Over the last 6 months I have written about almost all of the Fruits of the Spirit. This series has allowed me to reflect on the abilities that the Spirit gives us and the things that we are capable of through Him. I hope it has done the same for you too. One of the final ones that we have to go over is gentleness. Gentleness is one of the most confusing to me, as it seems to wrap up all of the others into one word. And, as it turns out, it kind of does! Although listed close to last in Galatians 5:22-23, gentleness must be one of the most important Fruits of the Spirit. This fruit allows us ..read more

I have heard the question tens of times, “As a Christian, am I allowed to listen to secular music?” This is something that has become a big controversy amongst youth groups simply because there truly is no straightforward answer. There is no scripture that directly addresses listening to secular music, however there are a few things points that are made in the Bible that may help you come to a conclusion on what you believe. The first point that I want to make about music in scripture is the context of most music in the bible. Often found in Psalms, we see that songs are centered around the e ..read more

Why do we run from God?  I think running from God ultimately goes back to “well I’m already this deep I might as well keep doing it, he won’t forgive me now anyway” or at least that’s what we tell ourselves.  God loves us no matter what, no matter the sin, no matter the circumstance.  He died on a cross, for our sins, isn’t that the man you would want to run to when you’re low? The man who loves you more than anyone possibly could? The man that looked at you and said “I know you’re going to mess up but you are SO worth it and I’m going to die on this cross anyway.”  God's ..read more

Generally, in school we have opportunities to share the gospel, live out Christ’s love, and spread the joy of the Lord. However, it is looking very different this year. And from the looks of how COVID is doing, we may be like this all year. One question that I have been struggling through is how we can make those connections and share the gospel during online school. Many articles have been calling this “online ministry”. After researching this for a while, I found that people all over the country and world are similarly lost in how to connect with peers and be missionaries over Zoom. One web ..read more

Confidence comes naturally to humans, as children we have so much confidence that we don’t know what to do with it. But as we grow up we listen to the opinions of others, see the expectations of the world that we could never live up to and our confidence fades. We slowly lose ourselves and become someone we no longer know. Someone who pleases the world and not the King of the world. You see, God made us to look a specific way that is like no other person (Ephesians 2:10a). He made us to have a personality that no one in the world could compare to. And He did that for every single one of us (I ..read more

As much as we talk about the hurt and brokenness in our world, oftentimes I can see the kindness too. There are many people that run around and try to cause havoc and hurt in our world.  But also, there are people that show so much kindness as well. Food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, ect. There are so many businesses built around helping the disabled.  Many times as people, we feel like our kindness is enough. I have friends that grew up in or at least around the Christian church. They know about God and live a pretty good life.  Kind, loving, passionate. Occasional ..read more

“Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 “When I can see it, I will believe it.”  This is a very familiar statement that we hear in this world. Not only in conversations of God but also in hundreds of other conversations.  We are wired for think that we need to see something to believe it. We have, rightfully, lost trust in the people around us. As a human race, we have lost faith in each other because of the lack of perfection and goodness. This is why one of the Fruits of the Spirit is faithfulness. We often hear in the c ..read more

A few years ago I remember I was pet sitting for a family that was out of town. They had asked me to walk their older dog for 5 minutes each day so that he could get some movement. Going into it, they had told me it would be difficult because the dog really didn't like to go on walks.  The day came for me to start and I fought for 5 minutes to get a collar and leash on this dog, Gunner. Gunner was not excited about the walk but he got up and started to walk to the front door with me.  I closed the door behind us and we began our quick walk. Everything was going well for the first 30 ..read more

I can see Your heart Eight billion different ways Every precious one A child You died to save If You gave Your life to love them so will I Like You would again a hundred billion times -So Will I (100 Billion X) by Hillsong Worship- Normally I would put a scripture to start, not the lyrics to a worship song. However this week I was inspired to write by this worship song.  Many of you have probably heard it and hopefully enjoyed it. I remember when it first came out, I listened to it so much that I was sick of it. This week though, it came on when my playlist finished and these words reach ..read more

Rest. The older we get, the more we realize how wonderful rest really is. We have so many things going and are always seeking for those few moments of rest that we can get.  Is anyone else feeling somehow tired after the last 8 months of quarantine? I don’t mean sick of the restrictions, masks, and lack of hugs.  Just physically and menatlly tired. Maybe you still have lots going on and it is wearing you out. Maybe you don’t have many plans but still feel that weariness.  One thing that I am trying to get better at is obeying God’s commandment to have a day of rest. A Sabbath d ..read more