Weekend Links::Freedom Edition

Three posts that broke some serious bondage in me this week:

I am Damaged Goods, by Sarah Bessey
This past summer, I taught my 13-year-old-daughter, her closest friends and their moms an 8-week Bible study. I’ve been teaching Bible studies since I gave my life over to Jesus at the tender age of 17. I love to teach. It’s easy for me. So, hear me when I tell you, without exaggeration: teaching this Bible study to my daughter and friends was the most challenging study I have ever taught. Particularly the lesson on purity.

As a woman with a sexual past, I found it nearly impossible to urge these girls to stay pure (because you can never, ever undo this act!!!) while simultaneously believing that God’s grace is sufficient to restore and redeem completely if they (or I) don’t (or didn’t).

For months, I’ve been mulling around in my mind a way to articulate this into a blog post. And then Sarah Bessey wrote this. It’s gone viral, so maybe you’ve already read it. But if you haven’t, you should. And when I finally figure out a way to write my thoughts on the matter, don’t compare me to Sarah, because she says everything so much better than I do.

How and Why I Stay in the Dysfunctional Family of God, by Don Miller
Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve lived in three different states and have been deeply involved in five different churches. I have been exposed to (and contributed to) more church dysfunction than I care to admit or remember. During one extended season of life, I found myself profoundly influenced by legalism. Don Miller addresses this and other matters of Christian dysfunction beautifully, yet bluntly. (Now, I see these people as the Crazy Uncles of Christianity–we love them because they are family.) I’ve been free from legalism for quite some time, now, but after reading this post, I felt MORE free (free-er??).

A Conscious Pace, by Sarah at Clover Lane
Remember when I told you I deleted 10,000 e-mails? Well, prior to the mass-deletion, one of my e-mail folders contained blog posts I had been meaning to read. Or that I had read and never deleted. Or that I loved and wanted to keep. As in 6,000 blog posts—no lie. At the very, very bottom of that folder, was this post.

It was written in 2011, which was when I read it and loved it and wept through it, and tucked it in that folder. I read it again on Saturday, and wept all over again. This is one of those posts that I need to read from time to time, just to remind me that it’s okay if I don’t do well with a frantic pace. It’s okay if I prioritize routine and structure and quiet. It’s okay if I don’t try to keep up with other families or other women. My kids need a peaceful and nice mother. And this post liberates me (again) to prioritize THAT.

Have you read anything fantastic this week?
Have you WRITTEN anything fantastic this week? Leave the link in the comments. I’d love to read it.

(If the spam filter catches it, I promise to un-spam it!)

The Scoop on Balance is a blog comprised of posts from my former blogs God Speaks Today and The Amazing Adventures of Fitness Friday Girl. If you see references to these blogs, don't be confused. Also, if by chance you come across a dead link, would you please e-mail me or leave a comment and let me know? Thank you!