Category: Holy Living

grayscale photography of mother helping her baby to wash her hands

You Were Born to Be a Mother: An Open Letter to Expectant Moms

Posted on by Ashley Giovannucci in Holy Living

Yes, our God knew that you would one day be a mother. He created the days ordained for you while you were still in your mother’s womb and this child is in yours. This beautiful baby growing inside of you isn’t just the result of human choice or perfect family planning but a God-ordained soul created by God for such a time as this. And He created you for this. There will be nights when you doubt yourself. When you wonder if you're cut out for this. There will be times when don't think the tears will ever stop, when the rush of postpartum hormones may seem like too much to handle. So I’m here to tell you, expectant mothers, do not doubt your God ordained purpose. You were created to be a mom

Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self [Book Review]

Posted on by Ashley Giovannucci in Holy Living, Sexuality

"I am a woman trapped in a man's body." It’s a phrase you think you’d hear on a 2020 interview with Bruce, now Caitlyn, Jenner or perhaps on a TLC show chronicalizing the journey of teenage transgendered girl Jazz Jennings. But walk down any highschool hallway, and you’re likely to hear this sentiment being discussed. One hundred years ago, it would have been dismissed as illogical or delusional even. “Today it is a sentence that many in our society regard as not only meaningful but so significant that to deny it or question it in some way is to reveal oneself as stupid, immoral, or subject to yet another irrational phobia.” (Trueman, 19)

a man and woman holding protest banners

Pornography and Sex Trafficking: Biblical Justice from the Book of Amos

Posted on by Ashley Giovannucci in Holy Living, Pornography

MODERN DAY INJUSTICE Pornography might seem like a harmless past time, safely tucked away in the privacy of your web browser. Many argue that it doesn’t hurt anyone. That porn can be ethically produced. But the porn industry and the sex trafficking industry are intrinsically connected. What happens on the screen isn’t always consensual, and … Continue reading Pornography and Sex Trafficking: Biblical Justice from the Book of Amos →

When Your Vows Extend Beyond You

Posted on by Ashley Giovannucci in Holy Living

When we realized we’d likely be spending our anniversary in the hospital, Joseph grabbed the only thing within reach… a notepad the nurses had given us. We’d been using it to jot down questions for the doctors and any notes we wanted to remember from morning rounds. It certainly wasn’t a fancy, embellished Hallmark card, but it might be my favorite anniversary letter to date. Because it was real, raw, scribbled with the pressure of a ballpoint pen and the weight of the moment.

Living on a Prayer – A Letter to My Daughter

Posted on by Ashley Giovannucci in Holy Living

Your dad and I had had barely left the hospital with you In tow before rushing back to the emergency room. There wasn’t time to meet your extended family or settle into your daily routine. There was no time to heal at home or acclimate to our new life as a family of four. Our days would soon be colored with the neon glow of beeping monitors and the fluorescent lights of the Pediatric ICU. Simply put, it was not the maternity leave I had hoped for or imagined I'd be spending with you...

With Me or Without Me: Inviting God into Your Daily Life

Posted on by Mandi Mauer in Holy Living

Change can be an exciting venture, but it can also cause stress and uncertainty while you’re working through the fog. There are times when my brain is overwhelmed, and time appears to be flying by without much progress being made. And in another moment, I’m being blown away by the amazing ways God is moving. When the impossible is looming ahead and we invite God into the conversation/situation, we experience His power and His solution to our problems.

Delighting in His Presence

Posted on by Alyssa Nicole in Holy Living

Last spring I took a spiritual formation class during my last semester of undergrad. Honestly, I expected it to be a breeze. I was used to academics. I knew how to study well, maximize my time, and give professors what they wanted. When I saw that we were assigned a different spiritual discipline to practice and journal about every week, I was prepared to go through the motions and check off any box necessary for me to succeed (I had severe senioritis!) But what I didn’t expect was a loving but convicting lesson from the Spirit about my tendency to do all the things (prayer, worship, Bible reading) to feel as though I was succeeding in my relationship with God rather than to simply bask in his presence.

When We Don’t Have the Words

Posted on by Kaela Kaiser in Holy Living

If I am completely honest, prayer is something that has felt daunting to me. I have often become discouraged because my prayer life is not what I want it to be. I get distracted. I don’t always know what to pray for. Sometimes it feels like a chore. Often I feel guilty because I know prayer is a beautiful gift we have, and it is a calling. I want to have intimacy with my God, but my own imperfection discourages me. I often let my discouragement paralyze me, which inhibits me from growing in prayer.