Blog – The Journey to My Father's Kingdom

Pursing Patience

My ego hurt, but my knee and hand hurt worse as two people ran by me and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I just tripped,” I replied, holding back the tears. “Just having a bad day.”

I’ve stumbled a few times while running in the past, but until today, never actually fell. This time I hit the ground hard. I tore up my knee and sprained my hand. The incident seemed like the perfect way to cap off 2025.

December went rather poorly for me, so as the new year crept nearer, I retreated into myself, feeling rather cynical. I didn’t want to engage in the festivities. My year was ending badly, so why should I get excited about a new one? The day I fell, I had planned a 5 mile run to clear my head. After the two people went by, I sat there and had a good cry. Though I eventually finished my run, emotional and physical pain enveloped me.

Caught up in the buzz of our society’s end-of-the-year challenges such as taking time to reflect on 2025 and coming up with resolutions and a “word of the year” for 2026, I found myself in an even worse mood. I resisted these activities strongly. However, the more I resisted the start of the new year, the more I prayed about my circumstances. The more I prayed, the more I felt God pulling me out of myself and calling me towards engaging in these new year’s traditions. So, I took some time to journal, reflect, and look ahead.

As much as I didn’t want a word-of-the-year because I tended to forget about it after a few months, God put on my heart the word “patience.” I found him encouraging me to be patient while he works through my circumstances. He impressed upon me strongly that I needed to actively pursue patience in order to get through the hard things I am going through. In that call for patience, God gave me a resolution–to write in my prayer journal at least once a week so he can show me the fruit of my being patient.

Defining Patience

The Greek word, hypomonē, according to Strong’s dictionary, means “steadfastness, constancy, or endurance.” Strong’s shared a wonderful description of the word in its outline for Biblical usage:

In the [New Testament] the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Patience means to continue on toward the goal with “deliberate purpose,” rather than sitting around and waiting for things to happen. By definition, God calls us to stay the path as we trust in him to work all things out for our good and, ultimately, his glory. Commentator David Guzik says of this specific word,

This word does not describe a passive waiting but an active endurance. It isn’t so much the quality that helps you sit quietly in the doctor’s waiting room, as it is the quality that helps you finish a marathon.

David Guzik

I think this is one reason why God impressed on me to be more diligent in writing in my prayer journal–he wants me to keep moving forward in my trial. God wants me to remember where I started and to see how far he’s taken me.

Role Models of Patience

The Bible is full of people who are role models of patience. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, so it just makes sense that God would show us how to recognize that fruit.

Jesus Christ

The ultimate example of patience is Jesus Christ himself. He patiently endured ridicule, torture, and being hung on a cross to perfection. No one has been or ever will be as faultless as Jesus.

Abraham

While Abraham faltered at times, he is ultimately known for his faith. Having faith takes patience. God promised Abraham that he would have a son and that he would be the father of many nations. He promised Abraham a land for his nations to reside in. These promises took many years to come to fruition, but God delivered in a big way! (See Genesis chapters 12-25)

Sarah

Alongside her husband, Sarah also had to be patient. Being unable to bear children is a hard thing to live through. But imagine being told that you are going to have a child when your body is no longer in that season of life. No wonder she laughed when she finally conceived! From conception to childbirth, having a baby requires a lot of patience, especially when you have to wait years for your dream to come true.

Noah

From the several years it took to build the ark to waiting for the rain to come and the months on board ship waiting for the waters to subside, Noah certainly required patience. He’s a really great example of someone who stayed the course and continued working toward a goal while waiting on God for something to happen.

Job

God specifically allowed Job to suffer to demonstrate his steadfastness of faith. No matter how bad his life got, Job hung in there and defended his faith. James, brother of Jesus, remembers Job this way:

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

James 5:11 (ESV)

Timothy

Paul’s disciple, Timothy, may not be the first person you think of when you consider patient people from the Bible, but if you read 1 and 2 Timothy, you will see that Paul points out his patience quite specifically. When I read these verses, I was really encouraged!

Paul urges Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11, “But as for you, O man of God…Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” Then, in Paul’s next letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:10, Paul tells him, “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness.” Paul very clearly gives Timothy a direction to be steadfast (which is the same Greek word for “patient”) and then writes again to praise Timothy for doing just that. My prayer is that God would commend me likewise.

Paul

If you read Acts and Paul’s letters to the churches, you will find that Paul will not encourage others to do anything that he wasn’t himself pursuing. So, when he told Timothy to pursue steadfastness, he did so right along with him. He endured ridicule, torture, and imprisonment among other horrible things and yet he continued to visit with and write to his disciples all over the world. He even had a personal “thorn in the flesh” given to him by God and that just made him ever more grateful for his weaknesses.

Christians Are Encouraged to be Patient

Throughout Scripture, God calls his people to be patient. Look at our role models for patience, for example. God called each of them specifically to need patient endurance. This truth still applies to us today as Paul, Peter, and James consistently teach the need for patience in their letters to the churches (which applies to all Christians today).

Paul’s letter to the Romans, for example, is filled with the need for patience for believers. One of my favorite chapters I gravitate towards when I’m going through a hard time is Romans 5.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

The word, “endurance” in this passage is the same, hypomonē, or patience.

Another of my favorite chapters in the Bible on enduring hard times is James 1.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

Another passage that has really made me think is from the Apostle Peter, who I greatly admire. He stuck with Jesus through thick and thin, and like many of Jesus’s original disciples, died for his faith.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

2 Peter 1:5-9 (ESV)

Steadfastness in this passage is the same, hypomonē, or patience.

Patience is a Basic Need

Not only are we asked by God to have patience, we actually need patience in order to endure life’s challenges. We all face challenges in this life, some bigger than others. Patience is faith in action–the thing that sees us through our trials.

Trials don’t produce faith, but when trials are received with faith, it produces patience. Yet patience is not inevitably produced in times of trial. If difficulties are received in unbelief and grumbling, trials can produce bitterness and discouragement. This is why James exhorted us to count it all joy. Counting it all joy is faith’s response to a time of trial.

David Guzik

I know that I am going to make it through the trial I am facing right now. I’ve survived much worse. I think that’s why God has impressed on me the need for patience in this season. I’m curious to see how my prayer journaling will reveal God’s work of patience in my life over 2026.

How is God calling you to be patient in this season of your life?

Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.

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Mentally Thriving Through the Holidays

On Christmas Day 2021, I quietly slipped into the TV room at my in-laws house and broke down. My husband found me to see why I had withdrawn from the group. My mental health had been on a steady decline due to stress, and a recent situation compounded my angst. I wanted to go home. Being around people enjoying the holiday while I was in a bad place psychologically made me feel worse. It seemed like there was nothing I could do. Or could there have been?

I have lived with bipolar disorder and social anxiety most of my life. In 2018 I finally had an accurate diagnosis for my mental illness. After several years, I found the right medications and dosages, took time to heal, and learned coping strategies. My experiences with bipolar disorder and anxiety have taught me to plan ahead, to be okay with saying, “No,” and to live in the moment. These strategies can help those who struggle with mental illness–not just get through the holiday season–but to thrive.

Plan Ahead

Being out of your routine can cause stress to your mental health. Make your plans well in advance to help you mentally prepare for the change in regimen. Planning ahead allows you to also make a back-up plan in case you find yourself in a place inwardly where you aren’t coping.

If you meet regularly with a therapist, talk through your holiday plans together. Are there potential negative triggers to your mental health? How are you going to cope?

Are you on medication? I know when I don’t take my medication around the same time every day, I forget. Set an alarm reminder on your phone, especially when travelling or visiting with friends and family at the normal time you take your meds.

Create a schedule for baking, shopping, and decorating well in advance. This way it won’t sneak up on you and you can take each task a little at a time. Stress can be a trigger for mental health symptoms, so plan ahead to avoid being overwhelmed.

Be Okay With Saying, “No”

You don’t have to accept every invitation or participate in every festive event that comes your way, even if it’s something you typically do every year, be okay with missing this one year. Know what your limits are, even if it’s a family gathering you know will put you over the edge. Sure, family is important, but so is your mental health. Find a way to see your family without doing what’s beyond your capacity. Even if that’s telling your family, “This Christmas we’re going to have a quiet day at home, but we would like to have dinner with you on a day after the busy holiday season is over.”

We’re fortunate that we live close enough to our family that we can plan on visits for a set amount of time so that I don’t get overwhelmed. I rarely host get-togethers at my house because I know the triggers and limits of my stress. If you are hosting a get-together, make the start and end times clear from the time of the invitation. Likewise, when hosting family or friends overnight, make sure the time of arrival and departure is clear. If there is any gray area, clear up the uncertainty prior to the event.

Give yourself grace if you realized that you overcommitted. If backing out from a commitment affects other people, be honest with them and they will likely offer you the same grace. If they don’t, remind yourself that having boundaries is okay even if other people don’t understand.

Live in the Moment

Ultimately, remember that the holidays are just one season. I’m reminded of the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10. Even if you’re not a Bible-believing Christian, I think this story has a message for everyone.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

Mary took time to sit with her guest, while Martha was distracted with many other things, causing her much stress. Martha missed the memories that Mary was making with her dear friend, Jesus. She was taken out of the moment by her worry. What Martha didn’t realize was her time with Jesus was limited.

Jesus would later die on the cross (Luke 23), rose from the dead (Luke 24), and ascend into heaven so that his physical body was no longer on earth (Luke 1:9). Martha would never again be able to spend time with Jesus on Earth in the same way in her lifetime. She would have to wait until she got to heaven to sit at Jesus’s feet once more.

This holiday season, make your mental health a priority. You will be able to enjoy the time with your friends and family more if you plan ahead, decide when to say, “No”, and live in the moment.

Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.

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How Disunity Among American Christians is Harming the Gospel

America is a divided nation and the enemy is having fun stirring the pot of dissension. Are we headed for another civil war? One would think that Christians would be united in this fight, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather than uniting in biblically sound positions, Christians are leading the charge to show just how nasty the divisions in this country are.

Why Keeping the Sabbath is Important

A long busy week preceded a particular Saturday when all I wanted was to stay home and do pretty much nothing. Slated to serve in the church nursery on Sunday and a family outing planned later that same day, I knew I wasn’t going to get any rest unless I took Saturday completely off. I worked hard on Friday afternoon to get all urgent chores and errands completed so I didn’t have to worry about them for the rest of the week. However, my husband, who runs an auto repair shop, asked if I would run for some parts he needed. Then, a friend texted to see if we could set up a play date for our sons. Completely overwhelmed, I kindly said, “No.” Thankfully, my husband didn’t need the parts so urgently and my friend understood. Phew!

Have you had a week like that? Or, maybe you’ve had a month like that and you don’t see an end to the busyness. So easily we slip into the sin of being over-busy!

The reality is, the pace of American culture cleverly blankets the sin of not keeping the sabbath day holy.

Are You Really A Christian?

I grew up calling myself a Christian because I went to church and prayed sometimes. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t really know Jesus. I wasn’t a true Christian. I felt distant from God and didn’t understand his great love for me.

I’m not alone.

According to the 2023-2024 Pew Research study on religion in the United States, 62% of adults describe themselves as Christian. Yet, many among them reject core tenets of Christianity. The State of Theology survey claims that 56% of “Christians” believe that God accepts all religions and 43% believe that Jesus to be a great teacher, but not God. A study by Arizona Christian University concludes that 89% of professed Christians reject the Trinity. These statistics stand in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches.

How do I know I’m a Christian?

How to Take Mental Health Days

Are you burnt out from your busy schedule? Are you having a hard time maintaining focus on the tasks at hand? Do you struggle to have motivation to go from one thing to the next? These are just a few signs of many that you may need a mental health day. According to Harvard Health Publishing, signs you may need one or more mental health days include:

The Lie of “I Am Enough”

The phrase, “You are enough,” is found on mugs and t-shirts and floats around in memes all over the internet. It sounds positive, warm, fuzzy, and encouraging. Afterall, don’t you want your life to be worth something?

The problem is, saying “You are enough,” isn’t biblical and it rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only human that ever lived who was actually enough, was Jesus, but he made himself nothing for us so that we could be restored to our Creator. Saying that you are enough is the same as saying that you don’t need anyone to make up your worth. “I am enough” is like saying, “I am my own god.” Talk about pride and, if I may be so bold, even blasphemy!

How to Approach Mental Health in the Workplace

Laying in a fetal position sobbing under my desk in the office of our family auto repair shop, I just wanted to die. A long time coming, my mental health had been deteriorating quickly over the past few months. At a crossroads, something needed to change. I literally couldn’t do my job, much less be effective in my work. Thankfully, my husband worked with me to make adjustments so that I could be effective in my job and I sought professional help from my doctor to get the right diagnosis and the right medications to help me function.

I’m not the only one.

I follow a woman on Instagram whose mission is to bring awareness about bipolar disorder by sharing about her experience with the illness. For a long time she couldn’t work because of her severe symptoms. More recently, however, she has gotten her illness under control, and started back to work. But, she became worried that, due to her Instagram posts, that her employer would find out about her disorder. She didn’t want this knowledge to negatively impact her employment.

Mental illness aside, at a time when I was mentally stable, I had a job where I felt stifled, which made me less willing to go out of my way to see the organization succeed. I thought, “What’s the point?” and was unmotivated to work hard and was looking for a way out. When a new supervisor came in who cared about my mental health within my position, I had a complete turn around. Suddenly I was excited about the work I was doing and was more willing to go above and beyond to see the organization succeed.

I have found that a lot of people with mental health problems are harmfully affected in their employment, even to the point of losing their jobs because of the stigma of mental health concerns. The World Health Organization (WHO) states, “People with severe mental health conditions are more likely to be excluded from employment, and when in employment, they are more likely to experience inequality at work.”

What’s to be done?

If someone has a health disorder that is impeding their work, whether visible or not, it is in the employer’s best interest to find out how to work with them. Most of the time, someone with a mental health condition is still capable of performing the job, they just might need to go about it in a different way.

Not only do both employers and employees need to have a better understanding of mental health and how to approach it in the workplace, but we also need to put together a plan for our own mental health. Employers also need to work with employees on creating a mental health plan.

Continue reading “How to Approach Mental Health in the Workplace”

When God’s Answer is No

Have you ever felt like God is silent when you pray to him? Maybe you’ve gone years praying and never seeming to get an answer. What about the possibility that God is answering your prayer, just not the way you want? Sometimes what seems like God’s silence is actually him telling you to wait, or maybe even a firm no.

God’s Call to Discipleship

I had an identity crisis after having my son in 2017.

In 2005 God called me to full-time ministry with Cru. I was in my senior year of college and I had an intense conversation with God during a time of Bible study and prayer that led me to this belief. My former youth leader and those she worked alongside confirmed my call when I reached out to her and was soon after offered an internship. By the time my internship ended and was offered a full-time position with Cru’s high school ministry, I thought I would be a lifer–someone who would serve in that same position until retirement…and maybe even a little after. I was sure I would be sharing the gospel and discipling teenagers for the rest of my life. That’s how strong I felt the pull to full-time ministry.

The reality is that God calls us all to disciple others, whether it’s full time or not.

How Can I Help? Living Out Prayer

Let’s get one thing out of the way from the start: there is great power in prayer and having a daily habit of prayer in our life is important. But there are many times when prayer isn’t enough.

Imagine getting into a car accident where someone in the other vehicle is seriously injured. Do you just pray for them and then go about your day? No! You call an ambulance! What if that’s how we approached all prayer?

When someone is in great need for prayer, do you also find out what kind of practical help they might need?

In my experience, the times when I have most needed practical help, all I got was a lot of, “I’m sorry you are going through that, I’ll pray for you.” Hearing this response over and over really stings when no one tacks on an additional, “How else can I help?” This simple question could have made a huge difference in my life and to be honest, an answer to my prayers.

What is a Truly Repentant Heart?

How could this happen? Darla and I were close friends. Her husband, Danny, worked for my husband. Of course I would agree to nanny their son! Since we used the same bank, it seemed logical that they would pay me via internal transfer.

However, I made the mistake of trusting them too much and not checking to see if the money was actually being transferred. When money got tight for my family and I looked through my bank account to see what I could do about it, I realized that Danny had, in fact, stopped paying me.

I notified my husband, Andrew, what was going on. The next day he would approach Danny. Well, Danny did not react well to the confrontation, so I called Darla at work to alert her to the problem. She was shocked that Danny hadn’t been paying me and immediately apologized. Danny, on the other hand, made my life miserable over the next few months as only someone exhibiting narcissistic tendencies can. Eventually, at the encouragement of his pastor, he gave me a half-hearted and vague apology. It came across like he was just doing it because he was told to, not because he wanted to.

Six years later, I still haven’t been paid. Were Darla’s and Danny’s apologies enough? Were they truly repentant?

Finding Security: From the Tower of Babel to Jesus Christ

Have you ever been misunderstood?

If you’ve ever been to a country where you don’t speak a language, you probably have a story of a time when you’ve been misunderstood. I went to Hungary on a month-long mission trip some years ago. One of the other American girls, Marsha, and I went to the “mach” or supermarket. I really wanted some almonds, but we couldn’t find them. We flagged down one of the workers and said, “Angulu?” (“English?”).

He said, “Nem (no), German?”

We said, “Nem, Spanish?”

He said “Nem” and we all laughed.

Marsha and I pulled out our Hungarian-English dictionaries and tried to find the word, “nut,” in Hungarian. Can you believe that we each had a different dictionary and neither had the word, “nut,” or anything similar? So, we tried to describe with body language what we were looking for. The man took us over to the bread section and pointed at some rolls. We said, “nem,” and tried to describe it another way. He took us to the cracker aisle. “Nem.” About five tries later we were finally brought to a display of nuts! “Igen, igen! (Yes, yes!)” we cried.

While this situation was funny, it also made me feel a bit unnerved to be in a country where to even buy a bag of almonds is a chore. If the misunderstanding had been a bit more serious, like I had gotten separated from the group and someone decided to take advantage of my vulnerability, I would not have been able to call out for the proper help. I definitely didn’t feel as secure and free to do as I wished while I was in Hungary than I am in America.

If the whole world spoke one language, none of these situations, real or imagined, would have been a problem. I even struggle in an English speaking country, whether because of different accents or because we are fallen creatures and do not fully understand the complexity of human communication.

Being misunderstood in a foreign country is one thing, but another thing is to be misunderstood in your native language, which happens all the time.

Have you been misunderstood recently? What is our motive for being understood and why is it so hard for us to communicate?

How has being understood and known caused you to turn from God?

Let’s take a look at the well known story of the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1-9 to examine this question.

Finding Fruit in Patience and Surrender

I’ve been gardening since the Covid lockdown in 2020. It started as an educational experiment with my then 3-year-old and sort of snowballed from there. Gardening in Florida is not for the faint of heart. The seasons are completely flip-flopped, and not everything grows well in this humid subtropical state. One thing I’ve learned is that you can plant many seeds, but not all of them sprout, so sometimes you have to re-sow until they produce. Also, sometimes the plant sprouts, but gets ravaged by pests, so you never get to enjoy the fruit of your labors. However, with patience and surrender, the garden will eventually bear fruit.

Patience and surrender, when done right, will bear fruit in all areas of life.

Is Self-Love Biblical?

Today’s American culture promotes “self-love” as something we need to embrace in our everyday life. However, this way of thinking ignores what Jesus did for us on the cross and his purpose for our lives. We are not meant to focus on self-love. We are meant to focus on Christ’s love for us through his death and resurrection on the cross.

Nowhere in the Bible does God command us to love ourselves. The problem is, we already love ourselves, but we struggle to love others as much as we love ourselves. Another way to define “self-love” is “pride.” What we need to realize is that Jesus loves us more than we could ever love ourselves and, just as important, God is love. So what do we do with that love?

For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

Suffering has been a natural part of life since Adam and Eve. We’ve all experienced suffering. Each person’s suffering is unique and affects everyone differently. We can learn from Paul through his letter we call the book of 2 Corinthians.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his call as an Apostle because a group of people who were against him were being divisive in the Corinthian church that he helped plant. He argues that, through his suffering, he has exactly what is needed to comfort other believers in their suffering. I am one of those who has been comforted by Paul’s suffering! I can attest to the Spirit-led words of 2 Corinthians that Paul is truly a leader in the faith because of his suffering.

Paul also wrote 2 Corinthians to encourage those who responded well to 1 Corinthians. Again, his experience with suffering is part of the encouragement he gave to the tender-hearted Corinthians.

In my Bible, the book of 2 Corinthians is all marked up. There is so much deep truth to be gleaned to lift up the hurting and encourage them in their faith journey. He reflects back on Christ’s suffering to encourage us in ours.

Running the Race of Faith

When was the last time you did something hard? I mean really hard? “I’m not sure I’m going to make it through this” hard? What was the motivation to keep going?

I’ve been through many hard things. I almost died after childbirth. I’ve been wrongly sued by a large Christian organization. I’ve been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. These just to name a few hardships I’ve had in my life. What kept me going? My faith in Jesus. It didn’t come easily. A lot of patient endurance was needed, but I’ve come through those hardships, and because of those hardships, I have faith that I will make it through any others that come my way. And you can have that kind of faith, too.

Finding Joy in Life’s Trials

When was the last time you experienced joy even though life was hard?

My world was crashing around me. My family was dealing with a really difficult and complicated situation that affected both our business and our family. On top of the extreme stress this caused us, our house flooded, producing a serious mold problem, so we were displaced from our home for four months. My son was two at the time, and I suddenly had to go back to work. I had a major breakdown, leading to a much delayed bipolar disorder diagnosis.

During this difficult time, God brought my attention to Psalm 126:5 (ESV), which says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” There were definitely plenty of tears, but I couldn’t figure out how they led to “shouts of joy.” As I meditated on this verse, instead of being comforted, I became angry. I just couldn’t understand how I could have joy in my current circumstances.

As I started healing from all I had been going through, I realized that joy is not a feeling, but rather a gift from God, given to us through the Holy Spirit. We must become intimate with God to learn how to utilize this gift, even when our life looks bleak.

The Christian Response to Controversy

From the Olympic games to the U.S. presidential race, and life in between, our world is brimming with controversy and hot opinions. In efforts to maintain honor to Christ’s name, I’ve seen people become hypocritically nasty. I am the kind of person who tries to see the best in people, so I think these people have their heart in the right place, but Satan is doing what Satan does and twists things around for his entertainment and glory. My biggest concern in this atmosphere is that we Christians are being poor witnesses for Christ.

So, how do we become a light for Christ in a world of sin? This is an especially difficult question when that sin is parading as light. I believe there are a few things Christian need to consider and hold closely to our hearts when interacting with non-Christians.

The Problem of Idolatry in America

The Problem of Idolatry in America

With the presidential election coming upon us, it has become quite clear to me that this country has a problem with idolatry, or the worship of someone or something other than the One True God. I am not surprised as I’ve seen idolatry rearing its ugly head in the church for many years. Sadly, Christians are leading the charge in the case of idol worship in America both inside and outside of the Christian community.

God’s Gift of Perseverance

The miles were many and hard. Eight miles. Ten miles. Twelve. Sunshine and rain. Some days I had to literally talk aloud to myself just to get through the training run.

“Okay, Beth, walk to the next tree. Now run to that shadow. You can do this!”

By the time race day came, I was ready. I knew I wasn’t going to be as fast as I would have liked. Four months prior I was in an orthopedic boot recovering from a sprained foot. A lot of patience and perseverance was required just to get to the point where I was running again. But now I was ready to run 13.1 miles.

I’ve been through a lot of things in my life that have required perseverance. My mental illness. Pregnancy. Recovery from postpartum trauma. Challenges in my marriage.

Perseverance is a gift from God. We just have to have the right perspective. Let’s take a look into Biblical examples of perseverance, and then think about how God directs us to persevere.

The Dangers of Joking About Mental Illness

“She’s being so bipolar today.”

“The weather has been so bipolar lately.”

“I’m really OCD about that.”

“Does anyone with OCD want to come over and clean my house?”

“Keep calm and take your meds.”

“I’m not crazy. I prefer the term mentally hilarious.”

“Give me a second while I consult the voices in my head.”

“I have PTSD about that!”

These are just a few jokes about mental illness. If you search the internet, you can find hundreds. You may think that it’s okay to joke about your own illness. Or you may have a friend or family member that is mentally ill who says they are okay with the jokes. The problem is, joking about mental illness minimizes the seriousness of the disorders, shames those who are suffering from them, and prevents people from getting the help that they need. Not to mention, the Bible clearly says that making fun of anyone in any way is a sin.

The Disobedience of the American Church

Lately I’ve been feeling convicted about my obedience to the Lord. It’s not that I’m being intentionally disobedient, but I am not being intentionally obedient either. I’m not stopping throughout my day to touch base with God to see if I’m on the track of righteousness. So, as I’ve started to make it a habit to reflect at different points during my day, I’ve asked him, “God, how can I be obedient to you right now?” and his response has caught me off guard sometimes.

I find myself doing what is comfortable rather than what is right. I’ve slipped into a mindset of complacency and I’ve pondered why that is. As I’ve prayed about this self-contentedness, I began to realize that I live in a self-focused, self-reliant society. The problem is that secularism isn’t the main culprit to the corruption of my faith. It’s the disobedience of the American church.

How to Be Joyful When You Don’t Feel Joy

There have been many firsts of January when I couldn’t wait to say goodby to the previous year in hopes of a better tomorrow. For many, January first is a promise of a fresh start. We make resolutions and set goals. The problem is, just because we buy a new calendar doesn’t mean our problems from the previous year magically disappear.

When Life Feels Hopeless, But God…

I woke up in the ICU trapped by tubes and wires coming out of my mouth and limbs. My arms were strapped down to the bed. I couldn’t process what was happening. Someone somewhere had my days old baby. Where was he? I struggled against the straps, but my husband leaned down over me to calm me.

A few days after my son was born I went to urgent care with what I thought was a bad stomach bug. My vitals were all over the place, so they immediately put me into an ambulance and rushed me to Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. It didn’t take long for them to figure out I had septicemia and prepared me for emergency surgery to clean the infection out of my vital organs.

After life saving surgery and a blood transfusion, I lay in the ICU searching for clarity. Where was I? Where was my baby? Why can’t I talk?