What's in a Title?

How did I pick a blog title?

I had a random thought one day that stuck inside my head somewhere. Even rattling down our gravel road didn't shake it loose. It was just stuck there. I couldn't get it out because it was such a representative blend of who I am.


1. Because it uses alliteration.

(In case you don't know, that means the same letter is repeated. I'm a word nerd. I used to read books on linguistics for fun. I probably still would. Except now I have three toddlers for fun.)

2. Because I like the idea of being guarded.

I would like to know something is protecting me in all my parenting decisions and actions. Guiding me also. But guarding seems more important. I have a thing for feeling safe.

Plus, "Guided and Guarded in the Gospel" seems a bit overkill, don't you think? A little alliteration...try saying that 5 times.

3. Because it's short.

...unlike the titles of the books on my husband's nightstand. (Old books by Puritans with titles that are a whole page long. Whew, someone from my generation would never survive time travel back to that period. Their attention span would render them totally incapable of reading anything at all. Too many words. Thank goodness for blogs. ;)

4. Because the gospel is the "good news."

THE good news.

"It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." It's the one message, item of note, memo...that can save us.

From what?

(A very good friend told me this morning that I have a bad habit of leaving my thoughts hanging. Unfinished sentences. I won't bite the bullet. Say the hard thing. She was totally right about my habit. I better finish this sentence.)

From death.

From being separated from God.

From being separated from my children by a gap I can't seem to close by myself.

There's no magic "maternal instinct" that makes me love my kids just because I have them. Giving birth doesn't activate the magic "love" setting on women. My kids only get my love when I get a new, changed heart. And I only get a new, changed heart by looking to Jesus.

The good news is that he died, but now he's alive again (and will be forever), and he has the keys to death, to unlock my heart from it. (Rev. 1:17)

That's why the gospel is the good news, and that's how it guards me.

There you go. A lot of alliteration.