rebelling against low expectations
I had big plans for my high school years. I was going to lead Bible studies and disciple younger girls and volunteer and get involved in local ministry. I was determined to use those years of flexibility and energy well for God’s glory. I was going to do hard things. Well, God had other plans. I spent the majority of my high school years bedridden and housebound. I got sick—really sick—and I...
All across the country, churches have closed their doors. Two weeks ago, my church canceled all services until further notice. Since then, church has looked like sitting on the couch in front of my laptop. I’m thankful for the technology that enables me to continue hearing from my pastor, but there’s no denying it’s not the same. I miss my church family. I miss worshipping together. I even miss...
It was four years ago, around this time of year. The flat was silent, empty. I had just arrived home from university. I didn’t even take my coat off. I just dropped my backpack, sank down on the floor, and cried my eyes out. It would be two more years before the doctors worked it out, and by that time I was resigned to how my life was changing–how it would have to change if my...
We can all relate to Frodo Baggins right now. With everything going on in the world, life seemingly cancelled, and dark and scary headlines from across the United States and Europe… We get a sense of what Frodo was feeling when he said: “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” But what does Gandalf say in response? “So do all who live to see such times; but...
Have you ever seen a ship battle a storm? I know it feels like we’re weathering our own storm right now, but I want to focus on another aspect to storms. I’ve always wondered what a sailor would feel in the face of a storm at sea. Once, I heard a sailor remark, “In a storm, what you really hope for is that no one building the ship took any shortcuts.” That left me thinking. How often do we take...
As I’ve been dealing with social distancing, canceled events, and the overarching fear and uncertainty engulfing our world, I’ve been thinking about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the final two years of his life, which he spent in prison for suspected political resistance against the Nazi regime. While our circumstances and Bonhoeffer’s are very different, I believe there’s much...
The world is changing all around us. For students in high school and college, it can feel like everything has been cancelled or is about to be cancelled. School. Church. Youth group. Field trips. Movie theaters. Everything. The gymnastics tournament you’ve been training for all year? Cancelled. The musical you were supposed to perform in next month? Cancelled. That mission trip you’ve been...
Every year has its fears—but this year has had more than its share of them. We’ve had fires, threats of war, and now this unknown that could be hiding anywhere among us—the Coronavirus. There are a hundred things we want to do. Be afraid. Hide. Use every bottle of hand sanitizer. Stock up on toilet paper. Live in a hazmat suit. As we see more and more people come down with this virus, it seems...
Abby Johnson stared at the black and white ultrasound image. The tiny baby on the monitor was so perfect and beautiful. Suddenly, something else appeared on the screen. It looked foreign and out of place. Abby didn’t want to look, but she could not pull her eyes away from the image. As the abortion doctor turned on the suction, the baby, once so perfect and beautiful, disappeared as she was...
In November 2018, an almost 27-year-old young man from Washington State, USA, made international headlines. Almost overnight, it seemed the world knew the name of John Allen Chau. On November 17, 2018, John’s physical body was killed by arrows shot by the Sentinelese people from the North Sentinel Island, one of the last unreached people groups of the world. He had been carefully planning this...
rebelling against low expectations
