I genuinely don’t understand the conservative male outrage about Taylor Swift. I mean, I get the misogyny piece, but am I missing something else? She doesn’t really check any of their usual boxes for criticism (lyrics, sexualized performances, showing too much skin, etc…)
I’m in the “hate April Fool’s Day” camp. It’s just not funny to abuse the trust of people you love.
That said, the 4th graders at our kids’ school all decided to “wear pink and not tell the teachers” as their April Fool’s joke and I’m here for it. So cute.
My hot take:
Quit complaining about teenagers. They are awesome humans who are still learning. I think we expect too much and too little from them all at the same time.
Little girls in mini-skirts in church parking lots?
Here's Josh Howerton, telling the men in their congregations that if they see such a little girl, "run, Forrest, run--you are no match for that enemy."
Because apparently little girls are tempting. And they're your enemy.
The most common & consistent feeling I have in worship, as a single person, is deep loneliness. But by all means, please tell me where I’m allowed to sit, and that I am an inconvenience. 🫠
@AndrewS76825037
There has been significant backlash about her Time cover and I just haven’t heard any concrete criticism outside of “we shouldn’t be looking up to her.” But I can’t really find specifics outside of her being single and in her 30s.
@Lucyjoyviolin
And the same people who say this are also pushing for people to marry as young as possible and have children as quickly as possible. And in 15 years, it will be her fault for not seeing the red flags.
I don’t want another women’s Bible study that focuses on how to manage your life, husband, & children, or your life as a single woman. I want a Bible study that teaches me more about the word, character of God, & our relationship w/Him. I want depth & seriousness not life hacks.
Can anyone explain why people are romanticizing the prairie/farm life? Do they not realize it was really, really hard and people lost kids and spouses and sometimes starved?
People keep throwing around women not being able to serve as “pastor” & then still say a woman can be a “director”. Explain to me how “Children’s Pastor” & “Children’s Director” are different. Give me the specific things that make them different outside of the title.
If your response to a pregnant, unmarried girl or woman is to shame her and withhold love and grace, it’s time to stop calling yourself pro-life. If you refuse to support her (in ways that you can support her and her child), it’s time to stop calling yourself pro-life.
(That’s me - he’s describing me 😍😆)
My master’s degree and paycheck haven’t made me inept in the kitchen (as some patriarchal folks would have you believe).
@awesomebrandi
I went in because I was losing the full function of my left side (which ended up being due to two herniated discs) and the doc told me to “stop eating so many pastries.” Um, thanks? That’s not what this visit is for, and pastries aren’t a part of my regular diet.
@HeatherHasADHD
Or does everyone walk in the house and leave their keys in the door? Or get out of the car and just walk away without closing the door? Or hyperfocus to the point of the world disappearing?
Talked with a friend’s 16 year old daughter today who was outraged because some of the girls in her homeschool group have started saying that women have too many rights. I’m glad she was outraged, but wow. 🤬
Here’s the thing, I LOVE a good joke. I make them, I laugh at them. I enjoy lots of stand up.
A pastor joking from the pulpit about a sacred covenant & physical relationship designed for oneness & intimacy & reducing a man to a place holder & a woman to a sex toy isn’t funny.
@brent_waggoner
I’ve always wanted to be with my friends & their kids, but as friends started having kids, their assumption that I wouldn’t want to hang around because I didn’t have kids was the thing that created distance. I worked so hard to let my friends know that I loved being with them.
Church, we need to do a better job of encouraging people for whom the waiting may never end. Don’t keep telling us it’s just a season. Some seasons last a lifetime.
The saddest part of all the vitriol I see towards childless people right now is that I’ve heard just about every one of these comments from friends or women at church at one time or another.
So, it turns out that saying, “Don’t cry or I’m going to give you something to cry about,” to your kids doesn’t really allow for the best emotional development.
@aggie_panda
I’ll be two years post the *most* mild case of Covid (fatigue, stuffy nose, loss of smell) in November. My smell and taste are back, but completely wrong - I’ve eaten mainly bagels because they don’t taste like rotten vomit and chemicals. I’m improving, but it’s horrible. 1/
Twitter friends who pray - pray for me if you think of it. I have so much going on right now & continue to be just maxed out on stress. (Stress dreams & daily crying. Woke up the night before last because I was screaming in my sleep.) Just need at least one thing to ease up.
Lest anyone thinks it was a glamorous time this weekend, here’s our “rehearsal dinner” on the living room sofa - mac & cheese with hotdogs. (And a little reminder that we do clean up nicely) (with my handsome husband 🥰)
It’s pretty fun watching the same people who don’t believe in divorce for any reason trip all over themselves to defend an unrepentant twice divorced, thrice married, adulterer.
In other news (something other than heartbreak content)…
Today is the 2 year anniversary of my breast reduction surgery. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. They removed 5 pounds total. I had 2 herniated discs & it has resolved my pain.
AMA (don’t be creepy) 1/2
There’s a certain kind of frat boy/man child I’ve always avoided because I felt unsafe around them, but I’ve never been able to articulate why. Had the same feeling watching the clips of Howerton’s sermons this week, & it dawned on me - entitlement w/underlying anger.
Depression and anxiety aren’t sins. Get the help you need. Go to therapy, take the meds, learn the coping strategies, lean on your community, pray. Be open about your struggles.
Can we quit making “healthy” versions of dessert and just eat the dessert? No, I don’t want your high protein cookie dough. I’d rather just have a steak and a cookie later.
@DebTreister
@bljtfs
@AJKocman
Would you say this to your infertile friend who longs for a child? To the friend who has had miscarriages? To the friend whose husband had health problems that have resulted in infertility? Since childless people can’t get this any other way, will they always be inferior to you?
I’ve seen this play out in real life - mostly ends in kids essentially not having a father.
Everyone’s situation is different & sometimes this is necessary. But to put your wife in the position of being a single mother just because you think she should be home is a net negative
Was blocked by a pastor for this response today. And they wonder why people are leaving their churches. There’s a mean streak in the church that seems to be growing and growing (or maybe I’m just more aware of it now because I know others of you have experienced it, too.)
I was taught that Bathsheba was essentially an evil temptress who was at fault because she was bathing and he could see her. This thread untangles all of that. Also, so super sick of this debate, but this is a thread worth reading.
@emilykmay
Yep - I had a man at a ministry job tell me once that I should never mention taking a bath because it was too hard for him to not imagine me bathing.
I don’t want to make too many assumptions, but when someone complains about how hard dating is & then launches into a (grumpy old man voice) tirade about liberal feminists, calls people names, & demands answers to personal questions, I’m not sure the women are the problem 🤷🏻♀️
@drantbradley
I think it’s not great (to put it mildly) to say that something most people have no control over is one of the “greatest” Christian witnesses. When I was still single (until this last NYE) there was no where I felt less like I belonged & less welcome than the church. 1/
@adhdjesse
42! Man do I wish I could go back to college and be medicated this time. Starting my PhD in January and am hopeful that it will be less stressful and overwhelming
Had someone tell me tonight that I need to enjoy my last months of being single.
A. Engaged isn’t exactly single.
B. Baby, I’ve been single for the last 25ish years. I’m good.
@AndrewS76825037
Yeah - I don’t mind criticism if there are stated reasons even if I disagree. And it’s fine not to like someone or their music. I guess she just doesn’t seem like she should be particularly polarizing, and some of what I have seen feels a little over the top.
This should concern EVERYONE. Who gets to define “obscene”? What falls under that category? This is a license to ban just about anything. Please spare me your “freedom” and “small government” talking points. Just a bunch of lies.
@ADHDdesigner
I had a nurse say, “But you finished your masters.” She didn’t know that I had started many other programs that I hadn’t finished (like how I’m two classes away from a masters in education and didn’t finish because I was too burned out)
@emilykmay
We all wake up thinking that. But my very existence as a single woman with multiple degrees and no children disappoints her, so I don’t have to try hard 🤣
@AlanaMReynolds
Congratulations! Leaving the classroom was the best thing I’ve ever done for my physical and mental health (12 years in the classroom, 3 as a school librarian).
@JustinDGentry
When something goes wrong - your car breaks down? Demons. You trip and break your ankle? Demons. Cancer? Demons. Lose your job? Demons. Well all of these things are either demons and sin in your life. So if there’s no sin that would cause it, it must be demons.
Reading through some tweets and wondering why Christians are so angry at atheists. It doesn’t feel like the urgency of someone who loves & wants to save people from Hell. It just seems angry and insecure. And some of the most upset ones are Calvinists. Please explain that to me.
@drantbradley
Interesting. I guess it’s my fault that I made all the “right” choices, dated the “right” men, and still didn’t marry until I was 44. I am worth more than my marital status.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We are not called to fight a culture war.
We are, however, called to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
1/2
@BasedPhilosoph
Said nothing about moms. Maybe read my post again and understand that it’s a single post.
This isn’t even a list of qualities. And it’s a narrow list. Everyone always zooms in on the career thing, but what about the demand that women be quiet and opinion-less?
@FranDHexe
I never said one couldn’t have things they are looking for in a spouse. But it is ridiculous to say that “no Christian man wants…” You just can’t put such narrow requirements on people. ALL Christian men don’t want the same things, and that’s fine. Good, in fact.
Raise your hand if you’ve gotten really, really, really good at planning ahead and just now realized it’s how you manage anxiety. And without being able to plan for things you are just a bundle of nerves.
🙋🏻♀️
Turns out, you can get married for the first time at 44, be very clear that you will not be trying for babies and STILL those same people will send you clever hints to push you to have babies.
A thread of things I’ve learned from dating. Will continue to add over time…
1. Kindness is the most important thing. Are they kind to you? To your family and friends? To wait staff? Shop employees? Animals?
Why are we so uncomfortable w/just sitting w/someone in their grief & letting them grieve? Why do we feel compelled to share unhelpful verses that basically say, “Buck up, little camper!” or guilt them into doing something hard. It’s ok to just say nothing & be there.
@janeelisabethh
Walked out of a church I was visiting once because I couldn’t sit through one more sermon like this. Never went back. Picked a church that valued people whether or not they were married.