Print FriendlySensitivity vs. Callousness – Exercising my senses so I can perceive the true spirit and emotions of those around me (Romans 12:15) – Bill Gothard’s Character Traits by RazingRuth Before I talk about my own experience, I want to talk about birthdays, in this movement, as a whole. Birthdays in a Gothard family can vary wide and deep. The level of celebration depends on several things. First, how deep into Gothardism the family is and when they came in. Second, how many children the family currently has. Third, the level of legalism they adhear Full post …
Self-Abnegation / Martydom
Time Heals All Wounds ~ Part 2: It was a beautiful vision of faith to me
Print Friendly All beautiful the march of days, as seasons come and go; The Hand that shaped the rose hath wrought the crystal of the snow by Shelly Cruz The night before my dinner engagement was a nervous one. I wanted everything to be extra perfect for my get together the following day. I stayed up praying that evening. Morning came and I felt more at ease. After church service Cecilia’s family followed my family home and for the next 4 hours we talked and joked as if we had been friends for years. I Full post …
The Destiny of a Virtuous Daughter ~ Part I: Beginnings of the Mask
Print Friendlyby Starfury Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? -Mulan For as long as I can remember, I was somebody else. My driving factors were love, approval, and being wanted, for who I was. That never came, in part due to the fact that in my work to achieve my goals I molded who I was to others’ specifications. As a result, I am trying to figure out who I am, even though I’m now an adult. Even now, it is easy to slip into the role that I Full post …
Preparing a Visionary Daughter to Do Hard Things ~ Part 3: Critical Thinking
Print Friendlyby Kiery Many people tell me I’m brave, they can’t believe how strong I am. Ten years of playing “mommy 2” isn’t overly common in the outside world. People at church would often tell me how lucky my parents were to have me and say “I bet you help out a lot, huh?” and I would nod and say “yes” while scanning the room to keep tabs on my siblings. “You guys are so blessed!” They would exclaim to my parents, “I don’t know how you do it.” My parents would nod in agreement while Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #13
Print FriendlyPunctuality vs Tardiness – Showing high esteem for other people and their time (Ecclesiastes 3:1) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth This is Ruth-lite because, as I was glancing through the character qualities and trying to figure out what to write about this time, I realized that this topic would contain some humor. Our family was religiously devoted to punctuality. Chalk it up to my father’s obsessive-compulsive behavior or to it being one of our operational definitions but we were rarely tardy for anything. Unless, of course, it was a social function after a long road Full post …
Time Heals All Wounds ~ Part 1: The Model of a Christian Woman
Print FriendlyAll beautiful the march of days, as seasons come and go; The Hand that shaped the rose hath wrought the crystal of the snow This is a story of two very different families and how the Light of Jesus overflowed from one to the other. It is also a story about feeling rejected and very alone, when one family decided to end the friendship with the other. Time heals all wounds though, or so they say….. by Shelly Cruz I have always been known as a free spirit, an extrovert; I see life as Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #12
Print FriendlyHospitality vs. Loneliness – Cheerfully sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those whom God brings into my life (Hebrews 13:2)-Bill Gothard by RazingRuth The older I got, the more responsibilities I was given. When I last left my mother’s list of progeny, she’d just had me (I think). In 1986, she had “Caleb”. In 1988, she had twin boys, “Matthew” and “Luke”. We called them the Dynamic Duo because they were never still and would go on to win the “most likely to end up in the emergency room” award. After the twins Full post …
Preparing a Visionary Daughter to Do Hard Things ~ Part 2: Maintaining Appearances
Print Friendlyby Kiery In time, I would begin to envision myself as a fair rose hidden inside metal armor. Afraid to grow, afraid to feel, staying inside a metal cage meant to protect. As far as appearances went though, you’d never know I felt that way. I don’t think my own family knew how I felt, when it comes down to it. Appearances were very important – we always had to look perfect, the house had to be spotless, when we were moving we had to be all happy about it (even if we weren’t), Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
