I remember sitting in his office. I remember a church member peeking in, “Pastor, there’s someone on the phone for you.” He told her to take a message because he was busy, was having an important conversation. That conversation was with 17-year-old-me. I treasure the memories of those hours. I wish I remembered how he […]
Read More What the God of the Old Testament WantsDuring my last year of teaching, I had the privilege to teach a few upperclassmen a Communications class. Among other things, I took the opportunity to teach them from the book Crucial Conversations (which I beyond-highly recommend to every single human). Essentially, it walks the reader through practical ways to handle high-stakes and high-emotion conversations. I sure wish I learned those points when I was 16! Many of these practical points are adapted from these fantastic book.
Read More The Case for Being Direct // the HowA few years ago, I was on a walk with a good friend. We shared our current happenings, and she related a recent strain in one of her closest friendships.
“She just never listens to me,” she explained. “I’m always there for her, but I feel like she dips out whenever I need her to be there for me. And it’s been like this for awhile. I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but I don’t know,” she sighed.
Read More The Case for Being Direct // the WhySee, most of my anxieties are so ridiculous, so extreme, so convoluted, that when I can finally think rationally again they completely dissipate. As soon as my mind is clear for a moment, they evaporate. It’s wonderful. However, this one line of thinking won’t go away.
Read More Our Worst Fears: Even Through ThatWhen the children of Israel were entering the Promised Land, the tribes of Reuben and Gad took a liking to the land on the east side of the Jordan, when God was guiding the people to the west side of it. When these two tribes approached Moses about the possibility of them staying in this […]
Read More ‘To Your Brothers, As to You’Like a typical teenager I struggled with FOMO throughout high school: the fear of missing out. But mine was more information focused than experiential: I didn’t want to miss out on knowing anything. I wanted to know who was dating who, what official and unofficial events were happening, and what crazy things were happening in the […]
Read More When the Devil Tells the TruthI have an apathetic view towards my birthday until the week before. All of a sudden, it consumes my mind — not for the sake of celebration but for that of reflection. What New Years is for most people, my birthday is for me. Time is weird. People always tell you it speeds up as […]
Read More One Score and SevenI’m sure you heard about the death of George Floyd. The senseless murder of this man. The one that was documented on video from multiple angles? Yeah, that one. You may have been watching the reaction develop. You may have already drawn some conclusions — both good and bad — about the situation, the reaction, the way forward. I want to share a few things with you, from my heart.
Read More The First Step: an Open Letter to My White Loved OnesDuring my first year of community college, I befriended a girl named A. She was one of those people that was always smiling. Always kind. Always positive, respectful, thoughtful, and affirming. We took our first American Sign Language class together and I enjoyed every time that we were paired for practice. I can still remember […]
Read More Little ThingsI am fortunate to be loved by a wide range of personalities, dispositions, and people. Many of which can only relate to feelings of anxiety in the realm of the hypothetical. I don’t understand ya, but I’m here for you! Because of my own experience with anxiety, I’ve been asked how to minister to someone […]
Read More How to Love Someone with Anxiety
