rebelling against low expectations
A wave of noise washed over me. I was fresh off the plane to intern with a church planting team in a country on the other side of the world, and I had just walked into a room full of kids. We chatted and drank tea as I eyed pastries I’d never seen before. Slowly the students filtered out, and my teammate and I squished into the tiny kitchen in the back to wash the plates. However, one student...
Do you ever find yourself retreating into yourself around your friends, watching everything you say, and only putting out what you feel will be accepted by them? Are you depressingly aware of your shortcomings and afraid to let go of your public persona? Are you afraid to let yourself be known fully? With Christ, we can be completely ourselves. In fact, He commands us to. The God Who tells us...
If you were to describe the state of the world today in one word, what would it be? Lost? Misguided? Deceived? Blind? Sick? Hurting? All of these are applicable in one way or another. But how about broken? The Origin of Our Brokenness As fallen human beings we live under the curses of sin outlined in Genesis 3:14-19. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, humanity has lived in...
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived two brothers. The elder brother was a farmer, while the younger was a shepherd. One fateful day, both decided to bring an offering to the Lord. The younger brother’s offering was acceptable and pleasing to the Lord, but the Lord rejected the elder brother’s offering. The elder brother seethed with anger and became jealous, and he murdered his...
If you’re a Christian, then at some point in the past, you chose belief in the gospel and trusted Jesus Christ with your life. But the effects of the gospel don’t end the moment that you’re saved—in fact, now that you’re a Christian, the gospel is more relevant than ever. Often, Christians think of the gospel as an evangelism tool, something for the unsaved. We’ve...
For most of you, Easter is probably over. Your thoughts have turned to graduation, summer break, camping, etc. But for the disciples, I’m sure that first Easter stuck around in their minds for a long time. It was an incredible, life-changing miracle they had to process… and it probably took longer than three days. One day, their hope was literally dead. The next, He was standing before them whole...
Ashamed. Unlovable. Damaged. Have you ever felt this way? Like you’re just too flawed or make too many mistakes to be loved? We all long for love and we look for it in so many different places – parents, friends, and significant others. But somehow, all of those people fall short. They disappoint us and fail us. Their love isn’t always as unconditional as they claim. They never fill our...
Have you ever felt worthless? Blunt, I know. But it gets to the point. I think everyone has felt this way at one time or another. I know I have. Feeling this way can really get to you. It will hang over every single thing you do, an oppressive cloud sending rain and thunder storming into your life. It saps your energy—and your happiness. It makes life… well, worthless. Let me tell you a story...
the romans, they condemned me condemned me to the confines of hell so they nailed me to a cross and speared my tender side and as i laid there hanging naked and alone the messiah, he turned toward me and in his eyes i saw a ocean of forgiveness and a mind that knew no wrong see, the romans had condemned him condemned him to the darkness of death but he will not stay for light can not be slain by...
Our precious Savior, asleep in a manger, One day would heal those who suffered great pain. One day, He’d show crowds the way out of danger. One day, they’d see the reason He came. This precious babe that was cradled by Mary Would one day sip from the cup of God’s Will. He’d endure the torture none other would carry For many ages and until this day still. Our precious...
rebelling against low expectations
