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Reason and emotion. People often think of these two things as opposites, or maybe even extremes, where you should choose one and discard the other. Some people regard reason as superior, while others hold emotion as more important. Some people have passionate zeal for God and the ministry, but they have no true knowledge about God. “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not...
I’m going to be super honest right now; being a teenager in the twenty-first century is hard. There are constant distractions around us, trying to pull our attention from the one thing we’re supposed to be keeping our eyes on. It’s so incredibly easy to get caught up with fitting in with the people at our schools, at our youth groups, and yes, even at our churches. The music we listen to, the...
Do you ever feel like you’re the only one trying to do the right thing? Maybe you’re striving for purity, but you’re easily discouraged after seeing your classmates’ seductive Instagram posts. Maybe you’re aspiring to have a cheerful attitude while you’re doing your chores, but you’re the only one that cares enough to try. Maybe you’re attempting to do your best on your math homework, but your...
“This book is illegal in 53 countries.” That line is printed in bold letters across the front of my Bible case. I’m reminded of it every morning when I read my Bible. Reminded of the fact that I have three complete Bibles and a bilingual New Testament to read, not to mention an endless selection of languages, versions, plans, and devotionals online. This book is illegal in 53 countries. Above...
Every single day, Satan whispers the same lies to me. He tells me I’m ugly and I should look a different way. He says everyone looks better than me and I need to follow his agenda to look like them. He convinces me I will always struggle with an eating disorder and I should give up the fight against it. Though some people can easily fight lies about their body image, I can’t. Because of my...
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s one of many important questions that you’re supposed to find the answers to during your teen years. At 21, I still haven’t figured out the vocational answer that people are looking for. Many of us teens and young adults have no idea what we’re going to do tomorrow, let alone for the rest of our lives. But as young people whose identities are...
Do you make New Year’s goals? For the past several years, at the end of December, I’ll sit down and write out my plans, dreams, and yes, goals, for the brand new year in front of me. It works great—for the first two months. I’m inspired, motivated, and have a sense of direction. But somewhere between February and March, my list flies out the window until ten months later, when I pull it out...
Every Christmas season we’re barraged with holiday clichés and messages of love and peace. Christian ministries remind us to “keep Christ in Christmas,” and every church sermon somehow intertwines the message of “goodwill to all men.” All of this is good. In fact, Christ should be the focal point of our celebration. But sometimes, the debate of “keep Christ in...
We’re apt to criticize the Christmas season. It’s true, there’s a lot to criticize in the way our culture defines Christmas. What should be a season of beauty, wonder, and worship becomes several weeks of fighting crowds and harried online shopping. Celebration of our Savior’s birth turns into the stress of too many parties and events. As Christians, of course we should push back against this...
Lately, I’ve learned a lot about myself. God has made me see the power I have in him, but I’ve also realized just how evil and corrupt I can be. It hurts to see the sin inside my heart. As Christians, our souls long to be to be free from the anger, lust, depression, addiction, and hatred in and around us. In a poem by John Newton called I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow, the narrator asks God to...
rebelling against low expectations
