Sometimes one’s lofty and even well-meaning theoretical notions are grounded by life’s radical reality.  Such was the case for me recently.  It was the last semester of graduate school and my mind was busy juggling various activities knowing all the while that three term papers hung loosely in the background.  In spite of some nail-biting angst regarding the final outcome of these papers, I had a developing fascination with one particular assignment that I just could not shake. Instructed to write on an issue which would engage the church and the world, I decided to merge my interests in theology and prenatal medicine in order to focus on the subject of bioethics.  While rushing out the door on the way to one of my weekend shifts at the hospital where I work as a registered nurse, I decided to stash several extra books on bioethics into my bag with the hopes of stealing a few moments for my burgeoning thoughts. 

The quiet moment I was hoping for came after morning rounds were complete.  A quick check of e-mail and I would be on my way to those books--or so I thought.  Clicking the inbox, I saw an entry from a friend updating me on her recent doctor’s visit.  About my age, Susan was expecting her second baby to arrive in just four months and so far everything had gone as planned.  The purpose of this e-mail was merely to report her mid-pregnancy ultrasound results.  I scanned the screen, but I could not find any sign of those reassuring words like “normal” or “healthy” that allows one to sit back and breathe a sigh of relief.  Instead, the ultrasound diagnosed an undeveloped infant brain which resulted from a genetic anomaly Susan never knew she had.  The baby was not only not alright, but she might not survive her nine month gestational term.  Read more

Catherine Claire, who met Carolyn Custis James when Catherine was an MA student at RTS-Orlando, has published an article about Carolyn's work to entice  Christians of all stripes to learn theology.

R ecently, I had my younger kid sister come visit me. It was a special occasion because she is preparing to leave for college next week. While that seems like an eternity ago for me, it was incredible hearing about what was going through her mind before heading off. Part of the reason that I was so proud of her was hearing the type of fears that she held. In her mind, she desired so much to make the most of her life for the Lord, but was scared that she didn’t know what path to take to do that. I smiled a broad smile when I heard this. Of all the fears she could have, strangely enough, it made me proud that she would have this fear. It even touched my heart in a special way because I’ve struggled with this same question throughout my life. But special or not, it is something that has legitimately cause a large amount of stress in my life as well as other Christians seeking to please the Lord, but feeling lost at how to best do this.  

As I talked with several people about this subject throughout my life, the most meaningful piece of advice that I received was one sentence that had so much truth to it. A wise counselor looked at me after grinning slightly and said, “Relax, it’s a lot harder to fall out of God’s will as you might think.” What he meant by that was that those who are seeking to find the right way to serve our Lord are already doing what He calls us to do: seek Him. I’ve gone to both business school as well as seminary searching for the right avenue to serve God. One of the key moments in my life was learning a story that changed my outlook about what the kingdom of God and his sovereignty really meant. Read more