rebelling against low expectations
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...
Everyone has a story. As a Christian, many would call it your testimony. Your testimony is the story of being born a sinful human and God coming into your mess, rescuing you when you give your life to Him. If you have been saved by Jesus, you have a testimony. However, what some people sometimes forget is that your testimony doesn’t end with being saved. That’s just the beginning. Your testimony...
Lately, my evening reading has been a linguistics textbook. I’m sure you’ve already figured this out: I’m taking summer classes, getting some extra credits so I can keep up my GPA and maybe graduate early. Except, I’m not. Words are fascinating to me: the way they work, how you can string them together to form sentences and create meaning, and especially how they relate to certain branches of...
When we’re caught up in Rebelutionary living and striving to do big, hard, risky things, it’s easy to forget the why. Why leave our comfort zones? Why live radically? Why do hard things? Because Jesus breathed life into our dead souls (John 5:24) and calls us to live for his glory (1 Corinthians 15:49). This gospel characterizes the Rebelutionary. It breeds radical intentionality. In a lazy...
They had never sobbed so hard. Several had even thrown up. They couldn’t help it, so great was their shock when they saw the things they’d permitted. One of the ladies tried to cover her eyes, but an officer pushed her hands away and the soldiers urged them on. Determined that they shouldn’t stop short of seeing every mangled body; that they shouldn’t pass by any of the rooms where such...
I watched from the back of the room as people sat, knelt, stood, sang and prayed at all the right times. From my vantage point, it looked like a performance. “These people are so legalistic,” I thought to myself. Suddenly I felt a stab of conviction. I could not see the hearts of these people. How could I tell whether they were just going through the motions or truly worshiping the...
I wake up at 7 am to a full sink of dishes and laundry overflowing. I groan and just want to go back to sleep. I don’t want to start a new day, don’t want to do the right thing. I just want to shut out the world. Can I take the easy way out? Sometimes it’s so much easier to turn away. Do you feel this way? When I first heard about The Rebelution and hopped on board, I was super excited. I loved...
Let’s be clear at the outset: Doing hard things is hard. In fact, doing hard things is exhausting. In June, I spoke of doing some simple but hard things this summer (i.e. attending church, reading the Scriptures, and praying regularly). Let’s pause for a moment and assess as the school year draws nigh. Did you persist or coast, lean in or nod off? Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle of these...
rebelling against low expectations
