rebelling against low expectations
A friend recently asked me on an Instagram Q&A, “What’s your preference—apologetics or theology?” Honestly, I couldn’t pick one or the other. Both have been so essential to my growth as a follower of Christ! As I discussed that during the Q&A and a few others resonated with my response, I realized that the relationship between apologetics and theology is seldom discussed in the church...
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) Growing up, that was one of my favorite verses. To me, it was a perfect description of how incredible the moment of Jesus’ return will be for his followers. But when is Jesus coming back...
How much have you read and explored the Old Testament? I don’t mean just reading the typical stories you see in a children’s Bible storybook, but actually reading through entire books? I personally haven’t read the entire Old Testament, but I’m currently on track to with my Bible reading plan. It’s fair to say most Christians prefer the New Testament – why read about the Israelites...
Last year was an interesting year, wasn’t it? I remember doing our Drama Camp week the first week of March. At that time, I had only heard about the two COVID cases in California. Then, a couple weeks later, we were in a national quarantine. I’ll be honest. At first, I enjoyed staying home. I had a lot more time to write—and more free time in general without having to go anywhere. But after the...
“All religions are basically the same because they all have the same root idea of God.” A work friend of mine made this claim, arguing that there were no important differences between Christianity and other religions. Is that really the case though? My thoughts immediately went to the different views of Jesus within Christianity and Islam. At first, it seems like Christians and Muslims have many...
It’s been talked about by philosophers for centuries. It’s been defined, re-defined, then defined again. It’s spoken of in movies by rogue vigilantes who claim to take the law into their own hands and by protesters on the street corner calling out for change. Today, it takes on many forms–economic justice, reproductive justice, social justice. But what is justice, really? Is there a reality...
Carpe diem: Seize the day. Recently, I watched the movie Dead Poets Society and it left that phrase, Carpe Diem, bouncing around in my mind. The saying challenged me to rethink how I live, because generally, I don’t seize the day. It seemed like something I should be doing. Something that would better my life and increase my impact on the world. But I wasn’t exactly sure how to seize the day, or...
We’ve all been told to memorize Scripture. We all know that it’s something we should be doing. Some of us have even set memorization goals and worked towards memorizing verses, chapters, or even whole books of the Bible. But have you ever asked, why? I know I have. In fact, when I was seventeen years old, I struggled with that question. (Which was a surprise because I had spent most of my school...
All across the country, churches have closed their doors. Two weeks ago, my church canceled all services until further notice. Since then, church has looked like sitting on the couch in front of my laptop. I’m thankful for the technology that enables me to continue hearing from my pastor, but there’s no denying it’s not the same. I miss my church family. I miss worshipping together. I even miss...
It’s a new year, and among other resolutions and goals, you’re probably hoping to read the Bible more. Maybe you’re planning to do an in-depth study, or memorize a verse every week, or join a Bible study at your church. But one question we rarely ask is, “Which Bible translation am I going to use?” Maybe you grew up, like me, using just one translation. Or maybe you’ve hopped around between...
rebelling against low expectations
