rebelling against low expectations
Persecution. It’s a word that those of us in the Western world don’t know a lot about. Maybe we’ve heard it, read about it in the Bible, or heard stories of Christians in other countries experiencing it. But most of us have never been through it. That was my story. I’ve heard testimonies of Christians in Asia and the Middle East getting beaten, arrested, or killed for their faith, but it always...
So You’re an Introvert? It’s amazing that God has gifted each person with a unique personality type and a natural inclination to a certain way of life. This is why the body of Christ is so special. Believe it or not, introversion can look different in each person and shows itself in different ways. Introverts gain their energy from being alone and thrive off of quiet reflection and time spent...
“Preach the Gospel” Is a Clear Command for Every Believer Paul said in Romans 15:20-21, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” The question is, hasn’t everyone heard about Jesus...
Following Christ will cost you… are you still willing? When selling a product, we as humans like to only mention all the positive benefits. Just imagine: You want your friend to come join you on a kayaking trip. What will you tell him or her? Well, you’ll mention the wonderful scenery, of course. The lush green woods around the lake. You tell him or her that it is the ultimate experience in...
I live in a country where I am not persecuted for my faith. I can read my Bible in public, pray wherever I want to, and talk about my faith to anyone. Worst case scenario: someone gives me a strange look. Chances are, your country is the same. You probably live in a country that has religious freedom. You can probably worship God wherever and whenever you want to. If that is the case, then this...
This last December, I participated in perhaps the craziest ministry outreach ever. I work with an inner-city children’s ministry, and we ran two major Christmas events over one weekend, telling hundreds of kids and their families about Jesus and giving them all Christmas presents. Our final event on Sunday involved busing in dozens of kids to our church partner that had been collecting special...
We have stretched ourselves thin for too long. We are writers, STEMers, and musicians. We rehearse with the worship team or change diapers in the nursery, work 40 hours a week at a minimum wage job, and stay up all night filing information into our brains for AP and college courses. And while we’re at it, maybe we could start an Instagram account, no, a blog, no, a book! Because there’s a whole...
The rain was pouring on the other side of the car door. I could hear the lightning crack. I could also hear my parents and sister nervously talking. In the flashes of light from the street lamps that lined the major road we were driving, I wrote three names on my wrist. Three names, three kids. My life would never be the same. In February of 2018, my family began taking classes to be licensed as...
I’ll never forget the day that I stepped onto the airplane at the Atlanta airport. This wasn’t just any plane or a normal trip. I was going to Australia. I was terrified, I was excited, and I was questioning my decision all at the same time. I thought I had lost my mind. About a year earlier, during my senior year of highschool, I felt God leading me to do something that was missions-focused...
This past summer I went on my first missions trip to Kentucky. It was the most amazing, challenging, and spiritually growing week of my year. The lessons I learned during those seven days have stuck with me as I have continued to think about them and how they will affect my life now. Here are just three of the things God taught me during that one week in Kentucky. I NEED TO BE WILLING TO BE...
rebelling against low expectations
