Completion and Conviction
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
This post will be a little different… I know it’s been a while and since I last posted. I have been completing my degree and also decided to run for local office (more on that later and please keep me in prayer). This Saturday I graduate with a Theology Degree that took me ten years to complete, because… life is like that sometimes. When I began it was because I thought I needed some kind of status in the church to teach and serve. Here is what I have learned over the last decade, encapsulated in my final essay before I begin my Masters of Divinity. Enjoy! The Attack of Hierarchy on The Eccle ..read more
Visit website
Will Clubhouse Be The Death Of Celebrity Pastors?
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
It was bound to happen. Social media has thrown up on itself and people are sick of the curated highlight reel. We want realness. Churches are no different. They are filled (or not, lately) with the same people who hold accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and now Clubhouse. This new(er), invite only social media app is the startup world’s answer to our overindulgence in comparison, addiction to likes, and failure to actually connect with those we “follow”. Like an old school party line, the app is essentially an audio-only “hallway” filled with different “rooms” you can explore ..read more
Visit website
How Do We Dream Again?
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
This new year has been filled with turmoil and struggle. It seems that we have entered 2021 in the same state we left 2020. Yesterday, Capitol Hill was briefly taken over by domestic terrorists that branched out from a right wing rally to insist that Trump remain in the White House for another term. While I don’t intend to discuss that issue in detail here, I will say that the white evangelical church is largely responsible for how this came about. At every turn, this group of Christians have egged on the rhetoric of a power hungry narcissist. They have turned a blind eye to the plight of the ..read more
Visit website
Set The Table
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
Sometimes we must flip tables. Sometimes we must set them. Together, with the former money changers and racists and rioters and lying politicians and blind nationalists… together, we begin to set the table. Sometimes we must flip them, then sit in the mess until the responsible parties get uncomfortable enough to clean up the disaster (that existed before said table-flip), and then and ONLY then… help them set the table. It seems like an impossible task. But remember two very important things. 1) I said “former” (insert awful descriptor here), which means we embrace those who are repentant (o ..read more
Visit website
I Have Nothing Left To Write
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
It isn’t for lack of things to say. I’m just growing tired of saying the same things and no one hearing. Yes, I have found some amazing people on this journey of truth speaking and fighting for justice. I’m sure to find many more, and I love you all dearly. You matter. The encouragement you give matters. The fact that I know we are in this together matters… but I’m tired. And I know you are too. Most of my writing has been on Facebook lately. In fact, I have skipped months of blogging. I have a strategic reason for doing so. These things have to be explored in the context of relationship and ..read more
Visit website
America is NOT a “Christian Nation” and It Never Will Be
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
Imagine a politician who is opposed to abortion and believes in the sanctity of human life. Not just from conception, but from eternity. Each child is loved “before they were formed in the womb.” But he doesn’t hold a picket sign. He holds the mother-to-be and tells her she is loved, forgiven, and valued. Imagine a person who would condemn the misogynistic and violent words of fellow politicians who laugh as they comment about grabbing women by the private parts. Imagine this person believes in the sanctity of ALL human life, but because some are suffering he boldly declares that their lives ..read more
Visit website
Please Don’t Make Me Breakfast
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
It’s Mother’s Day again and my children will be bringing me breakfast. I’m grateful, I really am. How could I not be? Seeing the excitement on their faces as they plotted, quite conspicuously, to make me something that “wouldn’t make my ears ring” (I’m dealing with tinnitus and other inflammation issues)… it was the sweetest thing. What mom could be upset about her children being thoughtful? My husband is planning to make me dinner. More food. They are showing love the way I show it to them. It’s a beautiful thing. Perhaps I should make a habit of letting them sleep in. That’s all I really wa ..read more
Visit website
Choosing Faithfulness
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
Until now, it’s been difficult to stay put. One unexpected blessing of this virus has been the necessity to slow down and be more present in our own homes. I never realized how often I was out away from my family or “away” psychologically and emotionally while being present in the home… until I couldn’t be. Now that there are WAY less things to do and my family is CONSTANTLY in the house, I can see how God is reordering my priorities to better reflect His. He is all about faithfulness, and to be faithful one must first be rooted. We must submit to being planted and anchoring into a place and ..read more
Visit website
It’s Not Fair
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
You were supposed to walk across that stage. You should have gotten the chance to “senior slump” and skip out a bit in the last few weeks. You should have gotten to go to prom. You should have spent these last days hanging with friends before you go your separate ways into adulthood. But this stupid virus has ruined it and you can never go back. It’s not fair. It’s just plain wrong. You’re angry. You’re sad. Maybe a bit depressed… and you have every right to be. Life is confusing and unpredictable and I’m sorry you’re having to learn this in such a painful way so early. I really am. I cried f ..read more
Visit website
My Husband Skipped Bible Study and Got Exposed To COVID-19
Emptied
by monicagarysr
2y ago
It was a tough day. Peter and I got into a little spat and he decided to skip out on our church meeting/bible study this evening. We meet every week in our home with just a couple families, so it was no big risk for us to continue our get together amid the chaos. So, I sat with our close friend and sister in Christ and we chatted about our struggles, how I can help foster a healthier relationship with my hubby, and bounced around in a few topics from scripture. One of which was how we like to blame God. “It’s funny,” I said, “that God will warn us about natural consequences because He wants t ..read more
Visit website

Follow Emptied on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR