rebelling against low expectations
What do you do when you’re afraid? Do you try to hide and forget about the situation that’s making you feel this way? Do you avoid it for all it’s worth? Or do you face your fear head on and walk through it? We’re all afraid of something, and that’s okay; we’re human and it’s completely normal to have fears. However, as Christians, it’s important that we learn to push through the voice of fear...
Am I really a writer if I’m not writing? Another line marked, another due date on my calendar, but I was coming up empty. My fingers danced in the air above my keyboard without landing. I was a writer who couldn’t write. It wasn’t just that I had no ideas or no motivation. It wasn’t only the fears, doubts, and what-ifs. I was empty. I had nothing to say. During a decade of blogging, I’ve...
A few years ago, I went on a bike trip with a group from my cousin’s church. Over three days we biked 109 miles and camped out at different locations along the trail. Despite the fact that it was over ninety degrees during the days, freezing cold during the nights, and the trail boasted some pretty nasty inclines, not one person quit. It was crazy hard, but we all got through it. How? The answer...
I used to think that my testimony was pretty pathetic. I remember one Sunday when my pastor gave his salvation testimony during my church’s morning service. Despite its intended encouragement, I was left feeling a little empty inside. My testimony was not even close to being that interesting. My pastor spoke, “Through God’s saving grace, I left the wild life that was influenced by drugs and was...
“Beauty will save the world,” says Sarah Clarkson in her book, This Beautiful Truth, and it is so true. In a world full of ugliness, death, and decay, God uses artists to create something beautiful, alive, and new. Beautiful words, music, and objects are how artists share and show the light of God. The artist’s call is to bring glory to the Great Artist and reflect his creation. But between the...
When you hear the word dream, what immediately comes to mind? For me it’s Disney’s 2010 animated film “Tangled.” The humorous, perilous, and romantic retelling of the classic Rapunzel fairytale is all about dreams– chasing dreams, worthy dreams, frivolous dreams, and dreams coming true. We all have dreams, childhood longings, and future hopes. You may find yourself staring out into...
Having a legalistic background growing up, I experienced family devotions as being forced and stale. They were a chore. When it came to my own pursuit of God, I struggled then and now to this day. However, there is one habit that has been like a breath of fresh air. Gratitude. Gratitude has been an incredible encouragement to me. It is a practice that matters every day, not just in November for...
When will it all end? It’s a question I have been asking myself in the midst of the craziness of the year 2020. I remember reading posts on Facebook at the beginning of this year about the wildfires and the loss of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, lamenting and asking “Could it get any worse?” Looking back on those posts now, they were a far cry from what came next. I remember during the...
She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her mother and siblings were urging her to join them as they were leaving for a trip–but Elizabeth felt panic rushing over her body, and she couldn’t explain why. As the panic attack stole Elizabeth’s control over her body, she passed out on the ground, cancelling her family’s trip as they rushed to help her. Dark episodes like these continued throughout...
rebelling against low expectations
