rebelling against low expectations
“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice.” – Philippians 4:4 Rejoice always. It’s hard to rejoice always; some days it seems like there really is nothing to rejoice about. Your world may be closing in and collapsing all around. Hopes, dreams, relationships, security—all dropping like flies. You feel more like crying or screaming than rejoicing. Or perhaps...
I can see the promised land, though there’s pain within Your plan. The opening lyrics to one of my favorite songs (Every Giant Will Fall, by Rend Collective) is a powerful message to the hope of Heaven. The promised land is ahead. Yet woven in God’s plan is something we do not enjoy–and often don’t count on–suffering. The pain of life on earth frequently overshadows the hope of Heaven in our...
“Rejection hurts,” would be an understatement. Rejection claws at our very soul, sucking out all life. This monster tells lies and does its best to capture our minds. It tells us we’re worthless, ugly, useless, a mistake. I’ve experienced a great deal of rejection in my own life… While the world portrays the Christmas season as one filled with only joy and peace, that’s not always the case...
Are you ever afraid God has abandoned you? It’s easy to fear that sometimes. When you see the depths of your own depravity and sin—when you give in to temptation again and search desperately for freedom—you wonder how God could still love you. How He could still be with you. Or maybe, for whatever reason, He just feels far away; doubts and despair come knocking on the door of your heart and...
My mother was adamant. “You’ve started to wrap your whole identity up in, ‘I’m sick. I can’t do that.’ That’s not healthy!” Her words shocked me: because they were true. I was sick. There were many things I couldn’t do. But it had become my identity. It’s not as if I wasn’t actually ill. This week I had spent more time in bed than out, unable to convince my exhausted body to simply shower. It had...
Allow me to unfold the incredible story behind the beloved hymn, It Is Well, so that you may know, just like the Spafford family, that your soul can be well, even though sorrows high as sea billows roll through your life. This story is both heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. The reality that one man and wife could experience so much heartache and loss, while still glorifying God is an...
A beautiful yet deadly woman sits poised upon the back of a dragon. Both are covered with the blood of innocents. Both sparkle like black fire. Both smell of smoke and strong perfume. Dark clouds boil in the sky, unleashing bolts of crackling lightning. The woman’s nostrils flare as if she can smell the children and saints hidden among her followers. She reaches down, stroking the scaley beast...
I can still remember the time when I lost a very close friend. I still remember the way it hurt and the way I cried into my pillow. I still remember the sadness I felt in my heart when I thought of this friendship. I can imagine you understand those feelings too. I imagine you also know what it’s like to “break up” with a close friend. While we always hear about boyfriend and girlfriend break...
A couple of years ago, a struggling friend told me, “Everyone always leaves.” Around that time, whenever she and I talked, we would pretend we were sitting on a bench in a park, just the two of us. Because somehow the world felt a little lighter that way. When she mentioned her fear of my leaving, I told her I would stay and, without hesitation, she asked, “What if it rains?” A couple weeks ago...
Is it possible to have hope when your world feels like it’s crumbling around you? What can you practically do to stay grounded in times of loss, suffering, and pain? Randy Alcorn joins the podcast today to talk about the reality of the hope we have in Heaven (and what Heaven is really going to be like) and how this hope has sustained him through his own seasons of loss and suffering. If...
rebelling against low expectations
