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
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
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
ROOTS OF PASSION FOR WISDOM As I’ve grown older, knowledge has become somewhat less important to me, and wisdom has become more prominent. What influenced the change is recognizing that knowledge doesn’t bring me any closer to understanding myself on a personal level, whereas wisdom challenges the very roots of my character, pushing me towards… Read More God’s Wisdom Breathes Jesus’ Love For Us
COMMUNION, ATHEISM, AND TRAUMA People are amazed to know I used to be an atheist because of the way I am now. Basically, I was an atheist until I was just about 22-years-old, and I’m not quite 30 yet. Though raised Catholic, I didn’t understand the material, and so, naturally, I didn’t believe any of it… Read More A New Chapter in Life: Friendship With God
Before I received Jesus into my life, I was an atheist; and before I was an atheist, I was raised Catholic in a very traditional church where repetition seemed more sacred than relationship, and repentance more emphasized than forgiveness or grace. The concept of God always seemed one-dimensional, and never pulled at me during those… Read More Recognizing the Broken Soul In the Mystery Of Faith
What characteristics define your picture of the word “friend”? What about a best friend? Are there key qualities which stand out from the rest that a friend must have? I believe there are, and I’ve written this article to elaborate on a few of them. I believe these qualities give significant weight to the way… Read More The Picture of a Best Friend
