Rooted in Assurance

"Of one thing I am perfectly sure, God's story never ends in ashes." -Elisabeth Elliot As I write this post, I sit in my grandparent's living room with my family. This summer, my gramuver was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. This week, we brought her home from the hospital in order to begin comfort care for her. It is painful to watch loved ones battle unseen enemies, to face a sea of unknowns, and to wrestle with God and strive to comprehend his goodness. But I am reminded of Elisabeth Elliot's quote, "Of one thing I am perfectly sure, God's story never ends in ashes." Sometimes, the holiday season isn't always what you expect it to be. The things we hoped for, fought for, thought we had already attained, sometimes turn to ashes. Perhaps a relationship ended, a loved one passed away, a job was lost, or other unexpected tragedies occurred. These events can bring us to our knees, no matter the perceived size of pain, by you

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." - Philippians 4:8. *The topic of this post is mature and is not intended for younger readers* Recently, I've noticed increased debate around several Christmas songs, specifically the classic, "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Many feel that this song encourages rape, referring to the phrase "Say what's in this drink," as well as the consistent back and forth of a woman saying she must leave, and a man convincing her to stay. This debate is nothing new, only it has become increasingly poignant through the lens of the #MeToo movement. But at one point, it was championed by many as a great win for women. So what's the real story? And how should we really be treating this song and others like it? Well. For other millennial

"This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book. Don't allow small seeds to grow into huge plants." -Coach When I was in high school, my uncle (whom I will refer to as Coach for the rest of this post) would meet with students on Friday nights at a local Starbucks. We would sit around a large table on the patio, and ask the tough questions about life and religion. The goal was an open forum, a place anyone could come, regardless of faith, and learn about the Jesus of the Bible. It started small, just our family, but grew over the next two years to over 30 students, ranging in age from middle school to college. During one of those Friday nights, Coach told us something that has stuck with me all these years; I even wrote his words down in the cover of my bible, now falling apart a bit at the binding. "This book is truth. Absolute. This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book. Don't allow small seeds to grow

“Never look for justice in this world, never cease to give it.”  - Oswald Chambers A few months ago, I wrote a post during the early stages of the Me Too movement on my own experiences. Since then, the movement has only continued to grow as society wrestles with the issues of sexual assault and harassment.  Recently, our culture has almost been at war over the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and what it means for women's rights. I am not here to comment on this situation, we all have opinions but only a few know the facts. I will not put forward an opinion on something I don't have all the information on.  However, I do have questions about how we respond to times like these, especially as christians. What do we do when an accusation is made? In criminal courts, innocence is presumed until guilt can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil courts, a preponderance of evidence is needed to win a case. If someone is actually guilty of something like sexual assault

Sojourn: A temporary rest or stay in the midst of a journey. At various points in the Bible, believers are referred to as sojourners, or foreigners in a strange land, staying for a brief amount of time. For example, Abraham and Sarah were sojourners in Egypt (Genesis 12:10) as they followed God's calling for their lives. God told Abraham to leave his family and his home in order to find the land that God would show him (Genesis 12:1-5). Abraham, then called Abram, didn't even know where he was going. However, God promised to bless him and make his name great. And Abraham went. That doesn't mean his decision was easy or enjoyable. Sometimes, you will walk through deep valleys, and you don't know how you will ever make it out the other side. Even while in Egypt, Abraham defied God and gave his wife Sarah to Pharaoh, saying she was his sister. This brought plagues onto the Egyptians until Pharaoh gave Sarah back to Abraham, sending them both out of the count

"Kotulo e kholo ruri" (Sesotho) I once heard a friend describe his missions experience in the Philippines, and he told us that the harvest is plentiful there, in reference to Matthew 9. Jesus was teaching in all of the cities and villages, and the bible says that he had compassion for the people, because they were lost and helpless, "like sheep without a shepherd." He goes on to tell the disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." I had a vague understanding of the passage, and I knew there were unreached people groups out there; people who thirst and hunger for a truth that never runs out, seeking living water just like the woman at the well. But when I arrived in the devastatingly beautiful country of Lesotho, I was given the opportunity to see the gospel come to life. I don't know what first comes to your mind when you think of A

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -   C.S. Lewis Last week, my little sister took me to get my nails done for the first time. When we walked in, the woman at the counter started asking several questions, and I felt bad because I couldn’t understand a word of what she was saying; I'm completely ignorant when it comes to this area.  My sister came to my rescue and responded for me, explaining that I was getting them done like hers. But then they separated us.  It was that feeling of losing my mom in the grocery store as a kid, and I was a deer in the headlights. The guy asks if I want long nails; I immediately say

"Terrorism in its purest form is self-help by organized civilians who covertly inflict mass violence on other civilians."-Sociologist Donald Black It takes no debate to see that the bombings in Austin are a tragedy. The community, and social media, is up in arms over the lack of media attention and refusal to label the incidents as terrorism. In answer to the question of media, it does appear they are distracted by other topics that are considerably less important. I cannot speak for their intentions. I can say, though, that from a sociological perspective, pouring media attention on this situation may only lead to more bombings. Complaining about situations beyond our control with circumstances beyond our understanding only furthers the negativity. As for labeling, just because something is evil or a tragedy does not mean that it is an act of terrorism. The holocaust was a tragedy, pure evil. But the holocaust is labeled as genocide, not terrorism. We can spend

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,   so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2: 4-10 Grace.  Forgiveness freely given, unmerited and sufficient. God’s love for us is immeasurable, the bible says His thoughts toward each of us is as countless as the sand on the seashore. But grace doesn’t just apply to you. It doesn't just apply to the people you like