Parchment & Pen Blog

(Lisa Robinson) I don’t care for many reality shows but I confess to being a Project Runway fan. It’s a welcome diversion from my the crime drama genre I like so much.  If you are not familiar with the show, 16 aspiring designers are given challenges each week to show their proficiency and creativity as [...]

(Lisa Robinson) That question sounds radical, I know. But bear with me and hear me out. For all of my Christian life, when I’ve sinned I’ve asked the Lord to forgive me. And observing the landscape I know I’m not alone. How many of you do that when you sin? Lord, please forgive me. I’ve [...]

(Lisa Robinson) As Halloween approaches, you can bet the discussions will increase amongst Christians concerning whether Christians should participate.  One faction promotes participation while the other faction wants all Christians to see the horrors of Halloween and why they should not participate.  But that is neither here nor there because I believe it is a [...]

(Lisa Robinson) Well, here’s something the Lord has been convicting me of lately; the use of “most Christians” or “many Christians” when describing something I think is important when evaluating the Evangelical landscape. And I know I’m not alone. Since I’ve been more cognizant of it,  I’ve noticed that others do it too – in conversations, [...]

(Lisa Robinson) These are some pretty random thoughts that have swirling around in my head for awhile so I wanted to just splash them out in writing. Tim Challies posted this article a while back on his blog that served as the catalyst. The article concerns the workforce but I think it’s premise is very [...]

(Lisa Robinson) I got into a brief conversation with one my classmates the other day. He is a youth minister and was telling me that one of his greatest challenges is dealing with parents who want him to talk to their teens regarding unChristian behavior. The challenge is not so much talking to the teen [...]

(Lisa Robinson) In my first semester of seminary, I had to read Surprised by the Voice of God  by Jack Deere to complete a theological method paper for my Intro to Theology class.  I’ve been re-reading it in preparation to grade the same assignment. If you are not familiar with the book, Deere writes about [...]

(Lisa Robinson) Anyone who knows me, knows my disdain for spiritual abuse.  Unfortunately, it comes in many forms, ranging from subtle to severe.   Instead of nurturing the flock of God in a culture of grace, spiritual abuse involves control, manipulation, and victimization in a culture of shame and demands. It typically involves an us vs. [...]