Am I good enough? Does God care about me or listen to my prayers? Am I Iiving a righteous life? How do I know if I am doing things the ‘right’ way? If you’ve ever had these types of thoughts, then you’re surely not alone. I know I personally struggled a lot with these questions and negative feelings when I was growing up, despite always making sure to put on the facade of a good, happy, Christian daughter.
Continue reading “How Can I Live a Righteous Life?”
Picture this. You’re at a church gathering, everything is coming to an end and it’s about time for the closing prayer. They’re about to choose someone to pray and everyone starts to get nervous. You know the drill… smile, don’t make eye contact, don’t act suspicious, close your eyes, get ready to pray. But then, you hear your name. “Gabriella, will you pray for us?” My whole body seizes, and I forget how to talk. But I’m somehow able to mutter a nervous, “Sure,” with a smile on my face. Have you ever felt like this before? Or is it just me?
Continue reading “Music to God’s Ears: How to Pray a Prayer that Pleases God”
When you think of Jesus, what comes to mind? Is it a tall, handsome, bearded man with long flowing hair, deep brown eyes, and tan skin? Or something completely different? Christians around the world all have their own ideas and expectations of what Jesus looked like, who he was, and what he did and taught. Media also depicts Jesus in various ways. His appearance and demeanor changes according to the cultures of believers around the world. For example, we’ve got Black Jesus, Jewish Jesus, White Jesus, Asian Jesus, and Hulk Jesus. Yet, no matter the culture or appearance, people usually portray him as a humble, kind, and loving man.
Continue reading “Expectation vs Reality: Jesus, the Man of Sorrows”
As believers, we should consider from time to time, what’s the purpose of going to church? What’s the purpose of learning God’s word? Is it for community? Is it to understand the Bible and God more?
It’s good to take time to reflect on our current lives of faith. Are we content with them? And if we’re not, then what should we do? When we go to church and talk about God or the Bible, do we understand everything we learn?
Continue reading “We Talk About the Bible At Church…So Why Can’t I Understand It?”
I always had many different ideas and questions about God. I would often wonder what it would be like if God spoke to me. Or, if I had a chance to meet with God, what would I want to ask? However, as I pondered more about these things, I began to seriously wonder how God communicates with us today. There are many people around the world who claim to receive visions from God or hear God’s voice through dreams. But I didn’t want to believe anything until it could be verified as true. So, I turned to the Bible for help.
Continue reading “Have You Heard God’s Voice Lately?”
How would you feel if someone called you a sheep? Do you consider it to be a compliment or an insult? A quick search on Google or YouTube will promptly give you countless articles and videos about why you should be a black sheep, the different one, or motivation to be a lion among the sheep. So, then there’s this feeling or perception that…it’s not desirable to be a sheep.
Continue reading “Do You Want to Be Known As A Sheep?”
Why do we learn history? Is it just to memorize names, dates, and important events? Is it just a class we are forced to take in school? Or is there a greater purpose to it?
It is said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We can look at major eras throughout history and see where humanity has failed and where it has succeeded. A positive example we can look at is the stock market crash in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A large majority of people had not invested any of their money leading to the banks eventually failing, and people lost their entire life savings. The economy crashed and poverty rose.
Continue reading “Do I Still Need to Read the Old Testament?”
Hope. Something that everyone wants, but few are able to keep. When we look out into the world, especially with everything going on these days, hope seems like a very far-off dream.
I know I personally have had times where I struggled to hold on to hope. Everything around me felt so hopeless. In those moments, others would try to help me by telling me to “look at the bright side of things.” They would say, “just stay positive.” But this often just made me feel worse.
Continue reading “How to Have Hope in a World that Seems Hopeless”
You are embarking on a journey to the Great City. It is the city of freedom, peace, and love, where you will be able to enjoy those things forever. The obstacles ahead of you on this journey are unknown. But what is certain, is that if you stop or turn back, that City will be forever lost to you.
Continue reading “A Walk on the Narrow Road”
If you’ve read the “Lord of the Rings” books or have seen the movies, then you probably know about the “One Ring,” right?
“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them.
One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them!”
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This ring was made by the dark lord, Sauron, to rule and dominate all life on Middle Earth. Through the use of the ring, his influence spread, and all kinds of races – elves, men, dwarves – began to fight with and distrust one another. A result of the evil that was now all over the world. The evil power of that ring allowed Sauron to control others with his will. Anyone who carried that ring began to look more and more like it’s owner – dark, evil, greedy and selfish. It caused wars between kingdoms and peoples. While the Lord of the Rings is just a story, if you look at the world today, don’t you feel the similarities? In our own world, are people more united or more divided? What is the cause of the division and fighting?
Continue reading “One Sin to Rule Them All”