Welcome to Rooted in the Reformation October is my favorite month, and no, it has nothing to do with pumpkin spice. October 31 is Reformation Day, and I get a little giddy about it. So this year, I’m doing something about it. Every Sunday this month, I’m going to walk through a piece of theContinue reading “Before the Hammer: What Was Happening Before 1517”
Author Archives: melissaelsner
What I Used to Laugh Off: Sanctification and What We Let In
Sanctification has a way of quietly changing what we enjoy. The things we did and said before the Lord softened our hearts toward Him slowly lose their appeal. Here’s how that happened for me, and a gentle challenge for you. There I Lay I can picture it clearly. Me, stretched out on the couch, remoteContinue reading “What I Used to Laugh Off: Sanctification and What We Let In”
Holy Curiosity: Everything We Need Is in the Word
Can I confess something? My brain has tabs. Lots of them. I sit down to read my Bible, and within five minutes I’m wondering what the disciples ate for breakfast. Then I’m wondering whether Martha ever got a thank-you note. Before long, I’m wondering what Jesus was like at fifteen. Did He have chores? DidContinue reading “Holy Curiosity: Everything We Need Is in the Word”
Turning 50, Trusting God, and Other Things I Didn’t See Coming
Turning 50 as a Christian woman: Trusting God with the Age I Never Saw Coming I am in the last year of my 40s. I’ll pause so you can absorb that with me. The big 5-0 is sitting at the end of this year like a toll booth I cannot avoid, and I am standingContinue reading “Turning 50, Trusting God, and Other Things I Didn’t See Coming”
But What About Deborah?
The Conversation You’ve Probably Already Had You’re talking about women in pastoral ministry—maybe you just shared an article, or maybe the topic came up at Bible study—and someone leans in and says it: “But what about Deborah?” She was a judge in Israel. She led men. Case closed, right? If you’ve spent any time studyingContinue reading “But What About Deborah?”