Sin
Ashes
Last night I went to church and had ashes painted on my hand. It’s tradition in some churches on Ash Wednesday to have ashes placed on the forehead or back of the hand. It’s a sign of repentance hearkening back to the sackcloth and ashes described in the Old Testament. And it’s a symbolic start…
Debt Free
I recently paid off my student loans. With submission of that last payment, I was – for the first time in (too many) years – debt free. You might think this would result in feelings of relief, elation, excitement, happiness… You’d be wrong. Instead I was plagued by sporadic moments of irrational panic. The moments were…
An Important Theological Rambling
I used to think Christians believed this: God will cast into Hell anyone who does not believe in Jesus. Wait, you might say. That is what Christians believe. Perhaps. But there is a distinction that I think is critical. It’s not so much God casts someone into Hell simply because he or she doesn’t believe…
Leave It
One of the first commands I ever taught my puppy was “Leave it!” Like a toddler’s newfound use of the word “no,” “Leave it!” quickly became an echoing refrain. Leave the garbage, leave my shoes, leave the cord to my cell phone… It wasn’t long before she knew what it meant. Acting accordingly, however, was…

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Meet Janet!
Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.