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Sometimes I catch myself feeling very dissatisfied: “The stuff I have isn’t good enough.” “The day isn’t going how I want it to go.” “The food I want isn’t in the refrigerator.” Everything revolves around my own wants and my own needs—me, me, me. At least, that’s what my flesh tells me. God, on the flip side, convicts me in my discontentment: He is all I need; I don’t need stuff to satisfy me...
Isn’t it aggravating when you take the time to explain your struggles to a friend, asking for guidance, and all they say is, “You’ve got this!” or, “Don’t worry, pray about it!” You know what I mean. The advice that sounds more like a pre–game pep talk than godly counsel. Sound familiar? I thought so. We’ve all had experiences like these, and we may even be guilty of being the ones to give this...
If you’re graduating from high school like me, I’m sure you’ve heard the constant question we know and love so well: “What’s your plan?” For many of us, I would bet the answer has been “I DON’T KNOW!!!” (Although, I usually say it much softer and nicer!) If you are searching and praying for answers to the future that awaits you, rest assured, that God has a perfect plan for your life, though you...
A wave of noise washed over me. I was fresh off the plane to intern with a church planting team in a country on the other side of the world, and I had just walked into a room full of kids. We chatted and drank tea as I eyed pastries I’d never seen before. Slowly the students filtered out, and my teammate and I squished into the tiny kitchen in the back to wash the plates. However, one student...
You’ve probably heard the fifth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:12a, “Honor your father and your mother….” It’s repeated throughout scripture in both the Old and New Testaments—see Deut. 5:16, Leviticus 9:3, Matthew 19:19, and Mark 7:10. Obviously, honoring parents is something God is serious about. Yet, it’s something many people struggle with—young and old. I say this because no matter how...
We humans often think of ourselves as the main character in our stories. Part of this is because we know ourselves better than anybody else does. We know what’s going on inside our heads, but we cannot tell what’s going on in others. We know our preferences and what we like better than anybody else in the world. The other side of this is that humans, in their sinful nature, are self-oriented. We...
As a Christian author, I frequently hear two arguments regarding sexual content in young adult fiction. First, “YA books should have explicit spice so that teens learn about sex.” Second, “Young adults should never be exposed to explicit content in books.” As a Jesus-proclaiming believer, I stand firmly with the latter, but it is not only my faith that gives me this perspective. I have a personal...
One of the hardest things I’ve done has been to embrace seasons of transition. Honestly, I don’t like transitions. They’re hard, uncomfortable, and filled with unknowns. But for the past few years, my life has felt like one transition after another. From releasing books to getting married, from graduating school to beginning and resigning jobs, life has been full of seasons...
Have you ever heard the phrase: “God works in mysterious ways”? I’m sure every Christian, regardless of how long he or she has been one, has come across this statement at least once before. Have you ever wondered where it came from? The famous phrase is actually the (slightly edited) first line of a poem entitled Light Shining out of Darkness. It was written by English hymn writer William Cowper...
“Oh, one other thing!” I momentarily paused my pacing and tried to find the words to say. “You still think of me platonically, right?” The silence stretched way too long. “Uh oh.” I slid to the hard, cold floor. Peter and I were friends. Good friends. We encouraged and challenged each other, prayed for each other, and gave each other relationship advice about other people. “Well . . .” As Peter...
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rebelling against low expectations
