rebelling against low expectations
Have you ever had a friend who seemed to have everything come easily to them? Maybe they were really popular, had a rich family, were the most athletic, or even just the best looking? Maybe they were the smartest in school, or the most promoted at church, or the funniest at parties. Maybe they just always seemed better then you. I know I have. In fact, I’ve had my fair share of experiences on...
A destructive, sneaky lie has been echoing in my head for days. Maybe you’ve heard it too. “Everything I do is worthless.” I’ve believed all my efforts–writing, piano, you name it–are garbage. Junk that deserves to be tossed out on the curb and thrown in a landfill. But, the truth is: my efforts aren’t worthless trash, and neither are yours. If you gave 100...
“I should be better.” “I should know how to respond to a friend’s pain in a way that helps, instead of my clumsy efforts to be logical.” “I should have the right words and skills, instead of being surpassed by beginners in areas I constantly struggle in.” It’s not wounded pride we feel as we watch those better than us. It’s not envy. We don’t want our friends to be less than they are; we just...
Folding laundry one day, a wave of panic over my future hit me. With high school graduation fast approaching, major transitions and decisions loomed. I desperately wished I could see my future path neatly laid out in front of me. In the middle of my panic, I felt God impress upon me, “Just worry about the next step. Then once you reach that, think about the step after.” This thought stopped me...
Not many people know about the race, though its popularity has drastically increased over the years. The number of people who actually run? That’s a small figure. The number who finish? Smaller, if any. On Monday, March 26th at 9:33 p.m. local time, The Barkley Marathons, which are held at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Tennessee, ended with zero finishers. That seems strange, even for an...
Americans spend $2 billion supporting 1.5 million participants in short-term missions trips each year. However, statistics show that up to three-fourths of these trips are poorly conducted, and teams rarely interact with unreached or unengaged people groups (you don’t have to travel far, for L.A. County alone has 400+ unreached people groups!). Although the church has recently exploded with...
Why is offering a genuine apology so difficult? It takes humility to go to someone and put ourselves in a vulnerable position by asking for forgiveness. Apologizing is an acknowledgment of our failure in a relationship with another person, and it’s embarrassing to admit that we were wrong, and acted or reacted out of line. When we offend or hurt someone, whether intentionally or unintentionally...
I couldn’t believe what I heard. In a room full of women, ranging in age 20-60, the speaker said not just twenty-somethings but also thirty and forty-somethings were not ready to, and therefore shouldn’t, disciple anyone. What they should do, according to this woman, is to seek to be discipled, sitting at the feet of the godliest older woman they can find at their church. As a twenty-something...
Dear fellow missionary kids, We’re on a mission. We have a goal. A task to complete. Or do we? Many times, it seems as if we aren’t working to achieve this goal. We get bogged down. Forgetful. The enemy uses the troubles of this life to make us lose sight of the prize for which we’re fighting for so hard. We take our eyes off the goal–off the prize. I must be honest, I have done this...
The number one question we receive from parents is, “How do I motivate my kids?” And they don’t mean “How can I get better at begging or bribing?” They mean… “How do I motivate them from the heart?” “How do I train them to do the right things because THEY want to?” (Not because mom and dad are making them) “How do I build the habit...
rebelling against low expectations
