rebelling against low expectations
I rather like Peter. I know he’s Jewish, but in my head I like to picture him as a burly redhead, unruly hair spiraling in every which direction (yes, there’s no way he actually looked like that, but still…). Practical, to-the-point Peter. First to speak, first to jump into things, though never first thinking about it. But he’s not afraid of questions. So it’s no surprise that he was the...
It’s no secret that I love music. The Spotify app on my computer is almost always open. I have several albums downloaded on my phone. I memorize the lyrics for my favorite songs and sing them at the top of my lungs when no one else is around. I play both violin and guitar whenever I have time, and I’ve even tried my hand at songwriting (rather poorly). It’s no secret that our culture loves music...
Faithful– we hear that word a lot to describe God; He is loyal, reliable, trustworthy. He never fails. In both the big and little things, God is faithful. When God said He would give the Israelites the Promised Land, He did, despite their constant complaining. When God said He would give Solomon wisdom and blessings, He did, despite Solomon’s shortcomings. When God said He would send a Savior, He...
Lately, God has been teaching me about his character, especially his overwhelming faithfulness. I say overwhelming because every time I try to understand it I get…well, overwhelmed. It’s one of the craziest and most amazing things I’ve ever known. He’s also been teaching me about my character—especially my unfaithfulness to him. Distracted Again I have a tendency to get distracted...
Most of you probably know the hymn, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus.” Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face And the things of this world will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace. Often, we sing hymns and read verses, but don’t grasp their magnitude and significance. The words of this hymn recently hit me. If you are fixing your gaze on Jesus, all the things of...
What if? Few phrases in English are so full of possibility, fear, and anticipation. What if I finish that project? What if I don’t? What if I achieve that goal? What if I fail? What if everything somehow goes right? What if something terrible happens tomorrow? Tomorrow—it’s all in the future. And with all of tomorrow’s possibilities come all its fears. Tomorrow everything could be wonderful...
“The Bible was written 800 years after Jesus lived, and by no one who knew him!” the comment declared. I squinted at it, mentally typing out a cheerily sarcastic response: “Well, if we drop a zero off that number, and totally ignore the fact that Matthew was an apostle, you’d be almost right!” Troll comments are easy to find–people who confidently throw out accusations against the Bible, the...
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands…” If you live in America, these words are undoubtedly familiar to you, but sometimes they can seem rote and meaningless. When you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, do you really think about your liberty and our country’s values? It may be hard when our country has values like abortion, racism...
In a 24/7 world, it can be easy to overlook rest. We are constantly encouraged to multitask, consume large amounts of caffeine to maximize our buzz time, and calculate how to manipulate our circadian rhythm so we can give ourselves more hours each day to work. Even we, as Christians, get caught up in the world’s idea that we should always be working, and rest is a burden, not a blessing. But, are...
Daniel was a man of obstinate integrity. A rebel at heart, he dared to defy one of the most powerful empires in history in a successful effort to obey God. Though Daniel was just a youth when brought as captive from Israel to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, he understood the invaluable importance of living a holy life despite the moral deterioration of his pagan surroundings and even that of...
rebelling against low expectations
