I had also been praying for humility and the ability to accept whatever it was that God wanted for me. I have to admit though, when I got the answer that didn't fit the story I'd written for myself, I cried. ​I cried until my head hurt. I cried and then felt awful about crying. I called my husband Jonathan after I found out, and cried to him. I called my mom on the way home from work and cried to her.

​Then I went to church Sunday. ​All of the things I experienced weren't completely out of my head, but I was excited as always to go to church. Have you ever heard a message that just seemed like it was for you specifically? ​That's what happened. Our pastor talked about Peter and John, and how Peter faced the same people who killed Jesus after healing a lame man in Jesus' name.

"How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?" - Psalm 13:1-2

But unlike David, who still praised God in his trials, I wouldn't have been grateful for what I do have. I wouldn't have said, "well, God knows what's best for me." During the church service, our pastor explained that sometimes God positions us where we need to be, even if it isn't where we are supposed to be. Many young adults are, in the minds of older adults, trapped between adolescence and adulthood. We can feel invalidated if we don't have certain things in life like a relationship, a child, a killer job, or exciting experiences to talk about around the table.  That's the lie the world tells us. You see, the thing I was struggling with is very visible to those who I see every single day. They know that I work hard and do my best. Maybe God will use that to speak to someone. I know for a fact God is using that to speak to me and change my heart in some ways.

Share

MY MORNING ROUTINE

I have been listening to an audio version of the Bible each day in the hopes of completing the Bible in a year. ​I start each morning by listening to daily chapters on my church’s app. I usually listen to it when I’m doing my makeup in the morning.

1: MY ANXIETY HAS BEEN MUCH LESS OF A PROBLEM

2: CHURCH IS MY HEAVEN ON EARTH

​I was praying this morning, and I thanked God that he took us away from our situation in our previous church and placed us in such an amazing environment where I feel we are truly flourishing in him.   At our previous church, there was so much judgement.

3: I YEARN TO DO MORE FOR MY COMMUNITY

4: I WANT TO EXPAND MY HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERSTANDING OF GOD

One thing that really helped me during my period of doubt when I was in college was exploring the world of apologetics. ​This is the practice of studying historical and philosophical arguments is, in my opinion, the best way to engage with today’s non-believers.

Share

READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE

Ever since I was in high school, I've always tried to read the Bible through in a year. I think it is one of the most important things a Christian should do in their lifetime. However, I always fall short, mostly because I sometimes lack consistency when it comes to personal, long-term goals.

PRAY MORE

I think we are all secretly guilty of forgetting prayer, which is one of the most important means of communication with God. I am resolving to make prayer a priority in 2020! I have been following up my audio listening of the Bible with prayer, and it usually works out well!

SERVE MY COMMUNITY THROUGH MY CHURCH

Jonathan and I took the step to officially join our new church. We attended for a year before making the decision because we had such a bad experience at our last church. While the messages we receive at church are phenomenal, what is even better is seeing the impact the church has on our local community.

LEARN MORE ABOUT APOLOGETICS

Apologetics is basically when we use historical and scientific information along with philosophy to help others understand God. Since 9/11, there has been a rise in atheism. People started asking questions like "why would your God let so many innocent people die?"

LISTEN TO MORE WORSHIP MUSIC

Last, but certainly not least, I want to start replacing some of my music with contemporary or gospel worship music. It always puts me in a good mood, moreso than the profanity-laden stuff that comes on the radio or Pandora. I have been doing this as of late, and it really has improved my outlook on the day!

Share

GOD GAVE HIS SON JESUS 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16, KJV

God loves everyone. So much so that he was willing to send His own son down to live in the world and to die for no real reason. But God had a reason for Jesus' death. The reason He sent Jesus down was so that Jesus would die for the sins of the world. For everyone, no matter their race, where they come from, or what they've done in the past.

JESUS GAVE AND GIVES BLESSINGS
​TO THOSE WHO GIVE

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." - Luke 6:38

Throughout the Bible, especially the gospels, Jesus emphasizes giving. He constantly says that giving to those in need is important. ​He multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the masses because it was important to him to give the people around him the sustenance they needed to live.

JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." - John 19:30

Jesus was killed for basically causing too much of a ruckus. The Pharisees didn't like that Jesus questioned some of the things they did. They didn't like that he healed people and made miracles.  Jesus prayed in the garden before he was taken. He was so stressed out that he cried blood, which is a medical condition called ​Haemolacria.

JESUS GAVE US THE GIFT OF SALVATION

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began..." - II Timothy 1:8-9

If you don't know what happens next in the story of Jesus, I'll tell you. Jesus died but three days later, he rose from the grave. He conquered Hell and the grave. Jesus' sacrifice gave us eternal life and forgiveness from our sins. One thing that has always sort have bothered me are those old hymns.

Share

1: HIS TIME

Jesus gave his time to the people who needed it most. Those included the sick, the people living in sin, and others. He even gave time to those who abused God’s word or some of the laws of the time that were extremely critical and harmful to his people. ​Time is an important gift you can give to someone this season.

2: HIS GIFTS

​Because he is the son of God, Jesus was able to do many wonderful and amazing works through the power of his father. He never held this back from anyone who needed it or asked for it. He even re-attached the guard’s ear after one of his disciples cut it off in the garden when the Pharisees were coming to take Jesus.

3: HIS WISDOM

I’ve come to notice that a lot of people in my generation and younger simply don’t know how to do a lot of things. I feel as though many are thrown out into the world without the slightest knowledge on how to navigate it.   Jesus spent time educating and clarifying a lot when he was on Earth.

4: HIS HEART

Jesus put his heart into everything that he did. The scriptures tell us a story of Jesus’ passion and love for all people. He loved people who society didn’t love: adulterers, lepers, and tax collectors, among others. He never denied them anything and always did his best to help them in their situation. We should all aspire to put our hearts into all that we do, especially in the Christmas season.

5: HIS EAR

​Jesus is a listener. When on Earth, he always took time to hear from people and learn about them. He listened to their stories and helped them in their time of need.   What most people lack in their relationships is, sadly, communication. It is one thing to hear someone say something, but it is another to listen and really comprehend what they’re saying. This is a blessing, and more people need it.

Share

1: FIND A CHURCH-BASED TRUNK OR TREAT

Many churches and even colleges put on trunk or treat events to help children celebrate Halloween. I specifically suggested a church trunk or treat because the themes are usually less gruesome than the way some people dress their house for spooky season. Check your local visitor's bureau or your town's events calendar to see what trunk or treat offerings are available.

2: HAVE A CHILDREN'S MOVIE MARATHON AT HOME

Break out the popcorn and buy some sugary sweets to celebrate Halloween at home with your kids. Instead of trick or treating, they can enjoy kid-friendly Halloween movies like Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Monster House, and more. Netflix and Prime Video usually have a whole section dedicated to kid-friendly Halloween movies!

3: THROW A HALLOWEEN PARTY FOR THEIR FRIENDS

There are so many ways to take the fright out of Halloween. Instead of going trick or treating or participating in more gruesome activities like haunted houses, you can simply throw a more whimsical Halloween party at your house for your children and their friends. There are a ton of fun activities they can do like a pumpkin carving contest, decorating Halloween cookies, and other whimsical games that can help them have fun without all of the blood and gore.  I recommend checking Pinterest for fun and cute party games for occasions like these. You'll be surprised by all of the great ideas you'll find!

BUT, THIS IS WHAT I RECOMMEND

Share

​Cultivating your relationship with God is so important during this time in your life because you are likely starting to experience anxiety, depression, financial difficulty, and perhaps physical difficulty.   I sometimes find it hard to do these posts because I struggle to summarize the story for those who may not know what I’m talking about.

DO YOU REMAIN FAITHFUL OR DO YOUR OWN THING?

​If you know anything about David, you know that he indeed does make mistakes. But, as soon as he makes those mistakes (which is later on after the story of King Saul and David), he owns up to them and repents.   Throughout this story, David constantly remains faithful to God. He trusts God when he leaves his family as the smallest of several sons.

“And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” – I Samuel 15:8-9

Saul does his own thing, and he ends up living in jealousy and hate for David. His end is also rather gruesome. He died on the battlefield. ​He was so injured that he “fell on his sword” so that the enemy wouldn’t kill him.

DO YOU REMAIN HUMBLE OR DO YOU BECOME ENVIOUS?

​Without a doubt, David came from humble beginnings. He was the smallest of a group of brothers, but he was able to defeat Goliath and go on to make even more wartime accomplishments that had the people of Israel cheering his name. However, David still remained humble and did good when he was supposed to.

Even though David was put in charge of Saul’s army, he “behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him (I Samuel 18:14).”

DO YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES OR DO YOU MAKE FALSE COVENANTS?

Saul seemingly promises several times that David would not be harmed. He swears to his son Jonathan, who is best friends with David, that he won’t harm him. In the next breath, he is conspiring with soldiers or servants to kill David.   David is given opportunities to kill Saul, but he doesn’t. ​Saul asks David to promise not to kill his seed, and David swears to it.

​As I said earlier, it is easy to sleep in or turn your attention to more “pleasurable” things than to uphold your promise. Christianity is all about a relationship between an individual and God. God has several promises and He keeps every one of them. It is only fair that you uphold the charge you are given as a Christian in return.

​ARE YOU FOR THE PEOPLE OR DO YOU BRING OTHERS DOWN WITH YOU?

This perhaps is the hardest point to swallow, which is why I saved it for the end, hoping you would read it.   It is clear that Saul doesn’t really care who he takes down with him.

When you fall into doubt or decide to give in to “worldly” pleasures, you are effectively taking other Christians who know you and are in the same situation as you down, too. ​If you see a Christian friend doing something not so Godly, and you too are losing grips on your faith, you might fall suite and do the same thing.

Share

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO US

"But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." Exodus 14:29

In the above passage, God delivers the children of Israel from the Egyptians following several lifetimes of slavery.  Moses parts the Red Sea with the power of God and the Israelites were able to escape. It is a common Biblical story, I'm sure you already know it! But there was something interesting in the passage that our pastor drew our attention to: the words "dry land."

We all know how water works. Water that soaks an area of the ground will often turn muddy, making it harder to walk through. It can cause someone to slip or get stuck. But the Bible indicates that the children of Israel were able to walk across the area on "dry land." This passage really struck me because God helped the children of Israel escape captivity in a unique and somewhat unconventional way.

Personally, I can attest to having my prayers answered in a unique and unconventional way. I remember praying for finances for my family and getting a call a few days later from my grandmother asking if I had put some money in their account. I've had other things happen, such as my journalism job being replaced by a better opportunity at the job I currently work. Both of these were super unconventional in the way they came to me.

THE MESSAGE

What I feel led to say is this: Everyone experiences times when they feel as though their prayers are going unanswered. With our human hearts and minds, we yearn for an immediate answer to what is bothering us. In actuality, we should wait upon God because he often puts things into our lives when it will make the best impact for us. And, just like he did for those Old and New Testament people of God, he will make the way clear for us.

Share

QUARANTINE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES

"And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." - Leviticus 13:45-46

According to the Encyclopedia of Medical History, "The idea of contagion was foreign to the classic medical tradition and found no place in the voluminous Hippocratic writings." In the olden days, people believed that making someone bleed or driving a giant nail into their head would relieve pain and cure ailments. However, this Bible verse, from a book said to be written in 500 B.C., not only talks about quarantining someone who is infected with a disease, but also tearing their clothing, shaving their head, and making them to alert others to stay away from them, because they are sick!

THE WATER CYCLE

"Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly." - Job 36:26-28

The water cycle is detailed in the Book of Job! Job talks about how God "draws up the water" (evaporation), turns them into "small drops of water" (condensation), then he "pour down rain" (perception).  Hebrews and Romans are credited with the idea of the water cycle, but it obviously wasn't scientifically discovered until much later (the 20th century, according to "Historical Development of the Global Water Cycle as a Science Framework").

SANITATION MEASURES

"Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:" Dueteronomy 23:12-13

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, as the old saying goes. This might be a little gross, but the Bible actually talks about human waste and how to bury it away from a living site. Deuteronomy was believed to be written around the 7th century B.C. Being around human waste was found to not only be stinky, but also bad for your health. Throughout the following years, people would die from prolonged exposure to human waste, which can make you sick!

THE STARS ARE INNUMERABLE 

"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me." - Jeremiah 33:22

Jeremiah is believed to have been written around 626 B.C. Astronomers didn't start taking photos of the sky until the 20th century.  For some reasons, people thought long ago that there were only about 1,000 stars. This wasn't something that could be refuted until imaging was available.

Share

Doubt attacks us in different ways all throughout our lives. One of the most notable forms of doubt is spiritual doubt. Specifically, doubt about a religious concept you are usually very strongly tied to.  I began to wonder "if God is powerful, why doesn't he (fill in the blank)" or "if God loves us, why doesn't he (fill in the blank)." I had never felt more mentally tormented than I did at that point in my life.

1: "COLD CASE CHRISTIANITY" BY J. WARNER WALLACE

Wallace's book, "Cold Case Christianity" starts off with a compelling example of exactly what I was battling. Wallace explains that a cop friend of his had pulled over a man who had warrants out for his arrest. The man, not wanting to go to jail, pulled out a gun he had in his car and shot the cop in the chest. Luckily, the cop was wearing a bullet-proof vest that kept him alive. The cop had never needed the vest. However, he quickly went from a belief that the vest could protect him to a belief in the vest for protection.

This book stands apart for its unique apologetic style. For those who don't know, apologetics are defined as "reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine." In this case, the religious doctrine was the New Testament. Let me give you a more specific example.

2: GIVE ME AN ANSWER - YOUTUBE

Cliffe Knechtle and his son Stuart visit college campuses around the United States to answer students' questions about God and Jesus.  I found Cliffe's channel when searching for more apologetic-style media and ended up loving his approach and the evidence that he gave.

3: "THE CASE FOR CHRIST" BY LEE STROBEL

This one is a bit unique because it was recently turned into a movie! You can find it on Netflix for free, or you can rent it for about $4 on Amazon video. Or, you can read the book and watch the movie after, like I did!  This book really resonated with me because I studied and practiced journalism for a while before moving to my new job. Strobel was an atheist who was married to a woman who put her trust in Jesus.  He complained to his coworkers about it, many of whom were Christians. Eventually, he decided to explore the life of Christ as it is in the Bible as he would a lead for a story. In the book, Strobel chronicles his interviews with medical, historical, and spiritual experts all while keeping the readers up-to-date on his own opinions and emotions that he experienced during his "hunt" for the truth. ​I LOVE THIS BOOK!

4: CROSS-EXAMINED - YOUTUBE

Frank Turek is another person who travels around, answering questions about Christianity. He is popular for his book, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist." I have yet to read this, but I have seen videos like the one I've linked below. This explains kind of what this expression means. I love hearing his arguments and listening (same as Cliffe) to those who have the questions.

Share