Category: Christian
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Grappling With Unanswered/Rejected Prayers (Discussing Disability & Spiritual Truths)
In the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, the widow approaches the judge relentlessly to receive justice for her situation. Though the judge is not a morally upright man, he eventually grants her justice just to shake her off his back. Jesus insists the Father Almighty will do so much more for us.…
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American Christianity Is Being Subverted by “the Culture War”
Whoo, boy. This is a tough one. No harm done if you wanna hit the back button and come back next week for a light-hearted post. I’m going to talk about things I’m seeing lately and my own experiences. I’d like you to bear in mind that I was obsessed with “the culture war” before…
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Christian Musings on Cancel Culture: Discussing Accountability & Who “Deserves” Mercy
Over the last month or so, I’ve seen everyone from local residents all the way up to celebrities get “exposed” for something bad they’ve said/done. The reasons have ranged from “racial insensitivity” to “borderline pedophilia,” though we’ll focus on the former in this post (more info at bottom)*. The person may go on to lose…
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Reacting to the Horrifying Documentary “Jesus Camp” as a Christian
Perhaps not in the COVID-19 era, but normally during summertime, children attend camps to have fun, meet other kids, and enjoy new experiences. Recently, I watched a jaw-dropping documentary about a “Jesus Camp” (Kids on Fire Camp) in North Dakota. In a word–wow. Wow in a bad way. I’d like to ignore the other problematic…
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How to Get “Young People” in Church (& Lessons from a Protest)
If you attend a small church, you have likely heard the panicked question, “How do we attract more young people?!” In this post, I’ll explore that issue. For the record, I’m 26-years-old and have attended church on and off most of my life (mostly on, but you know how college kids are). Also, I’m engaged…
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Striking Balances Without Becoming Paralyzed (Coronavirus & Black Lives Matter)
The last couple months have been uncertain and panic-ridden, then the last couple weeks added icing to the chaos cake. The contentious issues facing us are causing extreme polarization. I wonder how we can strike some balances and truly listen to people’s different concerns while still being bold, loving defenders of truth and justice. Coronavirus…
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The Pharisees Aren’t the Bad Guys & the Disciples Aren’t the Good Guys
Pharisees, scribes, chief priests–these are the bad guys in the story of Jesus’s life and death. And the disciples, who followed Jesus throughout His ministry, are the good guys. Hmm…is that true? I wonder if we are drastically oversimplifying both the gospel and human nature by viewing these characters in a black-and-white manner. Today’s post…
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How I’ve Been Spending my Time During Quarantine
It’s crazy that my “Coronavirus Came in Like a Wrecking Ball” post was published one month ago. Gah! Today, I want to take it easy and share how I’ve tried to put the extra time to good use. I’m going a little stir crazy since I can’t attend all the church-related outings that come throughout…
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God Spoke to Me, an Eerily Prophetic Quote from Dr. MLK Jr. & Attending a Mega-Church Virtually
Though the lack of Sunday worship services during Lent makes it feel less real, today is Good Friday. As we remember Jesus’s great sacrifice for humanity this Easter weekend, I wonder how the church will stand against injustice as Jesus did. Whether we choose to be counter-cultural or comfortable will determine our ability to follow…
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How Reading the Psalms Transformed my Prayer Life
Prayer, as I once heard in a sermon, is an area of religion/faith “where we could all stand to improve.” Today, I want to share how reading the Psalms has improved my prayer life. Here are some (loose) categories of how a person’s relationship to prayer may look— Doesn’t pray at all Only prays in…
Retrospective Lily 