rebelling against low expectations
This past year was hard, no question. Looking ahead to the new year, I immediately feel a little worried about the uncertainty. None of us know what the new year holds. But I for myself have decided not to let the enemy win this one. One of the best weapons we have against the devil’s schemes is thankfulness. I want to start the new year with thankfulness. Thankfulness looking back I have always...
In my last article, I shared 5 songs that have encouraged me lately. When times are tough, it’s easy to focus on our troubles instead of lifting our eyes to the Savior, who is the answer to our every problem. Music helps me to do that. Some songs really speak to my heart, and they remind me of the hope that I have in Christ. Whether I’m struggling and need to be reminded of who God is, or I...
My heart feels heavy in my chest, and my eyes fill with tears. What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so stressed and overwhelmed? I shake my head, wishing I could shake away the anxiety. I open my laptop and head over to YouTube. I need something to calm me down. To relax the rapid beating of my heart so I can concentrate on the things I need to get done. . . For the past year or two, whether...
I want a time machine. To go see the future so I can plan accordingly. To go back to the past so I can know what I don’t know already. Mainly, to never be blind-sided by the difficult or the easy moments of life. Right now, I feel blind. I have been reading Jeremiah and was struck by the same blindness in the lives of the Israelites. They are blind to the power of their God and instead turn to...
The letter you are about to read was written out of the deep desire of my heart to start living a life that loved like Christ loved. A few months ago, I was holding on to my own plans, hopes, and wants so tightly that I was hurting people close to me. However, God in His grace got a hold of my heart and something in me changed. As I started asking Him to help me, He started filling me with a...
I write this poem on the eve of the 2020 election as a reflective, occasionally silly and exaggerated reminder to be grounded in my one true hope: Jesus and his unshakeable Kingdom, not in earthly politics (during these exaggerated times). I hope it’s a comforting reminder to you as well. Yet, I have hope. It could be that by this time tomorrow We’ll all be drowning in sorrow. Or by...
This month, I set out to compile a list of book recommendations that vaguely capture the feeling of now: the world seems tilted, and we wonder when things will be normal again. I don’t know what it’s like in your area, but here in Oregon so many things are still closed down. I feel like I’m cooped up with no clear idea of when I’ll be able to travel and socialize freely again. Because of this, I...
A storm is both a wonderful and terrifying thing. There’s nothing as humbling as being surrounded by walls of unrelenting rain and roaring thunder. But with the humbling comes fear too, even if we try to hide it. As a storm rages, our imaginations start a coup d’état in our brains, making reason fall from its throne. The thunder isn’t simply the result of an unstable atmosphere, it’s the sound of...
In a time of worldwide suffering, we must face our true beliefs about the character of God. Maybe we believe that God must be absent. He must be apathetic toward humanity. Maybe he’s paralyzed because the suffering of his people is so great and he doesn’t know what to do. Maybe God unleashed this on us as a sort of punishment for our unrighteousness. Or Maybe we’re just wondering how God could...
As I am writing this, COVID-19 has made its mark on society. Closures, cancellations, and postponements are perhaps some of the most significant ways it has changed our society. Workplaces have closed, churches have paused their gatherings, and large events have been cancelled, all in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. Many are at home, quarantining, with both their day-to-day and once...
rebelling against low expectations
