rebelling against low expectations
Where do you start when you want to understand a verse, passage, or chapter of the Bible? There are a lot of things you could do to help you understand it. But the most important tool—other than prayer—comes before all of those. That tool is context. The Importance of Context My mom once said that every verse you study lives in an environment. If you were going to study an animal—say, a species...
On August 8th, 2021, around nine in the evening, I received the call I had been dreading. My mom’s voice was shaky and quiet at the other end as she broke the news. Mema was gone. Our family had been waiting for her to pass away—we knew the end was near—for eight days. We said our goodbyes during visits to the hospice house where she was staying. My grief is still raw. It hurts to think about her...
“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...
When you hear the word dream, what immediately comes to mind? For me it’s Disney’s 2010 animated film “Tangled.” The humorous, perilous, and romantic retelling of the classic Rapunzel fairytale is all about dreams– chasing dreams, worthy dreams, frivolous dreams, and dreams coming true. We all have dreams, childhood longings, and future hopes. You may find yourself staring out into...
Are we willing to follow God outside our comfort zones? I recently went on my first missions trip, and while it wasn’t anywhere exotic (just my home city), God taught me a few lessons about following him to new places. For context, the camp I volunteered with has several sign-up options: sports teams, home-repair teams (which I did for three years), and kid’s ministry teams. I was hesitant to...
Having a legalistic background growing up, I experienced family devotions as being forced and stale. They were a chore. When it came to my own pursuit of God, I struggled then and now to this day. However, there is one habit that has been like a breath of fresh air. Gratitude. Gratitude has been an incredible encouragement to me. It is a practice that matters every day, not just in November for...
I drove past a rainbow on my way home yesterday. Stripes of color fluttered in the breeze, the flag displayed in my neighbor’s front yard more proclamation than decoration. It’s interesting how a simple piece of fabric woven with a certain pattern of color can make such a bold statement. It’s a symbol of solidarity and inclusion. Of embracing one’s “true self” without shame or reservation. It’s a...
We live in an anti-intellectual age. To grasp this, all we have to do is observe the surrounding culture. Seemingly everywhere we look, our feelings are valued over reality and our emotional experiences over reason. Anti-intellectual Christianity This spirit of anti-intellectualism has not only invaded the culture but the church as well. In worship, sermons, and even evangelism, one’s subjective...
it’s going to take courage to step into this new day— don’t forget, take one step at a time. you’re on the verge of life left to be lived. as the page turns to the next chapter, chase after your dreams— run. but never stop chasing after your Savior. this is both the beginning and the end— oh, how far you’ve come. don’t forget, the rest of this journey won’t be easy. but you’re no stranger to...
Graduation is a time of paradox. Beginnings and endings blend together as one life season merges into the next. Plans and dreams jumble together with uncertainty and fear. It’s saying hello to the future as we wave goodbye to the past. And honestly? As exciting as graduation is, it can also feel terrifying. Leaving the security of twelve years of grade school, always knowing vaguely what the next...
rebelling against low expectations
