rebelling against low expectations
Lately, God has been teaching me about his character, especially his overwhelming faithfulness. I say overwhelming because every time I try to understand it I get…well, overwhelmed. It’s one of the craziest and most amazing things I’ve ever known. He’s also been teaching me about my character—especially my unfaithfulness to him. Distracted Again I have a tendency to get distracted...
I sit down at my computer once again. My fingers touch the keys. My thoughts wander. I have to write yet another paper but feel pulled toward so many other things at this moment. Why am I even in school? What about all the other things I wish to do? Does it really matter how well I complete my schoolwork? Being in college has often landed me in this situation, and I’m sure I’m not alone. What...
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...
“You need to celebrate!” my mentor told me. I’d just told her something I’d been praying for and working toward for months had happened. I laughed, feeling like a hypocrite. I’d just told my mentee that morning to celebrate what God was doing in her life. In our culture, we don’t celebrate a whole lot. Yet celebration is a spiritual discipline. The Israelites, following God’s law, made...
Theology matters. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” It is the duty of the Christian to study doctrine and understand what has been given to us through special revelation, and that we not only be sincere in our faith but match its sincerity with content. It is crucial that we wrestle with...
“Mission” is a pretty loaded term in Christian circles and conjures different images for different people. Churches have “mission partners,” people are “sent out on mission.” What springs to mind for you when you hear the word “mission”? Is it people hiking through the jungles of Bolivia to reach some distant tribe? Or setting up churches in unreached places? Is it university event weeks or...
Priorities. We all know what it means to have them, and most of us strive to structure our days accordingly. Any Christian who has been in the church long enough has the head knowledge that God should come before all else. However, is having God as our “top priority” what we ought to be pursuing? Now, don’t get me wrong–of course God should still come first! I am not suggesting that there is...
My friendship with Sara Barratt is 100% virtual. We’ve never talked over coffee or met up at a conference or worshiped together in church. I met Sara in the Young Writer’s Workshop—a place where everyone shares a thrill for stories, words, articles, novels, and poems. Together, we write them. But as time unfolded and the YDubs community grew, I found more in Sara than a teenager who doodles words...
In the last couple weeks, you’ve probably found yourself with more time on your hands than you ever expected. Because in the midst of quarantines, lockdowns, and social distancing there are only so many video games and movies and books you can enjoy before you start feeling a little crazy with boredom. So if you’re one of those people that has said the phrase, “I’m bored” at any point over the...
We all know the fun, little ditty “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Well, this Georgian family found a way to bring some light hearted hope to their fellow parishioners by modifying the song. It’s the COVID-19 version. Mr. Gingrich, who posted the video to his private piano studio’s YouTube channel, said about the video: “Our church, Cellebration...
rebelling against low expectations
