Experimental Living

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether [...]

Every year I’ve followed tradition, chained to its compulsive demand of painstakingly writing out resolutions to be filed away and checked off diligently as each is fulfilled. However, this year I’m breaking free and doing something drastically different.
No, I’m not refusing to make a list. I’m making a list, all right. In fact, I’m [...]

These last few weeks have been difficult ones for me, but only until yesterday did I realize why they had been challenging and depression-inducing.
The reason, in its simplicity, was so astounding that it took a while to sink in. But really, when you think about it, it is almost always the reason we struggle [...]

Have you ever come home after a long day, crashed in your room, and felt like the most unfortunate human being on the face of the earth?
Well, I certainly have.
It’s rather embarrassing to admit, but I am easily distracted by any problems or negative issues surrounding me, and even more easily influenced by the emotions [...]

All my life, I’ve struggled to be as original as possible. It’s always been some sort of subconscious compulsion: if someone else is doing it, then it’s old and uncreative and something new needs to be done. Even when I was in grade school, I’d refuse to emulate people and drag my heels against the [...]

My friend Kristin just wrote a beautiful post on giving up; so head over to her blog, as I’m sure you’ll be as blessed as I was after reading it… especially if you’re going through a similar experience.

In Chapter 2 of The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer calls on Christians to strip themselves of all material lust and focus solely on desiring God, and God alone.  This chapter, aptly titled “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing”, has convicted me to the point of extreme discomfort.  Perhaps the most effective quote is this:
The [...]

Lately, I’ve been having some interesting discussions with friends on clichés.  To be specific, “Christian” phrases that are cliché.  
For example, how often have you heard…
 
“God bless you!”
“May God have mercy on your soul.”
“You’ll burn in Hell for that!”
“That’s a sin, brother!”
“Let’s share what the Lord’s been teaching us.”
“You’re a very dear sister/brother in the [...]

I was thinking the other day… isn’t it interesting how stressful situations we place ourselves in can seem so dramatic until you put your thoughts in a different perspective?  Some things can appear to be tragic, horrific, and life-threatening, but when compared to true catastrophe only pale in comparison.  These situations can be anything: music [...]

I’m often stunned by how blessed my country is. 
Sure, we’re headed towards death and destruction, and this election’s top presidential candidate may well be a closet Muslim.  But look closely at the big picture.
When put in the proper perspective, America is simply the most fortunate, prosperous, and democratically-principled country on the map.  In a financial [...]