Reflections and Responses

I really dislike how it's not okay to be "not okay" in our culture. Let me explain. In the Bible, some of most inspiring key players (say, David and even JESUS!) struggled and had low low's. As He was dying, Jesus asked God to take the cup from Him, if it was His will. He was struggling. It was a low low. Fast forward to 2010, and somehow our culture completely shuns brokenness. In fact, we assume someone is weak or has a flawed personality if they are down. Most of the time, we don't even ADMIT when we are struggling because we fear how others will perceive us. We fear rejection, gossip, and that others will think badly of us if we admit we are dealing with sadness, fear, depression, or sin. The enemy loves it when we keep our seasons of struggle hidden from others. Evil thrives in the darkness. When we don't tell anyone about our struggles, we isolate ourselves and basically wilt, receiving nothing to alleviate our pain. When we are honest about struggles, c...

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” - Henry Van Dyke I stumbled upon these words from Henry Van Dyke this morning and was taken aback. His explanations of these similar words are poignant, though I was challenged by the truth that "thanksgiving" is a verb. Merriam-Webster is in agreement with Van Dyke in his treatment of the word as an action. It is defined there as: "1. the act of giving thanks." In our (sometimes warped) culture, thanksgiving is way more about receiving than giving anything. On Thanksgiving (the holiday), we receive excessive amounts of food while also receiving a few days of vacation from our livelihoods. Most of us feel very grateful toward God in our hearts but do not act on our feelings or truly GIVE thanks. I challenge you to pray about thanksgiving (the word in general and the holiday) and ask God how He wants you...

Atlanta has been exploding with colors over the last few weeks. The leaves are absolutely astounding - crimson, yellow, and fiery orange. I have really appreciated the beauty this year and realized how much this landscape screams of the glory of God. There is much irony in the fact that leaves are the most beautiful when they are dying. I see an obvious paradox in the God-breathed and God-glorifying death of the leaves and the concept of dying to self as a believer. Jesus said in Luke 9:23: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." We glorify God the most (elevate Him; praise Him, draw attention to Him) when we say no to our selfish desires, "dying" to our flesh and yielding to God's best for us. We glorify and radiate Him when we die to our desire to be great/famous/popular, to our sinful desires, to our desires to control our own lives. When we die to the idea of making ourselves the leader of our lives...

Imitating Christ’s Humility 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and ga...