What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions the word “boast?”  Personally, I think of someone bragging or showing lots of visible pride in some talent or skill that they possess.  Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say about “boasting” and what this means for us if we’re really trying to…

The work of growing I have had multiple conversations lately in which people expressed the concern that they do not feel like they are “growing spiritually.” I have felt this same concern in my own life. Typically, this concern has lead to frustration and even doubt that God can work in and through me. The…

Is Jesus better than success? I’ve heard it said before that Christianity is just another empty promise to make people successful. You believe it will make you a good husband or father; wife or mother. You believe it will make you wealthy by receiving God’s blessings. You believe it will give you eternal riches in…

Is Jesus better than lust? This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass I hear him pass; He speaks to me everywhere. -Maltbie Babcock, 1901 We can so emphasize the necessity of setting our minds above that we effectively deny the goodness of God’s creation.  -Joe Rigney, 2014…

Is Jesus Better? When I was a freshman in high school, I remember talking to an older Christian who was trying to be a leader to me. I asked him how it is that “religious people” (as I called them), were able to resist the temptation to have sex before marriage. He didn’t answer the…

God Doesn’t Need Us After recently returning from Gatlinburg, NC and seeing the destruction left behind the wake of the historic fire, I’ve been thinking a lot about what servanthood means.  If our goal is to emulate the life of Jesus while we’re on earth, then shouldn’t we all strive to make ourselves servants just…

We have become awash with the “keeping it casual” mentality. It’s not just our hook-up culture. It spills over into the objectification of others via various social media and it spills into social circles that are a mile wide and an inch deep. But what’s really tragic is when it spills into the Christian’s relationship…

College students are probably the most stressed out people in the universe, but I don’t have to tell you all that. Everyone knows someone who is so high strung and stressed out that they always seem to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. And if you don’t know someone like that, then you’re…

In the last year or so, I have noticed how much I value alone time. Nothing recharges me more than sitting in a quiet room and spending some time by myself. I’m what they call an introvert. Introversion and extroversion seem to be big topics in conversation today. College students especially are always aware of…

Every once in awhile, God seems to take my environment around me, especially nature, and snap it into focus in such a way that it brings some clarity to my own heart. I pass a lot of trees on my way to class every day. Back in the fall, I watched as the trees changed and…