ROMANS 1:16<\/strong><\/h2>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>For I am not ashamed of the gospel,\u00a0because it is the power of God\u00a0that brings salvation to everyone who believes:\u00a0first to the Jew,\u00a0then to the Gentile.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you were to ask me, \u201cAre you ashamed of being a Christian?\u201d I would probably narrow my eyes and say, \u201cWhy would you ask that?\u201d I always want to know the angle. And when someone comes at you with that line of questioning, they often have their own agenda.<\/p>\n

The thing is, people rarely ask these kinds of questions.<\/p>\n

If they did, I would say that I am not ashamed of my faith. Hello, I write about it all the time and will openly talk about what God has done in the life of my family over the years. God and I are tight. We have a history.<\/p>\n

And yet, I write for various publications that are not overtly Christian. When I draft articles for them, anecdotes of our family, tips for other parents of children with special needs, thoughts on philosophy and parenting, I cannot open with verses and close with a prayer. But I still write for them for the same reason I spend time with friends and acquaintances that are not Christian.<\/p>\n

You are always giving your testimony.<\/p>\n

As you discipline your kids, you are giving your testimony. As you order that triple mocha whipped latte, you are giving your testimony. As you sit in traffic and do, or do not, gesticulate at fellow drivers, you are giving your testimony. Whether we want to or not, we are radiating vibes of what matters most to us.<\/p>\n

But this is not my point. My point is not the subtlety and persistence of inner faith.<\/p>\n

My point is that sometimes, like Paul, you just have to say it out loud: I am not ashamed of the gospel.<\/p>\n

I am not ashamed of the gospel.<\/h1>\n

Because if we tell ourselves over and over that our silent example of a Christian life is enough, we will weaken. Our roots we have so firmly planted in Christ will do no good to anyone but us\u2026anchoring us to a stable but stagnant spot in life. And so, every now and then, I just say it. I put aside all my hang-ups over evangelism and appropriate social mores and I say it to strangers in the line at the grocery store or other parents at my son\u2019s school. I say, \u201cI will keep you in my prayers today and past today\u201d to those suffering loss and illness and heartache even if they are not Christians, because this is the life I lead\u2014an unashamedly faith-filled one.<\/p>\n

This is important. Naming aloud our priorities and mission statement is important.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

It keeps us living bravely and honestly. It keeps us proud of the God who brought us into this world and gave us this life to live wisely and well. I will not let the pride I feel in a God who can create parabolic waves and crocuses that defy winter and the sweet smell of babies and triple mocha whipped lattes, extra whip, go unspoken.<\/p>\n

I am not ashamed.<\/p>\n

Sunday Thoughts Link Up!<\/strong><\/h1>\n

It’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/div>\n

<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mom-gene.com\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"The Mom Gene\"><img src=\"http:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Sunday-Thoughts-Button.jpeg\" alt=\"The Mom Gene\" style=\"border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/textarea><\/pre>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\n\n\t#sm_form > input[type=\"submit\"], \n\t#sm_form > input[type=\"button\"]{\n\n\t\tpadding: 10px 10px 10px 10px !important;\n\t\tborder: none !important;\n\t\t\n\t\tfont-size: 16px !important;\n\t\tfont-family: helvetica,sans-serif;\n\t\tbackground-color: #a5a5a5 !important;\n\t\tline-height: normal;\n\t\tvertical-align: unset !important\n\t\t\n\t} \n\t#sm_form > input[type=\"text\"],input[type=\"email\"]{\n\t\tmargin: 0;\n\t\tpadding: 0;\n\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\theight: 35px;\n\t\tmargin-left: 5%;\n\t\tmargin-bottom: 5%;\n\t\tfont-size: 16px;\n\t\tfont-family: helvetica,sans-serif;\n\t\tvertical-align: unset !important;\n\t}\n\t\n\t.sm_field{\n\t\tmargin: 0;\n\t\tpadding: 0;\n\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\theight: 35px;\n\t\tmargin-left: 5%;\n\t\tmargin-bottom: 5%;\n\t\tfont-size: 16px;\n\t}\n\t.sm_submit:hover{\n\t\tbackground-color: #4b8bcc !important;\n\t\tbackground: #4b8bcc !important;\n\t}\n\t.sm_submit,#sm_submit{\n\t\tmargin: 0 ;\n\t\tborder: none !important;\t\n\t\t \t\n\t}\n\t#response{\n\t\tdisplay: none;\n\t\tfont-family: helvetica,sans-serif;\n\t\tfont-style: italic;\n\t\t}\n\n\n\t\n\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"sm_wrapper\" id='sm_wrapper' class='smwrapper' data-delay=\"1000\" style=\"color: #424242 !important; max-width: 600px; min-width:360px; background: #dd3030;\" >\n\t<h3 style=\" padding: 20px 10px 20px; background:#ECEEAD;font-family: helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0;\">Sunday Thoughts Weekly Reminder  <\/h3>\n\n\t<p style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: helvetica,sans-serif; margin:15px;\"> Sign up to get a reminder each week when the Sunday Thoughts Link Up goes live!                           <\/p>\n\n\t<form id=\"sm_form\" action=http:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=ssm_subscribe_form_db method=\"post\" class=\"smform\" >\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sm_id\" value=\"2863\" >\n\t\t<input type='hidden' name='ssm_sub_url' class=\"ssm_sub_url\" value='' >\n\t\t<input type='text' id='sm_input' class='sm_field' name='sm_name' placeholder=\"Name\" >\n\t\t<input type='email' id='sm_input' class='sm_field' name='sm_email' placeholder=\"Email Address\" required >\n\t \t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"WS_SSM_Subs_Form_Nonce\" name=\"WS_SSM_Subs_Form_Nonce\" value=\"19f57caa10\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4300\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"WS_SSM_Subs_Form_Nonce\" name=\"WS_SSM_Subs_Form_Nonce\" value=\"19f57caa10\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4300\" \/>\t\t<input type=\"submit\"  name=\"submit\" value=\"SUBSCRIBE\" class=\"sm_submit\" id='sm_submit'  style=\"color: #dd3030 !important; background-color: #a5a5a5 !important; background: #a5a5a5 !important; \">\n\t<\/form>   \n\t<div style=\"font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; background: #e3e3e3; padding: 9px 0 1px 15px; font-family: helvetica,sans-serif; \">\n\t\t<span id=\"response\" style=\"color: #424242 !important; \">\n\t\tThank you for subscribing.    \t<\/span>\n\t\t<p>A big thank you from Jamie on The Mom Gene!<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><!-- start InLinkz script --><\/p>\n<div id=\"760194\" class=\"InLinkzContainer\"><a title=\"click to view in an external page.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.inlinkz.com\/new\/view.php?id=760194\" rel=\"nofollow\">An InLinkz Link-up<\/a><\/div>\n<p><script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/static.inlinkz.com\/cs2.js'><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- end InLinkz script --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ROMANS 1:16 16\u00a0For I am not ashamed of the gospel,\u00a0because it is the power of God\u00a0that brings salvation to everyone who believes:\u00a0first to the Jew,\u00a0then to the Gentile.\u201d If you were to ask me, \u201cAre you ashamed of being a Christian?\u201d I would probably narrow my eyes and say, \u201cWhy would you ask that?\u201d I always want to know the angle. And when someone comes at you with that line of questioning, they often have<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/2018\/01\/20\/no-shame\/\"> …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[21,13,22],"tags":[214,27,46,48,115,55,136,110,100,24,59,446],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/mic-3035236_1920.jpg?fit=1920%2C951&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8ca5p-17m","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4300"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4386,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4300\/revisions\/4386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}