Church (paperback and digital book)

Live Happily on Less: 52 Ways to Renovate Your Life and Lifestyle (paperback and digital book)

Grammar Despair: Quick, simple solutions to problems like, “Do I say Him and Me or He and I?” (paperback and digital book)

Step by Step Watercolor Success (digital DVD workshop designed for beginning to intermediate watercolor students and artists)

Posted in Art, Beauty, Christian, Culture, Current Events, Daily Life, decor, Family, fine art, home, Life, Lifestyle, marriage, ocean, outdoors, painting, Relationships, travel | Tagged art, romance, Steve Henderson, waltz | Leave a comment

Christians Are Not Citizens of Babylon

Posted on July 4, 2014 by This Woman Writes

We are called to be a part of our society, but separate from it as well. Aphrodite, original oil painting by Steve Henderson, sold; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas and Framed Canvas Art.

The 6th century, B.C., was a tumultuous one for the Hebrew people. Always beset and troubled by enemies, the Jewish state, barely holding out in the territory of Judah and its capitol city, Jerusalem, was finally and fully conquered by the Babylonian Empire in 586 B.C. The land was emptied out, and the people were transported, as exiles, to Babylon. They stayed there for 70 years.

It’s not like this was a surprise coup: that’s what the prophets, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the rest, were all about — throughout Hebrew history, they warned God’s people that bad things would happen if they didn’t do what they were created and designed to do, which is submit themselves to and follow God. This means adjusting not just one’s lifestyle, but one’s way of thinking, to God’s commands.

But the people consistently didn’t, preferring, instead, to follow the gods of the nations around them, customizing their beliefs so that they would fit into their religious culture. It’s a bit what Christians do today — I mean, how many times have you heard, “How are Christians any different from the culture around them? They look the same. Except on Sunday morning.”

We have this mistaken notion that Christianity is all about not swearing, or not drinking, or not getting body piercings, or saying the words “praise Jesus!” or wearing long, unattractive skirts in the name of modesty, or being a member of the Republican party, or eating — or not eating — particular things. We look to external, lifestyle choices as evidence of our belief in Christ, but what truly makes us different is how we think on the inside — we seek humility, mercy, grace; we bite our tongue when someone insults us because we don’t need to add to their hurt by our riposte; we rest in God and admit our weakness; we recognize that we ourselves are powerless, but the God we believe in is not.

Jesus uses the gifts of ordinary people, something we forget in a society that worships human idols. If you are ordinary, The Misfit Christian was written for you.

Please read the rest at I Was Born in Babylon, my Commonsense Christianity column at BeliefNet.

Please, also, consider my book The Misfit Christian, which you can look into, before buying, at Amazon.com. I wrote this book — and I write my columns — because I see too many Christians dissatisfied with the church establishment culture, but they feel trapped by it as well.

If you say to yourself, “Oh, I don’t want to buy this – she’s a nobody,” please reconsider. There are a lot of big name Somebodies out there running large churches and writing books, but do you think they know, or care, what it’s like to be an ordinary person? Who better than an ordinary person, a nobody, to write about the journey we walk?

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, Culture, Daily Life, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Lifestyle, painting, religion, spirituality | Tagged Babylon, Christian, culture, lifestyle, misfit | Leave a comment

Is Your Church Changing for the Worse?

Posted on July 2, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Do you feel like the church you loved so much is lost? And you’re looking for it? You’re not alone, and it’s highly likely that you’re not the problem, even though everyone tells you that you are. Wading, original oil painting by Steve Henderson, sold.

If you belong to a warm, embracing, encouraging and fun church congregation, today’s post is not for you. All I can advise is this: keep it that way, and you do this by limiting the size and power of leadership/management. When these people control as opposed to serve, you lose what you have.

We did, and so have many others: a long time ago, for a short time, we attended a quirky fun church that despite its informality, taught and empowered its members because much of the discipling came from the members themselves. For awhile it functioned, brilliantly, without a supreme leader.

And then the leader arrived. He spent the first year watching and laying plans (doesn’t this sound like what’s going on in many “free” governments today?), but once he moved, it was fast, and before the next year passed, all that was left of the church — our church — was its outer shell.

I didn’t begin to realize this until one day, at a “fun,” yet newly structured, family camping trip, a recent attender commented to me,

“This isn’t a particularly friendly church.”

If you feel like you don’t belong, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What is it that you don’t feel like you belong to? The Misfit Christian, by Carolyn Henderson, is written for the independent Christian thinker who is tired of being told to be quiet and accept the way things are. Available as a paperback and digital book at Amazon.com.

I blamed her, because she was different, you know, not really upright in her life and with a sketchy past (you don’t have to slap me — I slap myself as I write that) — but she was right. Our church had changed: it had been stolen.

Is this happening to you?

It’s hard to tell, because like most takeovers, the really good ones are done slowly and subtly, but there are a few signs you can look for:

Please read the rest at my Commonsense Christianity blog, “My Church Is Being Stolen!” Trust your instincts — if things are feeling right, then they’re not right, and denying it won’t make the problem go away.

My book, The Misfit Christian, is written for the ordinary, regular Christian who is the last person listened to. Think of it: how many books, published by major Christian book publishers, are written by ordinary people, with NO connections to church leadership?

This article is linked to Titus Tuesday, Cornerstone Confessions, Simple Life, Kathe with an E, Paradise Link Up, A Wise Woman, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Raising Homemakers, Wholehearted Home, Wedded Wednesday, We Are That Family, Ducks in a Row,

Posted in Art, Christian, Current Events, Daily Life, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Lifestyle, painting, religion, spirituality | Tagged Christianity, church, leadership, misfit, Steve Henderson | 4 Comments

Lonesome Barn: The Story of this Painting

Posted on July 1, 2014 by This Woman Writes

It’s not such a bad thing to feel small and insignificant now and then; it reminds us that the affairs of the world are not on any of our shoulders. Lonesome Barn, original watercolor painting by Steve Henderson, sold.

The story of the painting, Lonesome Barn, by Steve Henderson at Start Your Week with Steve:

Big Sky Country is not limited to the state of Montana. Many parts of the Pacific Northwest, including huge swathes of eastern Oregon and Washington, are areas where a viewer can look up and see, unhindered, cloud formations that look like giant palettes of white-based paint.

At night, the stars glow brightly, unabashed by competing city lights.

For people who live and visit these areas, there is a sense of freedom and openness, which can be a little unnerving for those who are accustomed to being sheltered by trees or hemmed in by buildings. Standing under this canopy of sheer size and space, one is conscious of one’s smallness in a world and a universe that does not need any individual — or even groups of well organized professional financiers, politicians, educators, media specialists, and businessmen — to keep it running.

Indeed, the world, the sky, and the universe hum along quite nicely without the interference of people seeking to make it “better,” by finding new and lucrative ways to make money off of the resources that were put here for all to use and enjoy. Like food. And air. Fresh water. Time.

If you have never stood under a big sky, especially in an area where the surroundings are quiet and still, it is worth doing so. It is worth contemplating our very smallness, our mortality, our limitations and weakness and coming to a point of humility. And then, we look up at that big, big sky and think, “Who made that? Surely Someone bigger, stronger, and wiser than I.

“Surely, an Artist to surpass all those who have ever lifted brush to canvas.”

Lonesome Barn, the original watercolor by Steve Henderson, is sold, and the collector of this work had a special place in the home to showcase the painting so that the full impact of the sky could be seen. The beauty of a painting is that, placed in the smallest space, it turns that area into an environment that transports the viewer to another place. You may view the full portfolio of Steve’s original paintings at his original works pages on the Steve Henderson Fine Art website.

Step by Step Watercolor Success walks the beginning and intermediate painter through the painting process. It’s like a weekend workshop in digital format.

If you enjoy creating art yourself, Lonesome Barn is a sequence feature on Steve’s DVD, Step by Step Watercolor Success, available at Amazon.com.

Please contact Carolyn@SteveHendersonFineArt to inquire about any of Steve’soriginal oil and watercolor paintings or licensed open edition prints. Read the rest of this newsletter at Start Your Week with Steve.

Check out, also, Steve and Carolyn’s products at Amazon.com:

The Misfit Christian: Empowering the Believers and Seekers Who Don’t Fit into Contemporary Church (paperback and digital book)

Live Happily on Less: 52 Ways to Renovate Your Life and Lifestyle (paperback and digital book)

Grammar Despair: Quick, simple solutions to problems like, “Do I say Him and Me or He and I?” (paperback and digital book)

Step by Step Watercolor Success (digital DVD workshop designed for beginning to intermediate watercolor students and artists)

Posted in Art, art education, books, Business, Daily Life, decor, Family, fine art, home, instruction, interior decorating, Lifestyle, newsletter, outdoors, shopping, simple living | Tagged DVD, lonesome, painting, Steve Henderson, watercolor | Leave a comment

Be Wary of Near Death Experience Stories

Posted on June 30, 2014 by This Woman Writes

As Christians, we look to the Bible as the inerrant source of truth. But if we never read it, we don’t know what the book says. On the Horizon, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas and Framed Canvas Art.

“Did you read the book?”

“Nope.”

“See the movie?”

“Nope.”

“Then what makes you think you can have an opinion on the matter?”

I grew up in a family of scientists, where not having a PhD in a discipline (and most 13-year-olds don’t have one of these) meant that you were unqualified to have an opinion on the topic at hand — evolution, say, or the nutritive content (or lack of) of pesticide-laden food.

I learned early that an effective means of squashing dialogue and dissent is to call the other person stupid or unqualified, a technique used liberally in the scientific, political, educational, religious, or financial communities today. (As an aside, since most of the people “representing” these areas don’t have English degrees, perhaps they should refrain from writing, ever. See the absurdity?)

So it is when you, or rather, I, express misgivings about Near Death Experiences, first-hand accounts by people who have died medically, been transported elsewhere (heaven, or hell), and returned to tell of their experiences.

It’s not that I don’t believe them — although the more money they make in the process of telling their story the less credence I give to their motives — it’s that I don’t need their stories to confirm my faith, and I encourage my Christian brothers and sisters, especially, to be wary, very very wary, about incorporating NDEs into their faith life.

Why?

Please follow the link to Near Death Experiences — Don’t Fall in Love with Them at my BeliefNet blog, Commonsense Christianity. These accounts will only increase in the future, and as a Christian, it is important to know how to react to them. The best way to learn this is to read the Bible for yourself, on a regular basis, and learn from its truth.

This article is linked to Moms the Word, Women of Worship, Mom Moments, A Life in Balance, Mopping the Floor, Titus Tuesday, Cornerstone Confessions, Simple Life, Kathe with an E, Paradise Link Up, A Wise Woman, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Raising Homemakers, Wholehearted Home, Wedded Wednesday, We Are That Family, Ducks in a Row,

Posted in Art, blogging, books, Christian, Current Events, Daily Life, devotional, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Lifestyle, painting, religion, spirituality | Tagged Christian, death, experience, God, Steve Henderson | Leave a comment

Complicating Christianity

Posted on June 27, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Peace, joy, grace — these are gifts from a gracious and loving God. Blossom, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Framed Canvas Art.

I’ll be the first to admit that I make things too complicated, and as an astute and thoughtful reader wrote me about a recent article, The Kingdom of Heaven — How Do We Get There?,

“Isn’t it enough just to believe?”

I would say that he knocked me on my backside if I hadn’t already been sitting, and his point was that, In Acts 16: 30-31 the jailer in charge of the apostle Paul and Silas asked them,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

My correspondent wrote: Paul and Silas “did not say change your life, or walk with God, or submit to Him and follow where He leads you. They said ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’ It’s that simple–why make it any harder than it has to be?”

For those Christians who feel like they just don’t belong, somehow, The Misfit Christian is encouragement that not only do you belong, you may be called to lead others to thinking more deeply for themselves. Paperback and digital at Amazon.com.

Good question, and in my pitiful defense I point out that Paul and Silas’s answer is post-Jesus-on-earth, and I was discussing the things Jesus flat out told us, like becoming as a little child (Matthew 18: 2) and why this is important, but the point is well made,

Is it enough — Just to Believe?

Please read the rest at my Commonsense Christianity article, Is It Enough — Just to Believe? Those of you who are regular readers know that I am unable to print the entire article in entirety here, and depend upon the graciousness of my readers to click through and finish the article — and to comment! You may comment either on this site, or at BeliefNet.

This article is linked to Marriage and Missions, Graced Simplicity, Serving Joyfully, Jenni Mullinix, Shine Blog, Mom on Demand, Missional Woman, Simple Moments Stick, Womanhood with Purpose, Essential Things, That Friday Blog Hop, A Look at the Book, Jenny Evolution, Family Fun Friday, Larson Wife, Weekend Winddown, Moms the Word, Women of Worship, Mom Moments, A Life in Balance, Mopping the Floor