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 ...