Man, Woman, and the First Sin
Yes, Adam and Eve both participated in sin. This was a joint effort of the two genders of mankind. They are both sinners. But the first sin wasn't letting the serpent in the garden.
Contributors
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen loves writing about rich theology rooted in real life. She is a mom to six kids that range in age from preschooler to teenager. She works as a homeschool mom, writer, and speaker. She’s the author of Ragged: Spiritual Disciplines for the Spiritually Exhausted. She is also the co-host of the weekly podcast, "Freely Given." She enjoys knitting, reading many books at the same time, and embarrassing her teenagers in public. She and her husband, Knut, live in Minnesota on the family farm.
Christ Hold Fast
Most Recent
Goal Planning
Should we set goals like reading our Bible in a year, or working on our sanctification? It's that time of year when we all think about new year, new us, new goals.
Unconditional Forgiveness
In this 2nd episode in the 2-part discussion on marriage, Katie and Gretchen discuss forgiveness in marriage. Where does it come from? What does it mean? What doesn't it mean? While both comforting and painful, forgiveness in marriage comes from…
The Secret to Growing Your Faith
In our transactional view of our faith - “If I don’t… then God won’t.” “I need to, so God can” - we are seriously underestimating who we are dealing with.
Husbands and Wives
In this episode, we bring on Katie's husband, Dallas, and Gretchen's husband, Knut, as we start talk about marriage and how poor theology can lead to unhealthy expectations.
Relationship Status and Righteousness
Gretchen and Katie, two women who are married with kids, sit around and talk about singleness. hey unpack the false idea that it is in marriage that we find our sanctification and fulfilled Christian life.
Freely Given
n this episode, Katie and Gretchen talk about how law and gospel distinctions affect relationships we have at church and in ministry.
Friendship Part 3: Bearing One Another's Burdens
In the final episode on the 3 parts of friendship, Gretchen and Katie talk about what it means to bear one another burdens.
Healthy Friendships Part 2
This episode focuses on healthy expectations of people, as well as our own insecurities going into friendships.
Healthy Friendships Part 1
Gretchen and Katie are starting a new series on how law and gospel theology effects relationships.
Simple Discipleship
Discipleship as a spiritual discipline can be a means of hearing the gospel repeated like a wave washing over you, bringing to mind the reality of God's faithfulness consistently.
Meditation: The Freedom to Wrestle with God
Meditation is part of what C.S. Lewis calls the "baptism of the imagination." In Christ, we belong to him, all the parts of us--even our brain.
From Guilt to Confession
Sometimes the guilt in us manifests itself in different ways. Whether it's a weight or sadness, anger or venting, blame or defensiveness, we see it in ourselves and we see it in our relationships.
Hope for When Bible Reading is Burdensome
When we approach the Bible from a hyper-individualistic viewpoint, the burden to be in it daily is on our individual shoulders, the burden to interpret and understand it is all on our individual shoulders, and we can end up sitting…
Prayer-The Spirit Interceding
Whether it is the awkwardness of praying aloud in a group, starting a prayer journal and then forgetting about it, using prewritten prayers, or having notecards, we often feel like we aren't that good or consistent in prayer.
Freedom in the Hands of Our Protector
As God in his mercy enacted his plan to redeem his loved ones, he took them step by step. In the process of redeeming every part of us, he sent us prophets like Moses.
The Need for Rest: Law or Gospel?
Today Gretchen and Katie talk about the spiritual discipline of rest.
Everyday Liturgies
In this episode, Katie and Gretchen get sidetracked and talk about food and the routines of farm life. That's mainly because eating is something we love to do every day. They address questions like: when are liturgies helpful, and when…
Meditations
The best synonym I can think of for Biblical meditation is "wonder." To meditate upon God's word is to wonder, as a child wonders at the stars.
Daily Devotions
What "should" daily devotions look like for a Christian?
Dependence vs Independence
It's easier to wrap our heads around independently performing for God, rather than understanding that as we were under the law, dying because it was to heavy for us, we couldn’t hold it, Christ set us free, completed the law…
Living in Freedom
In this episode Gretchen and Katie start at the beginning. In this episode they each share a bit about their faith, and why the law and gospel mean so much to them.
Freely Given
Welcome to Freely Given, hosted by Gretchen Ronnevik and Katie Koplin.
Disappointing People
Sometimes I think I've gone through the whole forgiveness process, but forgiveness for me often feels like I'm weeding my garden. I forgive and another offense pops up.
The Disruption of Liturgy
I love the liturgy of my church, and ache for its full return. When all the world is changing, and everything is disrupted, what comes to mind is what is unchanging: the grace of God.
Upcoming Events
Gretchen Ronnevik - Frisco, TX
Living in Hope: Removing shame and Finding Endurance in Christ
Regional Conference in Bentonville, Arkansas
A two day event designed to center your faith in the limitless grace of God.
Here We Still Stand 2021
Consciences Captive to the Word of God