rebelling against low expectations
There are two things that seem to fly out of everyone’s mouths when they hear that you’re struggling–read the Bible and pray. Surely those are the most obvious answers, and they’re genuinely the best suggestions. Right? But for some reason, those answers can still feel empty. They can still feel hollow. How will reading a book, or talking to someone that I can’t hear help me with this...
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...
I asked God to break me. Little did I know then what the consequences of that prayer would be. I asked God to break me before Him. To create an environment where He was all that I had and He was all that I needed. I wanted to grow in huge ways in a short amount of time. I wanted to feel the presence of God like never before. Out of the blue, life took its toll and left me alone and hurting. Due...
Recently I’ve been learning the art of communication. In other words, I’ve been learning how shallow our words and actions can be. For instance, many Christians say, “I’m praying for you” when the reality is: they’re not. “I’m praying for you” can be synonymous with “I have better things to do” or, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, but…” Such a beautiful thing—prayer and the...
You’ve started classes. You’re beginning to fall into a schedule. And most likely you’re creating—or rediscovering—school year habits. Hopefully they’re good habits—starting work on assignments ahead of time; minimizing your time on social media; eating breakfast. Perhaps some of them are not so great—procrastinating schoolwork with Netflix or staying up until ungodly hours. But in all of that...
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that there’s a lot about the Bible I don’t know. Not only that, but there is a lot of content in the Bible that I have found (and still find) disturbing. Kidnappings, rapes, murders – you name it. The Bible doesn’t shy away from the dark stuff of life. Now, when I first started out in my walk with Christ, I chose to avoid those darker...
Sometimes it seems as if God ignores us. As if our pleading and prayers mean nothing. As if the sleepless nights don’t count and our tears are lost in a pool of a million others. Three months ago I was there, feeling ignored by God. Trixie was a big, black and grey scruffy mixed breed. She was loyal to a fault (taking after the sheepdog in her, no doubt). You would pet her and she would burrow...
In 1979, the American rock band, Eagles, released their sixth and final studio album, The Long Run. After disbanding in July the next year, the former members pursued solo careers. Don Henley, the Eagles drummer, released his debut album I Can’t Stand Still in October of 1982; the second single, “Dirty Laundry,” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. I came across this dated but timely song...
I hear it all the time. “I hate to ask this, because I know there are bigger prayer requests out there,” or “I know this is really small, but…” I’ve been guilty of saying the same thing. My father recently put in for a job in Arkansas, over 600 miles from where we currently live. Thousands of emotions flickered through my mind as I processed this information. When I first heard about it, I...
We arrived at the stadium in the middle of a large field. It felt hotter than a typical Mississippi day in this small Texan town. The wind roared at 20 miles per hour—the air dry as a desert. Tumbleweed rolled across the dirt and the red oval radiated heat. I would run 25 laps with no shade and no water, but a medal for the first one who finished. I, a senior and the fastest in the field, stood...
rebelling against low expectations
