Angela Mackey

Rethinking Christian Life, Rethinking Life

Unruly Emotions

My heart felt tight in my chest. According to my emotions, everything was wrong. Insidiously my emotions started to short circuit my brain. My thinking became muddled. My outlook became increasingly negative. Even things I was excited about seemed dull, lifeless, UGH! My emotions were in control and I didn’t like it. So I did…

Keeping Vigil

Vigil to watch, to awaken, to arouse…purposeful intentional watchfulness for something that is about to happen. Marsha Ford spoke on Friday night at our ladies retreat about keeping vigil. That God keeps vigil over us, but that we are to keep vigil for God, to honor Him so that generations to come may also know…

How to T.H.I.N.K.

My eyes open and I check my phone. 5:30 AM, only about four hours of sleep. I lay there in my top bunk hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep. Sleep doesn’t come. In an effort not to wake the seven other women in my room, I attempt to silently shimmy down my…

Saturdays are for…

Spending time with ladies at my church’s ladies retreat. Wonderful praise and worship music. Time in prayer. Extended time alone with God without distractions. Reuniting with my sweet family. What are you doing this Saturday?

Armor

We are at war. We, in the US, have troops fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. All day long our soldiers wear armor. Bulletproof vests and helmets. They carry weapons to mount offensives. They are tough. I wonder what would happen if everyday we followers of Christ would remember we are at war. What if…

Right Thinking Wrong Thinking: Parenting

I am beginning a new series called Right Thinking Wrong Thinking. Every Thursday I will post this series and I will address some right and wrong ways of thinking and how they affect our hearts and our actions. Here we go: Your heart is pumping and you feel like jumping out of your skin. “Take…

Set on Fire by Hell

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” my small voice sang. I have wanted to believe that words are just words and they don’t have real power to hurt. But even as a child singing those words they often sounded hollow. Words can and do hurt. They drip with…

It’s a God Thing…

“That’s a better present than my American Girl Doll,” my eight-year-old beamed. Her birthday landed on Easter Sunday this year and she received many gifts. She got her ears pierced, some new earrings, a new American Girl Doll, and even a new dress. But her best gift started last week. E, my eight-year-old, goes to…

The Day After Easter

Do you ever wonder what the day after Easter was like? The mountain top experience Jesus is alive, but do you wonder if the disciples doubt? Did Thomas’ doubts take seed in the others who saw Jesus? Did they begin to think maybe it was something we all ate? I wonder. I know I am…

This Saturday…

Do you wonder on the Saturday after the cross, what Satan was thinking? Was he rejoicing over his conquest? Were he and his demons harassing the disciples and other followers of Jesus? Was he calling it his victory? Did he know yet exactly what Christ had done on the cross? The disciples, Christ’s followers, his…