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When I need to think through something, I write it down. I know this doesn’t work for everyone—some people are external processors and need to talk it through with a friend. For some, just attempting to journal can cause more stress than it alleviates. But my method of processing the world inevitably involves writing, whether it’s sitting down to journal or just writing angsty poetry in class. I...
Night is supposed to be a time of rest. However, for those struggling with anxiety, insomnia, or grief, the night may be anything but restful. It can feel dark and endless. At times life itself might feel like an endless night; the narrow road feels too perilous to travel much longer, and our path grows so dim we fear we might fall. You Are Not Alone Dear friends, take heart. This darkness is not...
There is no shortage of articles, podcasts, and books on how to pray, what to pray, when to pray, the benefits of prayer, model prayers, tips on organizing your prayers, and where to find nice notecards and journals to keep prayers. These aren’t unimportant questions. But there is a greater one: Do you realize Who you are praying to? When I stop and think about what prayer is, I am totally and...
I dragged myself out of bed and groggily got ready for the day. I serve in a kid’s ministry called JumpStart that does church services in lower-income neighborhoods every Saturday. This was our first day of the fall semester, and I was leading games. I admit – I was not in a high-energy, bubbly mood. I was still half asleep, and not particularly happy. But it was hard to stay grumpy when I...
Just today, I got a message from a girl on social media who shared this: I am still not married and it’s what I’ve desired and dreamed of since I was twelve years old. If it’s not God’s will, I have been diligently praying that He would take away this desire, but He hasn’t. What unfulfilled longings are weighing on your heart right now? Getting married? Having one real and true friend? Having...
It’s what makes me stop watching the news for weeks at a time: Catastrophes, loss of freedom, flourishing of evil. You get the picture. It’s all over the media. Yes, of course it’s true that bad news gets more response than good news, and that gives the media reason to focus on the worst parts of the world. But even with that knowledge, it’s very easy to feel like the world is getting worse. And...
Have you heard of the Christian show The Chosen? It’s a Biblically based series centered around the people who are chosen by Jesus (Peter, James, John, Matthew, Mary, etc). There’s a lot that could be said about the series, but today I want to focus on four reasons why we love The Chosen…and maybe why you should make The Chosen your next binge watch! 1. To Support Good Christian Art...
“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...
The world is ripe with brokenness. Natural disasters rage, conflicts ensue, and bitterness stirs within. Death is rampant and suffering is widespread. Around 690 million people go to bed hungry every night, and approximately 150,000 people die daily. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, thus separating families, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Where...
You’ve been bent, bruised, and broken. You’ve stood firm, you’ve cried, you’ve grieved. You’ve gone from hopeless to hopeful all on calloused, bloody knees. Now you stand on a summit, watching the sun kiss the sky with golden rays, as the tears on your cheeks dry in the light of brighter days. Green seedlings sprout in the ashes at your feet, as a rainbow graces the sky through what’s left of the...
rebelling against low expectations
