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The Myth of the Flawless Hero
Spiritual Warfare, Inspiration, The Merlin Chronicles, Christian Living Dana Rongione Spiritual Warfare, Inspiration, The Merlin Chronicles, Christian Living Dana Rongione

The Myth of the Flawless Hero

I have a confession to make. I've been guilty of building pedestals.

Not literal ones, mind you. I'm not much of a carpenter (just ask my Holiday Bible Club kids).

But in my mind? Oh, I've constructed some beautiful monuments to the people I admire most. My favorite preachers. The missionaries whose newsletters I devoured. The women who taught me the Word with such fire and grace that I was sure they'd never had a bad day in their lives.

And then, inevitably, several of them fell off.

That crash is a special kind of heartbreak, isn't it? It's not just that a person disappointed you. It's that the idea you'd built around them came crumbling down, and sometimes, if you're not careful, your faith goes down with the rubble.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, actually.

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The Quiet Creep of Compromise
Compromise, Spiritual Warfare, Christian Living, The Merlin Chronicles Dana Rongione Compromise, Spiritual Warfare, Christian Living, The Merlin Chronicles Dana Rongione

The Quiet Creep of Compromise

It started so quietly. No trumpet blast. No neon sign flashing WARNING: SIN AHEAD. Just a king, a rooftop, and a little too much time on his hands.

Second Samuel 11 opens with one of the most haunting lines in all of Scripture: "And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem." (2 Samuel 11:1)

Did you catch that? But David tarried. Four little words. A thousand devastating consequences.

Spring had come, the time when a king was supposed to lace up his armor and lead his men into battle. But David didn't go. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he figured he'd earned a break. Maybe he told himself it was just this once. Whatever the reason, he stayed home…

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Putting on the Armor When You’re Tired
Spiritual Warfare, weary, armor of God, Chronic Illness, Encouragement, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione Spiritual Warfare, weary, armor of God, Chronic Illness, Encouragement, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione

Putting on the Armor When You’re Tired

Last week, Jason and I finally did it. We hauled out the old, falling-apart dressers and replaced them with a shiny new (well, new to us) three-door wardrobe. Jason built in some shelves, I found the perfect baskets, and over the course of a few days, we went through every piece of clothing we had stuffed in those poor drawers.

Some things were easy to let go of: old, worn-out pieces that had lived a good life. Others I just never reached for anymore. But I'll be honest, there were more items than I'd like to admit that simply didn't fit anymore. I wish I could say that some had gotten too big, but sadly, that was NOT the case. Either way, they weren't doing me any good.

As I stood there, holding up yet another item that no longer fit and muttering something unladylike under my breath, a thought hit me: Sometimes the armor of God feels exactly like this.

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Thankful in the Dark
Gratitude, Trust, God's goodness, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione Gratitude, Trust, God's goodness, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione

Thankful in the Dark

I've heard the story of Daniel in the lion's den approximately four thousand times, give or take. Flannel-graph versions, Sunday school coloring pages, VBS skits—I've seen it all. I could probably narrate it in my sleep. And yet, just this week, I was reading through Daniel 6 when six words leapt off the page and stopped me cold.

"...and gave thanks before his God." (Daniel 6:10)

Now, wait. Hold on just a minute. How did I miss that?

Let's back up and remember what was happening at that precise moment. The other presidents and princes, who were not fond of Daniel, had just convinced King Darius to sign an iron-clad, unbreakable law: pray to anyone other than the king for the next thirty days, and you get tossed to the lions. No exceptions. No appeals. No loopholes.

Daniel knew about the law. The very next verse tells us so:

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Do I Really Belong at the Throne of Grace?
Dog Devotions, Prayer, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione Dog Devotions, Prayer, Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione

Do I Really Belong at the Throne of Grace?

Recently, Jason and I took a trip to Corby, England, to fill in for a pastor over the weekend. On the way, we dropped Tess off with a friend. I expected at least a little hesitation. You know, a cautious sniff, a glance back over the shoulder, maybe a dramatic "Mamma, how could you?" sort of look.

Nope.

Our friend opened the door, and Tess walked right in as if she paid the mortgage.

She didn't stand on the porch wondering if she was welcome. She didn't wait for a second invitation. She didn't ask if she was interrupting anything. She just trotted in, looked around, and started making herself at home. Meanwhile, I stood there thinking, Well, apparently she's settled. Glad we cleared that up.

As funny as it was, the whole thing stirred something in my heart when I realized that Tess did what many of us struggle to do spiritually. She walked in as if she belonged there.

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