Incongruous Circumspection

Pending Series: Debunking the Fourteen Basic Needs of a Marriage

2012-03-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Bill Gothard's homeschool organization, Advanced Training Institute (ATI), has put out two pieces of material about the seven basic needs of a husband and also the seven basic needs of a wife. I will be writing a fourteen part series debunking these needs, one by one. Bill's classic fallacy is that he assumes that all men have the same needs and all women, as well. Enjoy the series. I know

Should a Wife Submit to Her Husband?

2012-03-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

No.

The Story of Libby Exline, Installment 4 - Unreachable Sanctification

2012-02-29T21:58:00.000-08:00

In Installment 3, we left off finding Libby trying as hard as she could to be perfect. Perfection was very necessary. Without it, there was no chance of sanctification. Without sanctification, you went to hell. Let's continue this train wreck. ***** Before I could be sanctified, I had to Remain Saved. So I had to examine myself for sins, known and unknown. Sometimes I want to reach back

Another Request for Darcy

2012-02-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

I am going to be asking for money again for Darcy. As many of my readers know, it wasn't much more than two weeks ago that I posted this. At that time in history, Darcy was excited about looking for a lawn mower to replace her old beater. You know the story. We raised almost $450 for the family to purchase a brand spanking new machine. When the campaign finished, I had determined to rarely

The Formula Problem: Why Duggarizing Your Marriage is Not Recommended

2012-02-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Baking is one of my favorite pastimes. I make a killer banana bread. I love baking cookies and many times, like Marie Barone, bake a cake just because. I follow recipes very closely but always add vanilla even if it is not called for. I can follow those recipes to the letter for one simple reason - I live 900 feet above sea level. Those who live 2500 feet above sea level cannot enjoy the

My Kind of Righteousness

2012-02-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

I don't like much of the god I find in the Old Testament. There is a lot of death and murder that is undeserved. The many stories remind me of a jealous two year old fighting over his toys. Sure, I understand the theology behind it. Trust in the Lord and he will bless you. Don't have any other god's but the god of the Bible. Among other reasons to not get the ole' sword in the belly. I

When Good Men Are Bad

2012-02-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, I knew a very good man. He was dear to my heart and still is. This man took over the job of another man who seemed to be well respected by my dear friend and so, naturally, as a young man, I respected this other man, as well. I saw him as good. Then I grew up and my life helped me to drift away from this dear old friend of mine. As a matter of course, being that this dear

Darcy Needs a Lawn Mower

2012-02-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

GOAL REACHED: READ THE END OF THIS POST! I am going to be asking for money for a very dear friend of mine. Many of you know her by her blog, especially this post that garnered oodles of attention all over the online world. Her name is Darcy. Darcy comes from a background that was heavily patriarchal and has catapulted out of it into a beautiful marriage, soon expecting her fourth child.

The Story of Libby Exline, Installment 3 - Beware of All Sins, Even Imaginary Ones

2012-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

In Installment 2, Libby told us how she moved from public school to church school and how the rules were rigidly applied with severe consequences if broken. She spoke of how she was "ripe for the picking" at her young and impressionable age. Let's listen in as she tells about how life continued to head downhill. ***** While at school, I had the rules in my face, now, at church things were

Tim Dunkin's Hephzibah House Faux Pas

2012-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

I will begin this response to Tim Dunkin’s shoddy, one-sided, biased, opinion piece tossed around on a few corners of the internet with a disclaimer: I am, and have been for years, very good friends with an attendee of Hephzibah House. Having revealed this, I must add that I am writing this response not for her, but for a group of people much broader than this young woman – all those that

Let's Hang Them Purity Balls

2011-12-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

My friend Lewis wrote an excellent critique of a video series lauding the virtues of "purity balls". No, stop thinking of them shaved and washed, this type is where the dad takes his daughter to a dance and they look lovingly on each other and pretend to be married for a while. Ok, maybe a bit of a stretch, but not much. Lewis does a much better job. He goes through the series point by point

My Sister's Story

2011-12-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

My sister has begun to blog her story of her childhood. It's sort of in a snippet format. Little memories here and there that make up the weave of her life. Some of the content is new to me. Memories that she has that I don't. Please read it and weep for those who may still be living this life and go forth in training those that can do something about it. My Childhood Saga, Unleashed

Letters From Mama: Christmas Debt

2011-12-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago, we cut Mama out of our lives. She made one too many public gaffes and it was time to remove the tension and frustration from our lives. After 10 years, we finally were able to breathe freely. We no longer had someone trying to insert themselves into our relationship. Our life was our own. Since the day we cut her off, we have received one note saying that she thought of us

Snipped! The Series

2011-12-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

I am writing my story for No Longer Quivering. The editor there (not sure if she wants me to name her) aptly named it "Snipped!" Check it out. I hope you enjoy it. The first installment is is found here.

The Story of Libby Exline, Installment 2 - System Immersion Must Be Good

2011-11-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

In Installment 1, Libby Exline detailed the rules of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church and what they meant to her. Installment 2 will begin her story of complete immersion in this abusive church. ***** At first, it was normal. Ok, not as abnormal as it would become. When I was very young, while my parents were very into the church, we had a semblance of a life outside it. They

The REAL Story of Rudolph

2011-11-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

Once, there was a group of Christian reindeer. These reindeer did everything for God – everything! Their whole existence was made up of pulling the weight of the kingdom for God – their taskmaster. Not only were these reindeer focused on doing what was right, but they looked the part, as well. Their hair was always trimmed perfectly. Not a wisp was out of place. Their horns were filed

The Story of Libby Exline, Installment 1 - The Only True Church

2011-11-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hi! My name is Libby, and I found this blog while researching the Duggars. Before watching the show, I'd never heard of “Quiverfull”, “patriarchy”, Bill Gothard...any of it. I was raised in a legalistic church that strangled any freedom, grace, and love even, so these blogs stirred up a lot of stuff for me. I reached out and was asked to share my story, so here goes. I was raised in the

Pending Series: The Story of Elizabeth (Libby) Exline

2011-11-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

Out of the blue, a wonderfully dynamic woman contacted me. She relayed a short version of her "life story" in the Allegheny Wesleyan Connection. She told of how she endured physical, sexual, and spiritual abuse and came out on the other side. The short version was simply spellbinding and I requested that she share the long version with me. While growing up, she fostered some excellent

Response to Greg Koukl's, Ancient Words, Ever True - Part 1

2011-11-20T00:13:00.000-08:00

Greg Koukl founded, and is the current leader of, Stand To Reason. He teaches those he considers Christians how to reason in their faith. The Bible states that a Christian is to give answer to that which they believe at a moment's notice. Greg's ministry is to equip them with good reason and logic to do just that. Greg published the article Ancient Words, Ever True, which asserts that the

An Open Letter to Those Who Smashed My Pumpkins

2011-11-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Dear you, The night before Halloween, I gushed to my wife about how much I was looking forward to smashing pumpkins after the Halloween and Autumn festivities were over. I told her how I wanted to take a pumpkin, put it in one of my large hands, rear back, and throw it in a high arc, like they do to the shot put in the Olympics. I imagined watching that orange round ball of hard shell and

The Penn State Fiasco: My View

2011-11-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this by saying that I don't know all of the facts. I wasn't there. I am relying on news reports and reports on legal proceedings from hearings in 2002. I do not know Mike McQueary, Jerry Sandusky, nor do I know Joe Paterno. Regardless, I will voice my opinion as a father of boys and as a citizen of humankind. The main story here is that Mike McQueary walked into a locker room

I'm Sick of This Meager Existence

2011-11-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. Tired of being lazy. Not only am I tired, I am sick and tired of my life of procrastination. I blame it on my childhood. I don't take that stance as an excuse to keep being who I know I am, I merely acknowledge the source of my lazy procrastination. Growing up, I was a hard worker. I could finish two sinks of dishes in ten minutes flat. It didn't matter if there was an inch and

The Rogue "pastoral" Team: Act Thirteen - Zach Pulls a Fast One

2011-11-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

In Act Twelve, Annah let Zach know that trusting in God or listening to God was a stronghold. Essentially, full and unquestioned obedience to every whim of your "pastor" is pure religion to these clowns. As we have come to expect, Mark Reid attempted a few words but his presence was summarily dismissed as unnecessary. Let's listen in as the discussion goes further downhill, as if that is even

The Rogue "pastoral" Team: Act Twelve - All Truth Only Applies to Others

2011-11-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

In Act Eleven, we watched as Annah pretty much summed the meeting up by telling Zach, in no uncertain terms, that Mark and Annah Reid, as "pastors", were to be between Zach and Jesus Christ. Let's keep listening in as the discussion drags on. One thing to note, I will not be interjecting any comments. I have said enough in the last eleven acts and you pretty much know everything I would say

Letters From Mama: Don't Get Married!

2011-11-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

If you have read my blog for long, you may know that I grew up in an abusive environment. I learned to cope quite well until I was 19 years old. At that point in my life, the heat got too hot and I was ready to be free. I will detail the circumstances surrounding that event at a later date. Anyway, I left and went to live with my dad to get on my feet and expose myself to the real world in