Rights.

Tomorrow's never promised, but it is we swear
Think we holding our own, just a fist full of air
God has never been obligated to give us life
If we fought for our rights, we'd be in hell tonight
Mere sinners own nothing but a fierce hand
We never loved Him, we pushed away His pierced hands
I rejected His love, grace, kindness, and mercy
Dying of thirst, yet willing to die thirsty

 You know, sometimes I think we miss the point.  We focus so much on ourselves that we never think about the bigger picture.

God created us.  It's not like we were walking along in our own lives and God decided that He wanted to be a part of our lives.  He has loved us since before we were born.  And He has been eagerly anticipating the time that we would realize our need for Him and submit our lives to His control.

If we really get down to the basics, there is absolutely no difference between a businessman living in New York City and a young mother walking miles every day to try to find clean water for her children in the Gobi Desert.  We were all created by God to do specific tasks, all with His Kingdom as the final goal.  The "differences" really lie in the way that sin has altered our perceptions of reality.  American society as a whole looks at the prominent businessman as being successful and the young mother as disadvantaged.  But what if God is most glorified when the young mother provides clean water for her family?  What if God was grieved every time the businessman stayed late at work again and missed another family dinner?

When was the last time we asked ourselves what would glorify God the most in our lives?  Is He glorified when we live only for ourselves, seeking the pleasure and comfort that we innately desire?  Or would He be more glorified in our lives if we gave up a few of the things that we have come to feel entitled to in order to advance His Kingdom?

Back to the basics: we are not entitled to anything.  Nothing.  In fact, we deserve to be eternally condemned for our daily and egregious sins.

The Bible clearly states that marriage is to be between a man and a woman for life.  That's it.  No if's, and's, or but's about it.  God is glorified in marriages that follow the true definition.  God is grieved when people give in to their sinful nature and turn to adultery, in any form.  There is absolutely no basis for people to fight for "marriage equality."  God created marriages to be equal: 1 man + 1 woman = 1 marriage.  It is complete ignorance for someone to say that they should be able to marry whomever they love...male or female.  Come on, people.  

You want to fight for your rights?  Alright, the only thing you have a right to is condemnation.  

Even when we accept Christ as our Savior, turn from our sins, and begin living our lives to glorify God, we are only considered righteous because Christ took upon Himself the punishment for our sins.  We have no rights, in and of ourselves.  We are entitled to the inheritance that God has promised us through Christ Jesus.  If you want to feel entitled, boast in that truth.

Surprise and Awe.

I thought of this yesterday on the way to work.  A song came on the radio in the car and it reminded me of something that happened way back in my sophomore year at Liberty (2008-2009, in case you were wondering).  My roommate's boyfriend was going through a difficult time of repentance...my roommate had heard this song (the same one I heard on the radio yesterday) that she shared with him, because it applied to his situation...she was driving over to his apartment one day and the song came on the radio...the same day, when she came back to the dorm, I was listening to that same song on my computer.  This instigated her telling me the whole story and us both being amazed by God in that moment, which He had clearly orchestrated.

Since that time, I have experienced countless "God moments."  God has never ceased to amaze me by how He can knit seemingly separate situations into one ordained moment.  However, yesterday, when I heard that song on the way to work, I realized that I am no longer surprised when He does things like that.  I am not saying that it is a good thing or a bad thing...I am just saying that sometimes when we feel like God is not working in our lives, it is because we have become so used to Him working that we almost don't acknowledge His work anymore.  We just need to be careful that we do not let this turn into apathy towards His hands in our lives, or apathy towards reading the Bible (especially passages that we have read countless times, like the crucifixion...the most incredible story ever told), or apathy towards our brothers and sisters in Christ who just can't seem to climb above certain struggles.

Open your eyes, and be amazed.

Humanitarianism.

Humanitarianism (n): the belief that life should be a string of "good deeds" performed for the less fortunate

Yes, I just made that up. 

Everywhere we look, there are humanitarian aid organizations and causes.  There are aid organizations focused on water, shoes, medical supplies, food, human trafficking, child soldiers...the list goes on.  They all have one thing in common: they all believe that the people they are helping cannot have a full life without the water, shoes, medical supplies, food, etc. that the organization provides.  There is nothing wrong with that.

However, it is important for advocates of these organizations to realize that if you give a child shoes, but no water or food, their life is still not full.  If you give them food, but no water or protection from human trafficking, their life is still not full.  If you give them medical supplies, but no food or water, their life is still not full.  In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.

It is easy to get caught up in being an advocate for a certain cause (or number of causes) without understanding your motivation.  For many people, humanitarianism can become a way of life...fighting against the injustices of those who cannot fight for themselves.  This can become a completely amoral practice.  Just as someone can attend church without letting the words of the sermon truly sink in, someone involved in a humanitarian aid organization can lose sight of their true motivation. 

Let's think about this: for most of Biblical history, the church has been responsible for caring for orphans and widows; essentially, those who cannot care for themselves.  Fast forward to today: think of the most prominent humanitarian aid organizations.  Are they run/based/supported by the church, or are they founded by people separate from the church?  Don't get me wrong...there are many Christian humanitarian aid organizations (including the place where I work)...but the most well-known and "popular" with most of American society lack relgious affiliations.

I think this is a sad reality in American society...people do not seem to connect aid work with the one "aid" that people really need.  Yes, we need to satisfy their hunger and thirst...but if we extend their lives for a few years only for them to die without knowing the love of Jesus Christ, we have completely failed our humanitarian aid mission. 

In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.

They need Jesus!

Up The Ladder.

There is an attitude that I have noticed recently in young women. It is mainly put into practice by those fresh out of college and feel that the world is at their fingertips. I’m not saying that this is a bad attitude, necessarily, just that it might be counteractive.



I think that this attitude comes out of the ideas of feminism and the empowerment of women. There are some that feel as if the world frowns upon them because they are women; whereas, if they were men, the world would be peachy…they would get paid more, get promotions more, receive more benefits, etc. And depending upon their environments, this may very well be the case. But, in my opinion, just because you want to point out the inequality in a certain system does not mean that you are supposed to climb up the corporate ladder in a single bound and run the company.


Some women are meant to lead large organizations, be in political office, be high ranking administrators, etc. But this attitude that is impressed upon women as they emerge into the working world makes all of them feel that it is their destiny to go against the grain, prove someone wrong, make a statement to the world.


Here is my point: If God calls you to a high level of leadership, and He equips you for it in every way imaginable, go for it. That is what He wants you to do. But if God presents you with an opportunity to blossom where He has planted you, use your skills, continue learning, and thrive…be content with that. We do not all have to place this enormous weight upon our shoulders that it is our sole responsibility to make a name for ourselves. Can’t we just play the background?


We need to realize that God’s got us. He’s had us from the beginning of time, and He is never going to let go. So whatever He gives us to do for Him, we should do it…knowing that we are totally insignificant in the scheme of all that He has planned.


When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

Two For One.

I fully expect that many of my future blog posts will be about marriage. Because, well, I am married. (8 months tomorrow!)



There are myriads of ways that marriage reflects the Christian life. When he is happy, I find myself happy. When he is hurting, I find myself hurting. When he is sick, I want to stay home and take care of him. When something grieves the heart of God, we should feel grieved. When God and all of His angels are rejoicing over a new believer, we should rejoice. When God shows us what He wants us to do, we should do it. It is meant to be a knee-jerk reaction. We don’t even need to think about it.


But do we ever find ourselves thinking “God, I know that you are sad right now because one more person has just died without believing in you, but can’t you just be happy with me that I got a raise?!” or “Yes, I know that she just realized what it means to be sanctified, but I need you to come over here and take care of my needs!”? We need to learn that our lives are not meant to be at all separated from God. Just like when we are married, we are not ever meant to call it quits.


Sometimes, I think that people get confused…God created us, all of us…and He put us on the same earth…He did not create 7 billion “earths” so that all of us can live in our own little worlds…He wanted us to form community with each other. And community is not meant to be only the people that we know…we are intricately connected with the believers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, Canada, Mexico, Antarctica, New Zealand. When a church is built in Madagascar and the villagers begin to hear the Truth, the entire body of Christ should be ecstatic! When two missionaries are murdered in Mexico, the church should grieve for their families left behind and thank God for their sacrifice.


Our reaction would be completely different if we heard of a husband abandoning his addiction to go back to be with his wife. And we have every right to praise God for this redemption. Shouldn’t we rejoice just as much when a lost soul finds the Savior?


Think of the book of Hosea. God asked Hosea to take a prostitute as his wife…Hosea didn’t know why. The girl did not understand why Hosea wanted her, so when she could not bear that question any longer, she went back to her old ways. Hosea went after her, brought her back to their home, and taught her the love that God had shown to Him. I know for a fact that God did not accidentally make all of these things happen…I know that He was trying to teach the nation of Israel something. He is the Bridegroom who will never ever give up on His bride…no matter how stubborn or wayward she may become.


Since He has shown us this much compassion, shouldn’t we respect Him with all that we have? Shouldn’t we seek what He desires for us instead of pretending like our lives are all that matter? Shouldn’t we be so connected to Him that we align our minds to His ultimate goals, rather than our 3-5 year plans for our lives? Shouldn’t we emulate His commitment to us in our commitments to our marriages?

"We Don't Have Time!"

Casey can tell you. I think I say this phrase once a day. With good reason. But what does “reason” have to do with it?



Sure, Casey and I have been married for almost 8 months now. Sure, we both have full-time jobs…and secondary projects by choice. Sure, we are wearing ourselves out every Sunday morning to teach a group of rowdy 4-year-olds. Sure, we are trying to build friendships with 4 or 5 other married couples our age. This is time-consuming stuff.


But what if it just comes down to endurance? I am fully aware that God gave us 24 hours in a day…we spend 8 of those hours at work. That leaves 16 whole hours. Rocket science, I know. Even if we sleep for 8 of those 16, what kind of Kingdom work could we accomplish with 8 hours a day? Could we try a little bit harder to grasp what Scripture is trying to say to me? Could we read one of the hundreds of books that we have been meaning to read, so that our minds can be expanded a little bit more? Could we initiate a few more conversations about the Truth? Could we open my eyes a little bit wider to see what God is asking us to do?


I have never read anything in the Bible about “If you feel tired, just give up. You don’t really need to do anything else. Just be a bum.” Everything I have seen and experienced says that when we are tired, God gives us strength…when we are weak, He is strong…when we feel worthless, Christ reminds us that He died for us…when we feel like we can’t go on, we will rise up on wings like eagles…we will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. There are times when God leads us into a valley of rest for a time, but we must understand that He did not create us to rest. He tells us in Hebrews 4 that we will one day enter His land of rest…eternal rest. That makes me think that He created us for a purpose here on this earth. A purpose that we are meant to pursue with all that we have. This purpose is different for everyone, so that we will realize the importance of our specific task.


Next time you feel like you can’t take another step, look up. Lift your eyes to the hills.


There is time enough for that.