rebelling against low expectations
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...
Corrie ten Boom is known for rescuing hundreds of Jews during WW2 through her work in the Dutch underground. Telling this incredible story in The Hiding Place, she begins slow, with glimpses into her childhood, her life as a young adult trying to navigate her future, and the years preceding the Nazi occupation of Holland. What is remarkable is how the lessons from these times, as Corrie frames...
It was the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. A group of Chinese rebels began to persecute Christians and foreigners. One day, they surrounded a mission station with nearly 100 students inside and blocked all the exits except one. Laying a cross flat on the ground outside that exit, they spread the word that anyone who trampled the cross would go free. Slowly, terribly frightened, the first few students...
All throughout the Bible, God appointed and chose people that were lowly in the eyes of the world to accomplish His will. One such example is Mary. Mary was just a normal girl, living in the city of Nazareth and betrothed to Joseph. Her age isn’t known, but it’s assumed that she was a teenager. I’m sure Mary had her own plans and expectations for how her life would go, until an angel appeared to...
Part of being a Christian means experiencing a tension, a pull between the immediate realities of daily living and the ultimate reality of eternity. Being in the world, but not of it. Redeemed, yet still facing temptation, still witnessing evil, still mourning for the lost, still reading tragic headlines, still watching friends get hurt, and still struggling in our own sin. Secure and content yet...
August 18th, 2021, was one of the most challenging days I’ve ever experienced. I felt like an all-around failure. Despite how hard I prayed for God to make it happen, my dream got destroyed. Honestly, my mistake was not praying correctly. I wasn’t praying for God’s will to be done but was merely asking God to make my desire happen. When I did pray for Him to gain the glory in my...
What would you expect from a man who had just lost his wife and child in the middle of a jungle? And not only that, but was stuck in the middle of a raging civil war? Would you expect panic? Fear? Desperation and despair? The last thing you’d expect is for him to still be able to smile, laugh, and extend his help to others, right? Meet Eliya Samson This is the exact kind of man that missionary...
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...
Chronic illness is one of the hardest things to ever happen to me. It’s also one of the best. I know, that probably doesn’t make sense. Chronic illness doesn’t sound like a “good” thing. Hard things generally don’t seem good. I didn’t think it was a good thing when I got sick. But, as time has gone on and my mindset has changed, I’ve realized what a gift it is. Maybe I just needed to redefine...
rebelling against low expectations
