rebelling against low expectations
Uncut gems, when newly unearthed, are precious, valuable, and desirable—but aren’t particularly beautiful or useful. Rather, those gems need to be polished, cut, and set, such as into a ring or necklace. That is how they reach their full potential. That’s what wisdom does with God’s word. It takes the gems of understanding that we unearthed from the dirt of knowledge, polishes them up and cuts...
I always had friends when I was younger. But I’ve never had a best friend. Often, I wasn’t someone people wanted to hang out with. I wasn’t the prettiest, the smartest, or allowed to do all the things other kids could—simply put, I wasn’t the “cool kid” on the block. I spent a couple years wishing for a best friend, above anything else. As I grew older, I finally started to find my people. People...
Why is it so important to filter what we consume? Because the things we consume shape us. What we read, watch, and listen to—whether movies, social media, or articles online— influences us. It may be as simple as being depressed after watching a certain movie or feeling anxious after reading a book. The effects of what we consume can be drastic, but more likely they are subtle—so subtle we don’t...
Music of all kinds is without a doubt a wonderful thing. The sound of varying instruments with the melodies and harmonies of vocalists all come together to create this beautiful tapestry we call a song. It is an incredible gift of God, something we can enjoy and give thanks to Him for. But not all music out there is good. We all know there are songs we don’t listen to, songs with explicit sexual...
During my time off from work around Christmas, I ended up going down the black hole of YouTube. I don’t quite know how I got there, but I watched a few short films on domestic abuse and emotional manipulation within relationships. I was drawn into the plot, desperately hoping for the victim to stand up for themselves and escape! The next day, I had to talk with one of my friends about something I...
I’ve never had a talent for playing instruments. My voice isn’t all that great. In fact, I’m one of the least musical people you’ll ever meet. However, I love listening to music. While I’m getting ready in the morning, doing homework, and driving in the car… I always have music playing. Even now, as I write this post, I’m sitting outside with music playing on my phone in the background. A couple...
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” – John Piper A Sober Reminder A smartphone in the hand of a human can often become more like an extra limb than a tool. Technological advancement has seen exponential growth over the last decade and has greatly entranced the masses. While not inherently wrong, our...
“I hate that guy!” “You’re a jerk!” “You know what I heard she did? It was just awful!” “I don’t want to deal with them again!” We’ve all heard these phrases from someone else in some form or another. Some of us have said them, or other phrases not on the list. I know I have. So often we take for granted the things we say...
If you could ask for anything in the world, what would it be? Tough question, isn’t it? Just think about it for a moment. Maybe money, video games, or a new phone with the latest update…? Whatever you would ask for likely mirrors your heart’s deepest desire, first priority, and ultimate goal in life. But there’s one thing–besides salvation through Christ alone–that every person...
I remember watching an exchange between two children at my church once. A six year old boy had been deeply hurt by a friend’s unkindness. So he sat in the corner and started singing, “Let it Go.” All of the adults involved couldn’t help but laugh at this way of expressing emotion. The boy was upset with the situation and decided to deal with it by slowly “letting it go...
rebelling against low expectations
