Print FriendlyGentleness vs. Harshness – Showing personal care and concern in meeting the need of others (I Thessalonians 2:7) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth From my earliest memories, my mother was a study in contrasts. Our home was chaotic (three boys and a new baby, all under the age of five). After my birth, my parents purposed to begin homeschooling. I say “my parents”, but that just means that dad decided mom would be doing her Christian duty best if she homeschooled. Not to mention the fact that dad’s employer and spiritual advisor had an up-and-coming curriculum that Full post …
Psalm 127 / Quiverfull: Be Fruitful & Multiply
Daughter of the Patriarchy: “Hello, Miss Dog-Meat.”
Print Friendlyby Sierra Every so often, a story circulated around Message churches. Our pastor related it with a twinkle of humour in his eye. The precociousness of little children was always a failsafe source of amusement in a world that afforded so many sinful entertainments. Children quoting scripture were even better. Out of the mouths of babes, it was oft repeated, the Word of God was made perfect. And so, it was with paroxysms of mirth that the following anecdote was passed around. One day, a minister’s wife was out doing the grocery shopping with Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #4
Print Friendly“Humility v Pride” – Recognizing that it is actually God and others who are responsible for the achievements in my life (James 4:6) by RazingRuth Disclaimer: With my father, I have to be careful of the details I give. His place in the movement is easily identifiable with a few key data points. I hope my readers can understand that even though I hate what was done to me, I hate what could be done to people I love even more. In which case, identifying my dad isn’t something I want to do. It’s also unnecessary Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #3
Print FriendlyDiscernment vs. Judgment – The God-given ability to understand why things happen (I Samuel 16:7) by RazingRuth Two babies in ten months. Samuel came three weeks early. That was my mother’s introduction to parenting. I’m sure she must’ve been over-whelmed. With my father starting to travel on occasion, I’m sure she was lonely. But she had her church friends and they were quick to prop her up when she needed it. They assured her that feeling lonely was normal, but that she should commit herself to prayer and supporting God’s will. Still, when Samuel was six months Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #2
Print FriendlyDeference vs. Rudeness – Limiting my freedom in order not offend the tastes of those whom God has called me to serve (Romans 14:21) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth Within five months of ‘Elijah’s birth, my mom figured out she was expecting again. It dawned on my mother, on Elijah’s fifth month birthday, that she hadn’t had a period- she chalked it up to nursing -when, in actuality, she was already eight weeks along. She was ecstatic, as was my father. In their bliss, they called my mother’s parents to share the news. It was Full post …
Daughter of the Patriarchy: A Jewel or a Trash Can
Print Friendlyby Sierra William Branham with a woman in his prayer line. (He would lay on hands, pray, and they would walk away healed, allegedly.) If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always had an answer. If you asked again in ten minutes, it would be a different one. I wanted to be a figure skater, detective, veterinarian, zoologist, writer, astronaut and archaeologist – and not just one at a time. When I went outdoors to play, I climbed rocks and saw them as mountains. When I jumped Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #1
Print Friendly“Orderliness v Disorganization” – Preparing myself and my surroundings so I will achieve the greatest efficiency (I Corinthians 14:40) by RazingRuth If you’re not ATI, you may not understand the quotation before each article I plan to do. I’ll try to explain. Bill Gothard promotes an educational series in which he defines forty-nine “operational qualities” of character. These are the “character traits” you hear the Duggars go on about. Each week, as an ATIer, you are supposed to audit yourself against these character traits. “Are you orderly or disorganized?”, in concordance with biblical principle and scripture. Full post …
Daughter of the Patriarchy: Scooby Doo and the Angel
Print Friendlyby Sierra By my eighth birthday, Anna’s church had become our own. My father attended sporadically, but my mother and I adopted a weekly ritual of driving forty minutes through the woods, to the highway, passing numerous small churches on our way to the secret annex of the YMCA. No one would have guessed there was a church there, unless they happened by as we all bustled in with our flowing skirts and dresses and exited under the mid-afternoon sun. My mother was enthralled, talking excitedly to Anna and her new friend Sheila every Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
