Today I’m grateful to share my own inciting incident (as defined in the picture below), which deals with my family’s adoption story, on Thrive 80’s site HERE. Would love for you to check it out!
Thrive 80 from Moody Publishing Company is a blog that deals with the real issues and questions that followers of Jesus wrestle with, particularly young adults, and I’d encourage you all to check it out. Continue Reading…
I am thrilled to share that my friend, and #LiveFully partner Evan Forester, has released his first eBook entitled “1 Step To Becoming a Good Christian.”
The message is simple yet profound, and brief enough to enjoy in one sitting. It’s also a great conversation starter to share with others about what matters most in our faith. You can receive this eBook FREE by subscribing to our email list, so visit the book’s page and go for it!
In connection with Evan’s eBook, I want to ask you a question – “What is ONE simple change that made a significant difference in your life?”
This is not about getting real deep and philosophical, although I love that too. This is practical, and a chance for us to help one another by sharing simple changes that have made a legitimate difference in our lives. Continue Reading…
Our move to New Zealand has taught me many lessons on a deeper level. For instance, I used to think I knew what it meant to trust God, but now I actually have to trust Him. Recently, God has been showing me the incredible importance and power of prayer.
We have now been here for about 8 weeks. In that time, we have both found jobs, bought a car, been welcomed into incredible community, moved into a house, turned it into a home, and were even given a free second vehicle. I’m not saying this to brag about ourselves, but to point out the incredible faithfulness of God. Because really, all that should have been impossible in so short a time. Continue Reading…
If you grew up in the 90’s or later, than you can probably sing the intro song to Bill Nye the Science Guy. Although I hadn’t watched him since about the fourth grade, I was interested to see that The Science Guy went viral this week with a controversial Youtube hit. (I was also interested how he ages so well – he looks exactly the same as back then.)
The title of the video is provocative -“Creationism is Not Appropriate For Children” and certainly a primary reason for its two and a half million views in just one week.
Before I go further, you must know my purpose is not to provide the evidential proof for creationism or evolution, nor is it a space to angrily debate the issue. Unfortunately there are plenty of venues for all those very “productive” discussions. Continue Reading…
We love sharing what followers of Jesus are learning about the most full life. Today we have a guest post from Supriya Sajja, a student intern at Grace Church in Snellville, Georgia.
What does it mean to truly live a full life? I thought I understood this concept, considering it much like the YOLO phrase – “You Only Live Once.” My thinking was that I should take every single opportunity to do as many different things as possible.
“When will I ever have the opportunity to do these things, with this person, at this exact moment? Never again.” I thought experiencing all God had to offer meant always being occupied. As long as I read my Bible, then I could just spend the rest of my day staying busy. Continue Reading…
I often heard that once a father I would understand God’s heart for his people on a whole new level. That is true. However, what I didn’t hear as much is how many things that my child would (unintentionally) teach me about living a life of Christian faith. Here are 2 examples…
1. Ask “WHY” a lot
Kids question everything because they are hungry to understand WHY people do the things they do.
Too many Christians live with too small a vision for WHY they do the things they do. This is sad because the Bible provides vision for WHY everything matters and WHY we should engage in the world today.
I once heard a man say “Those who know HOW will always follow those who know WHY.” If you’re like me, this line caused you to make some kind of audible noise in agreement. Christians (should) have the most compelling answers for WHY, and naturally lead the way for those who know HOW.
We must never get so caught in the practicality of life that we fail to be compelled by underlying Christian vision. God gives meaning to every area of life and provides real purpose for why we get up in the morning. Are you driven by it?
2. Use Your Imagination
Kids entertain themselves for hours simply by imagining a different world. I love to watch my daughter in these moments, and it’s a blast to enter that imaginary place with her.
The use of imagination was never meant to stop after childhood, but oftentimes “growing up” means quitting all the pretending and getting serious about life.
Christianity calls for people to imagine how life could be different if touched by the redeeming power of Jesus. We don’t just look forward to a New Heaven and New Earth one day in the future. Rather, the future hope of completely restored life floods our imaginations for how redemption breaks into the present world NOW.
“What does redemption look like in ________?” It’s not just a nice mental exercise, but the precursor, the imaginative work, that drives our action in the world.
Let us clear out the cobwebs of our imaginations and dream again, like kids do so well. And let us continue to ask WHY, searching for those answers in God’s story of redemption. Perhaps this is partly what it means to live with child-like faith.
Vision + Imagination + Action = #LiveFully
What else have you learned from kids?
Our world today needs good Christian leaders.
But what makes a good Christian Leader? Is he or she assertive? Humble? Meek? Strong willed? Well studied? Aggressive? Forgiving? Just nice? Good singer? Good speaker?
It seems like everyone has their own definition. But I think most agree that the best guide for good Christian leadership is the Bible.
Yet for some reason, we rarely look to the Bible. We read books and look to movies and fail to go to the Lord for His definition of leadership. But maybe that’s because we don’t like it… Continue Reading…
We share a lot of stories about people living in mainstream culture today who make an impact for God’s Kingdom. We love those modern stories, and they are important, but we must not forget the richness that stories from the past, especially Scripture, can hold for us today.
I recently read the book of Esther and was amazed by how much I enjoyed it. From a literature standpoint, Esther is incredible. It has a massive scale, is rich with irony, features a crazy evil villain, and the good guys win despite incredible odds. If you’ve never read the book, you need to. Here are five lessons from Esther that are relevant for all of us living today: Continue Reading…
Philippians 4:8 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Paul commands the Christians in Philippi to think about things that are beautiful, good, and true. For those of you philosophy people, you may be drawn to consider another person in history who called attention to those qualities. Plato considered these three things – the True, Good, and the Beautiful to be the “universals,” and he held that in order to live a holistic, mature life they must exist together in a harmonious way.
Eugene Petersen, author of The Message, describes the way in which the church has fallen short of embracing all three. In regards to Christians, he states “we are vigorous in contending for the True, thinking rightly about God. We are energetic in insisting on the Good, behaving rightly before God. But Beauty, the forms by which the True and the Good take shape in human life, we pretty much ignore.” Continue Reading…
Today we feature an incredible young photographer named Sterling Graves. At the age of seventeen, Sterling turned his favorite hobby into a successful, growing business. As a young man with tons of creativity, he loves to serve people through the art of photography.
#LF: How does following Jesus fuel your passion for photography?
I believe that Jesus is the prime example of passion. His love, life, and word is full of passion for us to experience and an example to live out. Not only did He live fully, He died fully, and He fully lives again. As a Christian, I want to try my best to be a living sacrifice of who Jesus was. I believe that in Him, I am a new creation. I am no longer what the world wants to define me, but rather a co-heir with Christ. How fully can you live if your passion isn’t being transformed by God and the things He has for you?
#LF: How do you seek to impact people through your photography? Continue Reading…
