rebelling against low expectations
“The Bible was written 800 years after Jesus lived, and by no one who knew him!” the comment declared. I squinted at it, mentally typing out a cheerily sarcastic response: “Well, if we drop a zero off that number, and totally ignore the fact that Matthew was an apostle, you’d be almost right!” Troll comments are easy to find–people who confidently throw out accusations against the Bible, the...
A couple of weeks ago something strange happened. I was sitting in church, listening to the sermon, struggling to pay attention to what was being said. All I could think of was that I was anxious. Anxious about what my immediate and distant future would bring, and how little control I had over my own life. I had felt anxious before, of course. But this time I was caught by surprise by my reaction...
Once upon a time, an awkward, homeschooled sixth grader walked into a room that would change her life. That room was the Brightmoor Youth Center. That sixth grader was me. My youth group has changed me as a person. I say this not as an exaggerated, cliched statement. I say this as an unadulterated truth—I am a different person now than I was four years ago because of my youth group. When eleven...
I’ve been through more church hurt than I would wish on anyone. To put it plainly, church hurt hurts. There’s no way around it. And while many areas of life can break us, church is perhaps the place we least expect or wish it to happen. What I Wish Church to Be (and Why It’s Not Like That) In an ideal world, church is a community of perfect people who love and support each other no matter what...
Part of being a Christian means experiencing a tension, a pull between the immediate realities of daily living and the ultimate reality of eternity. Being in the world, but not of it. Redeemed, yet still facing temptation, still witnessing evil, still mourning for the lost, still reading tragic headlines, still watching friends get hurt, and still struggling in our own sin. Secure and content yet...
I have never had a date on Valentine’s Day. Not only that, but I’ve never been on a date. Period. So as the season of red bouquets and frilly cards comes around once again, you’d think a feeling of dread would begin to overtake me. I’m as single as they come. But even though I have always been single in February, Valentine’s Day is still my favorite holiday. Here are three reasons why: 1...
When you see brokenness, how will you respond? When someone asks you about the light within you, what will you say? When God puts someone in need in your path, what will you do? Jesus once told a story about a man who was injured and needed help. So many passed by, and missed the chance to make a difference. Until finally, one man stopped to help, and it was worth it. Luke 10:30-37 “ Jesus...
Jesus went into the darkest places and the lowest parts of society. He talked with people everyone else would have avoided. He chose fishermen—a lowly, unimpressive trade—to be His disciples. The woman at the well had multiple husbands, but He didn’t look down on her. Instead He told her who He was and is. He chose a tax collector to be one of his disciples and a young girl from the middle of...
Doing the dishes, going shopping for an elderly church member, or tidying up a Sunday-school room. All this is serving. Serving is usually done in the hidden. Often, it is the “dirty jobs” or jobs done behind the scenes. On the surface, serving is as easy as picking up a broom and sweeping up after a meal–and yet, I so often see that many teens shrink back from taking the initiative when it...
In a crowded room my friend sat down next to me, looked me in the eyes, and asked me the exact question I didn’t know I needed to answer. It was 12am PST (3am EST) and still, without hesitation, I called my best friend to confess sin, to cry, and to seek comfort. When I endured test after test and still had no diagnosis, my friends laid their hands on me and prayed fervently for answers. I have...
rebelling against low expectations
