rebelling against low expectations
Everyone has a story. As a Christian, many would call it your testimony. Your testimony is the story of being born a sinful human and God coming into your mess, rescuing you when you give your life to Him. If you have been saved by Jesus, you have a testimony. However, what some people sometimes forget is that your testimony doesn’t end with being saved. That’s just the beginning. Your testimony...
Have you ever experienced that empty feeling? That hollow ache in your heart? That longing for something more? I have too. That emptiness is called unfulfillment. Seeking fulfillment by way of the world is one of the most draining pursuits. I used to constantly seek fulfillment the world’s way. Eventually, I discovered a world-shattering truth: Only a close-relationship with Jesus can grant...
Several years ago I got sick. The thing about this sickness was that I didn’t get better. Days dragged into weeks and weeks dragged into months until the months turned into years. Still there was no sure end in sight. Some days are harder than others. My illness plays games with my brain and I start to forget things and feel like the world is closing in on me. I get confused and it is hard for me...
Some of the most awkward seasons during a Christians life are seasons of doubt. How do you respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ if you’re doubting Jesus himself? How do you cast your burden of doubt onto the shoulders of the One you are doubting? Spoken Word artist Joseph Solomon recently preached a sermon about this very thing. The whole sermon is only about twenty-five minutes long...
I hate writing about the Gospel. That’s not hyperbole, not an SEO-driven hook to get you the read the rest of this article. It’s 100% true. That might be a shock to a lot of you. After all, I’ve had articles previously published here on the Reb. But that was a long time ago, and the truth is nowadays I hate doing Gospel-focus articles, deeply. Look at my personal outlets as of late and you’ll...
Sometimes we’re not sure we can handle life. We understand the big battles and the somber sufferings will be difficult, but sometimes even the daily tasks mount to overwhelming. We have that massive assignment to finish, and studying has to be balanced with work. We have customers yelling at us over something outside of our control, and it takes everything in us to just be kind. We have only an...
In America, we’re often sheltered from all the trials and persecutions Christians endure in foreign countries. During a recent church service, I watched a video about the sufferings and persecutions of Christians. It broke my heart. Sure, I knew Christians suffered in foreign countries, but I never fully realized how much they went through until I watched this video. They refused to deny their...
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) For a season this past year, I had been going through a bit of a dry season in my relationship with God. Though in my head I knew that God never has and never will abandon me, my flawed and corrupted emotions often try to tell me otherwise–that when I sin, God turns His face away; or when I...
It was early Sunday morning. Suddenly, I was awakened and told to go downstairs. I jumped down from the top of my bunk bed. The sun was shining through the windows, and the sparkling dew still coated the ground. We gathered around, and my father began to pray. It was a disguised way of telling us children that our mother, after being bedridden for nine months from cancer, had passed away in the...
What would you risk to go to church? In the United States, this is a pointless question. There’s usually little or no risk at all. But in China, this is a question every believer faces. While China’s constitution supposedly guarantees religious freedom, this guarantee proves weightless. Chinese Christians have a long history of persecution—and it’s only increasing. Churches are shut down and...
rebelling against low expectations
