Called to Live Radically

Christmas . It's one of my favorite times of the year. It's the time when the cities get festive and strangers exchange greeting of good cheer. It's when we light up the fire or snuggle on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. There's beautifully decorated trees and Christmas goodies, family fun and warm wishes.  But what is it about this holiday that makes it so beautiful to so many people?

While waiting to meet up with some friends yesterday evening, I decided to peruse through the nearby bookstore. Hoping to (maybe) find a couple of solid Christian nonfiction books I didn't have, I quickly made my way to the "religious books" section. There wasn't much new or different that was solid doctrinally. Just as I suspected.

“The heart is deceitful above all things,  And desperately wicked;  Who can know it?"  - Jeremiah 17:9 To anyone who has heard this verse a plethora of times, it's easy to skim over the verse without much thought - to say, "Yeah, I know, 'Don't follow your heart' ," and move on.  But how often do we really stop and think through what "following your heart" actually looks like in our every day life?

Reading through Leviticus has been a challenge.

Dear Heart, Many days, I make the mistake of listening to you.

Often times when reflecting upon my life, all I can see in myself is a failure of a Christian.

The neighborhood I live in is locally known for housing many people with significant mental disabilities. Having worked at the coffee shop nearby, I've quickly gotten to know a number of these people and form relationships on a regular basis. As I was walking to school earlier this week, I came across one of these gentlemen - whose conversation with me would include one of the most profound statements I've heard in a long time.

Words.  Very few things we possess are more powerful - and yet, very few things are used more erroneously.

So often, we have a misconstrued view of God's law.

Humility : a word scoffed at by the world - and yet, one of the central aspects of Christianity. Christ's humility brought redemption. Our humility - given by God - causes us to surrender. The church's humility allows God to work and sanctify. Humility must be that which Christ-followers continually strive for. And yet, humility is so often misunderstood - and really, undesired -  by Christians.

This week I was allowed the privilege to write a guest post for  Heather's Ambitions . Heather is doing a series of posts written by various bloggers about verses or sayings that have impacted them and taught them lessons about God. I hope this post centering on God's sovereignty and His plan for His glory and your good might encourage your soul to stand firm in Christ throughout all the storms of life . "When Your World Crumbles" by Mandie Pitre For His Glory, Mandie Pitre

I have a confession to make. I ate way too much food last night.

" Relax... " If I had a dime for the amount of times I've heard those words in my life, I'd be a billionare.  I'm the type of person that has always struggled with being still. I'm a " go-getter ": always running around from one place to the next, taking extra shifts at work or responsibilities at church, starting new things, and making more commitments. Ever since I've graduated from school, but especially since I moved out on my own, I've barely stopped. And that's a big problem...

As long as I can remember, I have always been a perfectionist. Whether it was school, music, sports, or spelling, I would always push myself to the limit - if not past it. Though there is a lot to commend in someone who desires to do his best, there is a false hope that I have noticed can be particularly harmful for perfectionists: we can become in danger of deceiving ourselves into distorting the message of the Gospel, by believing that an achievement of "perfection" could be our hope for righteousness. So, for those of us who also struggle against perfectionism, here are three truths that we need to remind ourselves: 1) I Can Never Be Perfect As silly as this may sound, I have spent much of my life frustrated to the point of extreme depression by the fact that I would never be perfect. So many times I would think back over my day or week or life, and as I reminded myself of my actions and attitudes in various situations (especially traits that continually popped up),...

In your personal devotions and Scripture readings, have you ever found yourself continually reading through the same types or genres of books and (possibly unintentionally) ignoring others all together? Maybe you have that "go-to" book that you default to whenever you don't know which book to read through next, but (more often than not) some books just seem really boring or useless for the twenty-first century.

All too often, we have a distorted view of worship. We generally view worship as simply singing passionately, praying boldly, and reading Scripture exceptionally. While these may often be outcomes of worship, they alone are not.

Single. That word seems to have the power to cause dread in any young (and not-so-young) adult's life. Being labeled as "single"  is often perceived as being a failure, rejected, or unloved. We are so quick to determine our value by others' opinion of us, and the reminder that we don't have that "special someone" is just another jab in the side. But why does being "single" always have to have a negative connotation? What if we decided to change our perspective? If we saw this unique period in our life as it is - unique?  What if, instead of bemoaning our singleness, we embraced it?

I hate sticking out. So often I want to blend right in with the crowd. The thought of being singled out or ridiculed because I might be different from others in a particular area is just plain awkward and uncomfortable. I don't exactly enjoy standing up for what I believe while everyone else standing around isn't afraid to let you see them smirk at your "queerness" - especially when it concerns my faith.  And yet, that's exactly what I'm called to do.

Poetry is one of those genres I've never written much of, but I love it. It has a way of connecting with your emotions that no other form seems to possess. Maybe it's the rhythm, or perhaps it's all the literary uses of alliteration, similes, and rhyme patterns - I don't know. Regardless, a well-written poem is a beautiful piece of literary art.

"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."  - Philippians 2:13 This is one verse I have been constantly reminding myself of lately. I'm the type of person that always feels the need to prove (even if just to myself) that I can defeat or conquer or complete something on my own.  What strikes me about this verse is the critical reminder of my total dependency on God.