Rachelmariestone

LATEST ARTICLES ( 193 )

• About That Bill in Arizona…and What Other Implications It Might Have Had

  

  “The Sinner Series.” Photo courtesy Bernt Rostad via Flickr Creative Commons. I grew up in a Baptist church that didn’t condone the use of alcohol. Read more

  Posted on 27 February 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Clothing Sizes Are Arbitrary. Stop Fretting Over Them.

  

  The dress was too small, so I wouldn’t buy it. It came in a larger size, but I wasn’t about to wear that size—in my mind, it was “too big.”We’ve all been... Read more

  Posted on 26 February 2014 CURRENT, FASHION, SELF EXPRESSION, SOCIETY

• Why Does Animal Suffering Hurts So Much?

  

  I’ve encountered a lot of sad animal stories — in books, on the web, and in real life — recently, and I’ve mused over why I find them so distressing in a... Read more

  Posted on 24 February 2014 SELF EXPRESSION

• Maybe There Shouldn’t Be a Religious Exemption to Vaccinations.

  I’ve written on vaccination before, and, no surprise, raised no small amount of ire each time. Recently, I’ve been wondering about the “religious exemption” tha... Read more

  Posted on 21 February 2014 SELF EXPRESSION

• Why Barbie Belongs on the Cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

  

  Barbie longingly eyes a barbecued chicken. Photo courtesy Bugeater via Flickr Creative Commons.As the Eberhart family finishes packing the contents of their... Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Valentine’s Gift That Costs Everything

  

  Saint Valentine of Terni oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni, from a 14th-century French manuscript. Photo via Wikimedia Commons (public domain. Read more

  Posted on 14 February 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Your Reading Group Needs This. And You Can Even Get It for Free.

  

  As Lorraine Caulton writes on the IVP website:Reading is a solitary act. For many of us it is a form of retreat—a welcomed silence and deserved rest from our... Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Not Laughing at #SochiProblems: Some People Have to Live There, You Know

  

  from my most recent post at Religion News Service…Look, I get it: people don’t go to the Olympics expecting to endure what seems to them like developing-world... Read more

  Posted on 11 February 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Grace for the Tired out Parent

  

  Our first child opened his eyes on this world for the first time at the beginning of October in Northern California. I was on my feet minutes after his delivery... Read more

  Posted on 11 February 2014 SELF EXPRESSION

• Weirdest Search Terms of The Past Quarter.

  

  It’s been a long time since I posted–or even looked at–some of the search terms that landed people on this site, and, as always, it is a bizarrely fun little... Read more

  Posted on 31 January 2014 SELF EXPRESSION

• Can School (and Work) Be Like Play?

  In a recent article, Boston College psychology professor Peter Gray argues that children today are “suffering from a severe deficit of play” that corresponds... Read more

  Posted on 29 January 2014 SELF EXPRESSION

• Parasites, People, Pain; Anger, Frustration, Futility. And Hope. Eventually.

  

  I haven’t been writing much, especially not here, in a while. At the risk of oversharing–and to put it in sweet, verbose evangelicalese–I have been blessed... Read more

  Posted on 22 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Bursting With Signifiers of Hipster Cool: A Cranky, Slightly Hilarious Review...

  

  Beware the book reviewer who reads and writes while suffering from a cold and an intestinal parasite in one of the ten poorest countries on the planet…In the ne... Read more

  Posted on 15 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• PSA: If You’re a Writer (or Want to Be) Read This Book.

  

  Seriously. Do yourself a favor and get it. Read it. I’ll be writing more about it later. Read more

  Posted on 13 January 2014 BOOKS, MARRIAGE, SELF EXPRESSION

• This Year, Don’t Diet: Eat with Joy

  I love food. I enjoy thinking about new recipes, planning menus for dinner parties, cooking, and, of course, eating: everything from fresh baguettes, cheeses... Read more

  Posted on 08 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand “Positive Thinking”

  Happiness sells. So do books promising a way to help you be happier—especially when they carry the designation “Christian.” In her 2009 book Bright-Sided: How... Read more

  Posted on 06 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Let Our Ordered Lives Confess The Beauty of Thy Peace

  One of the really lovely things about worshiping in churches around the world is that you encounter new music. As it happens, I was introduced to this hymn–now... Read more

  Posted on 02 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• There Really Is No Such Thing as a New Year.

  

  On Monday of this week I combed through closets and drawers and shelves, searching for what could be gotten rid of; eager to make everything clean and... Read more

  Posted on 01 January 2014 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Although It’s Been Said Many Times, Many Ways–

  

  Merry Christmas to you! “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called... Read more

  Posted on 20 December 2013 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION

• Showing Deference to the Rich: ‘Affluenza’ and “The House I Live In”

  

  I recently watched Eugene Jarecki’s remarkable documentary, The House I Live In, which is about the American ‘war on drugs’ and the burgeoning prison... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2013 FOOD & DRINK, SELF EXPRESSION