"If this is Your Will, please break my heart gently but swiftly." This has been my prayer recently. If God is calling me to do something that requires me to give up my desires, this is what I'm asking. Even if it hurts, when it hurts, and as it hurts, I want what God wants … Continue reading As it hurts.
Category: christian living
Deny yourself.
Matthew 16 reads: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the … Continue reading Deny yourself.
Stings from purity culture.
If your non-Christian friend, coworker, family member, peer, or child had one weekend to learn about Christianity, what would you want them to learn? I would want them to fall in love with Love Himself: Jesus. I would want them to learn who this God is and why His grace is just that good. I … Continue reading Stings from purity culture.
The carpenter.
How did Jesus do it? To your surprise, this is not a question that can be answered by acknowledging the divinity of Christ. Jesus was fully God and fully man. How did Jesus do it as fully man? How did Jesus work as a carpenter and do ministry? How did he do it without feeling … Continue reading The carpenter.
Being in the world.
Listen more even when you completely disagree with him or her. That's something that has been on my heart in this season of life. Listen more. Seek to understand. Take it all to Jesus. Photos by Mathias P.R. Reding | Pexels "Be in the world and not of the world" is the saying that Christians … Continue reading Being in the world.
God’s unfathomable love.
Within the last month, I've been enlightened. It turns out that I am far more selfish, arrogant, hypocritical, unkind, and frustrating than I thought. I can be rightfully unlovable which is an incredibly humbling reality. This is nothing you did not know but now I am beginning to see myself the way you may see … Continue reading God’s unfathomable love.
Tormented by the devil.
Spiritual warfare is not one of the sexy topics in the church. In fact, it's rather frightening, misunderstood, and easier to avoid. To church leaders and pastors, it's tempting to want to share truths that leave followers of Christ encouraged, not paranoid, but spiritual warfare is real and needs to be spoken about. That's a … Continue reading Tormented by the devil.
Surely, you must know other Christians.
Guaranteed failure, that's exactly what you're going to get if I'm your only Christian friend or even if you send someone to this website for an example of a Christian. I will ultimately disappoint you if I have not already. I don't actively try to misrepresent Jesus, but my human nature is constantly tempted by … Continue reading Surely, you must know other Christians.
Maybe it begins with the gospel.
Maybe it is not our job to transform people. Maybe that is not our place. I have always been an obnoxious rule-follower and from early on I demanded justice. “Why do we have to bring lunch home for Marco? He did not go to church so we should not buy him lunch. He can eat … Continue reading Maybe it begins with the gospel.
Cheat days are not worth it.
Though I have made the connection several times between fitness and Christianity, if I am honest, I hate relating the two. The wrestling that takes place internally is because I do not want to "ruin" fitness for myself. It is similar to when you're watching a secular film and then your Christian friend tries to … Continue reading Cheat days are not worth it.