Worry and stress are seemingly inescapable. Even if you have a relaxed personality—which I for the record do not—you will still face numerous changes that are just part of life and will create stress. If you are already more prone to worry, then any event can cause you to become more and more anxious.
Read MoreSocial media and one’s online presence has become a milestone or achievement for so many people that we have even coined a term for it: influencer. Influencers are found on many social media platforms, where they are praised for their ability to create content with cohesive feeds, have thousands of followers, and influence people on all kinds of decisions, like things to buy or places to shop.
Read MoreWe often get to a point in life where there doesn't seem to be a convenient community to fall into. Our circumstances are lacking a built-in group of people that can give godly guidance, share our hopes and dreams, and walk through life together. Through living what lives we have lived, most of us realize that choosing the people we want to invest in us (and vice versa) is crucial in our walk with Jesus.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, I decided to do my first Whole30. One of the foods you are asked to give up for the 30-day eating plan is bread. But here’s the thing: I absolutely love bread. It only took a couple of days without it to make me seriously contemplate giving up and pulling into the nearest Panera. Needless to say, that month was a hard one. But the fast made me realize just how dependent on certain foods I had become, and each day, I had to make a conscious decision to stick with it.
Read MoreIf years of watching HGTV shows has taught me anything, it's that our society perpetuates an expectation of getting more than we are willing to work for. So many future homeowners set out on their way to finding the house of their dreams with a long list of the features that they believe to be non-negotiable (open floor plan, granite countertops, a large backyard for the dogs to play...), and confidently smile at their real estate agent when they announce that the amount of money they would like to pay for their new space is not much more than the total of an average grocery receipt.
Read MoreDon’t be afraid? Stand still? Stay calm? I can imagine the looks on the peoples’ faces upon hearing this from Moses. There were probably a few dropped jaws, involuntary guffaws, and shouts of disbelief. The Israelites were ex-slaves and refugees. They left behind everything they owned and knew to follow a man who claimed to have the word of God and currently faced a terrifying unknown future. I’m quite certain that I wouldn’t have been eager to trust Moses’s exhortation at this point.
Read MoreI’m one of those people who loves doing Bible studies. I enjoy completing the homework and always opt for the longer in-depth studies because I love studying the Bible. I actually enjoy diving into the original Hebrew and Greek text and trying to discern the author’s original meaning. But our enemy is always one step ahead, trying to figure out what might trip me up next. You see, an unexpected problem with my love for Bible studies is that there are so many to choose from. Way too many.
Read MoreFor many of us this question might be one we ask after completing a task, like when we graduate, finish a work project, finally move, or maybe when we land our dream job. But how do we answer it? How do we know when or how we take the next step? How do any of us even know what the next step is? I guess the simple answer is, we don’t know. No one, not one of us really knows what the next part of our lives looks like. We don’t even know what tomorrow looks like. And maybe, just maybe, that is a beautiful thing.
Read MoreGodly, socially adept men seem to be extinct, which makes dating hard. Too many disappointments, let-downs, or occasions of being “ghosted” have left their mark on the masses of Christian women and the general response is despair or cries of, “Where have all the good men gone?” I’ve even done this. I’ve been embittered and hopeless after one too many heartaches. I’ve blamed men for being too cowardly, too selfish, or, in some seasons of my life, too elusive.
Read MoreRalph Waldo Emerson once said, "The earth laughs in flowers." I am inclined to agree with him, since few things in this world bring me the same singular sense of joy as watching a flower use its God-given power to bloom, flourish, and reach toward heaven with its brightly colored petals, as if offering a sign of worship to our Creator.
Read MoreThe topic of anxiety is one that pulls at my heart like no other could. But I’m going to be honest, I don’t suffer from anxiety like most people do. I suffer from the outside looking in. I see people I love being swallowed whole by this epidemic, and I feel so powerless… but am I?
Read MoreAs I grow up, some of the parts of my faith that seemed so simple and clear at first have turned out to be more complex than I initially realized. If you, like me, grew up in a Christian church environment, you probably remember some of the messages and stories that were directed towards children. One that I particularly remember was based on Matthew 5:13, which my very young brain at the time paraphrased as meaning that as “the salt of the earth,” Christians were meant to stand out from the crowd and make the world better. Of course, to a child this seems like such an easy task, but it turns out that standing out from society as a Christian does not happen without intention.
Read MoreThere are two types of desperation that you will face in your life. The first kind of desperation is to feed your own insecurities. This is when you throw yourself at the first guy that pays attention to you because you think he’s all you’ll ever get. This kind of desperation is a lack of faith that will cause you to justify your reasoning and make decisions that can affect you for the rest of your life: from friendships, finances, marriage, kids, and most importantly… your relationship with Christ. This kind of desperation will cause you to give up your dreams and the calling God has placed on your life. You will think it won’t, but it will.
Read MoreThe convenience of a streaming church service can be a double-edged sword. Indispensable to those who cannot leave their bed, but a tool of temptation for the devil. I heard that whisper this morning: Why get up so early? It's cold and you deserve a break, and who will notice you anyway? Whether you go or stay won't make a difference. You're still going to watch the sermon online, it's not a sin to miss one week…
Read MoreI was mid-way through a prayer – I’m not sure I could even call it a prayer – as I was processing my fears and overwhelmed thoughts out loud. As I sat in my car, I couldn’t get my head to feel any clear or relieved no matter how hard I concentrated on giving my burdens to God.
Read MoreSome days we feel like we have it all together, and other days we live life moment to moment. For a teacher, like myself, the end of the year is always an overwhelming time. The only thing I can really compare it to is the last week of college finals. Maybe you’re not a teacher or college student but you probably still have to work around deadlines, work obligations, home life, and maintaining your relationships. All of this can become extremely demanding and approaching these hectic periods is never easy.
Read MoreWhen my sister and I were growing up, we played many sports and took some nice tumbles and hits through the years. My dad’s number one rule: we were not allowed to cry on the field or court. We may have broken that rule a time or two, but we always remembered it. This made us tougher opponents then and, to this day, has made us strong. One of my dad’s favorite sayings about us nowadays is, “I didn’t raise no sissies,” and I love the fact he believes my sister and I are strong women who will not cower and can take on anything.
Read MoreWe all have hopes and desires for our lives, but what if we are in a season where there doesn't seem to be any opportunity for our dreams to be fulfilled? Many of us young women (including myself) are eager to find a husband and have a family. These desires rest deep inside our hearts and long to be fulfilled.
Read MoreThere I found myself once again – the girl who swore up and down that she was done with online dating for good – downloading and trying out another dating app. Why was I compelled to do this again?
Read MoreThe weather is warming, and it is time to kick off our shoes, throw our hands in the air, and celebrate summer, right? For some, that may be the case, for others — specifically those struggling with mental health challenges — the season of sun may not be bringing increased feelings of happiness; the opposition of our minds does not take a summer vacation. You may be one of those people. If so, fear not, because you are never alone (Matthew 28:20).
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