A friend of mine recently asked me if there is anything that could cause me to walk away from God. As a growing Christian, I realize how important and relevant this question is. In this article, what I’d like to do is bring to the surface some of the ways the Christian faith is challenged… Read More The Battle of Keeping the Faith
I lost any sense or normalcy or hope following my parents divorce; my scarce understanding of God hindered my ability to recognize my need for Him. My only view of life was that of pain, loss, and heartbreak. UNAVOIDABLE CRISIS Though I longed for connection, I couldn’t recognize my own needs through my brokenness. My… Read More How Faith in God Makes Sense of Our Pain
Almost 9 years ago, I let Jesus into my life in a way that I had denied Him for the previous 21. Letting Him into my life was one step; desperately calling Him into my heart was another. HINDSIGHT AND ITS TREASURES Nine years of asking questions, of challenging the skepticism/doubt of my atheistic years,… Read More How God Uses the Damaged to Change the World
Truly, what is the purpose of belief in a God if the God of that belief knows nothing of love, or, more intrinsically, is not itself love incarnate? OUR NATURAL STATE OF NEED FOR LOVE One of the deepest longings we share as a race is to feel loved unconditionally. Many people get caught up believing… Read More Recognizing the God of Love
There’s an Islamic quote that I appreciate as a Christian. It reads: “When the world pushes you to your knees, you’re in the perfect position to pray.” Often times when we feel down or defeated, we do not always respond by first turning to God to pray. When the world has incapacitated us, among the best… Read More The Blessing of Failure With the Power of Jesus
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 NIV) How purposefully do we live when we don’t know or understand the love, grace, and hope of Jesus Christ? When I hear others explain that they think people need to mind their own business, respectively, and… Read More Sharing Jesus With the World
Hearing about Jesus as Lord as an unbeliever can feel like whiplash on the brain. The information is so potent at first that it’s almost numbing. But gradually, the words fall into place, one word of epoch-making truth after another. Eventually, the process of knowing Jesus becomes a goal: we read the Word to learn about Jesus, we pray and worship… Read More Intimacy We Were Created For
Life is precious. Every breath is significant as any one of those breaths could be our last. That is an exhilarating truth; both an invitation to truly live, and a heeding not to do anything less. APPRECIATION FOR THE LITTLE DETAILS Would you miss the sound of wind rustling through the trees if it stopped? What… Read More Transformed From Within: How We Are Meant To Live
SUPERHEROES OF OLD We all need someone to look up to, like a role model who challenges us to be a better version of ourselves. While I was very little, my role models were characters from movies and TV shows. First, I was drawn to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Their vigilance in facing crime… Read More Finding Miracles at Our Breaking Point
NUMBNESS OF HEART Pain is arguably among the most universal sources of faithlessness. Many blame God for their pain and deny His existence because they refuse to accept the concept of a God who allows suffering. Many people attempt to hide their response to pain with stoicism. Some are convinced they have “overcome” pain with a… Read More Departing from Stoicism: Allowing Ourselves to Feel
