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Why We Should Choose Humility and Let Go of Pride

Leave a Comment / Discipleship / leannahollis

When we, as disciples of Christ, consider the rampant pride and sense of entitlement in our society today, it may be difficult to understand why we should choose humility and let go of our pride. Scripture, however, tells us God opposes the proud but pours out grace on the humble. (James 4:6) For those who follow Jesus, humility is not optional. Choosing Humility Isn’t Always Easy Moses was described by God at the most humble man on earth, (Numbers 12:3) but he probably wasn’t the most humble as a youth in Pharaoh’s court. His murderous departure from promience to forty years of anonymity in the wilderness changed him. Those decades spent tending sheep provide a much-needed lesson in humility. In the wilderness, no one bowed before him, served him the choicest foods, or stood guard over him. Instead, he knelt before his sheep to tend and care for them. Moses sought out the choicest pastures for his rambling charges, chased them over rocky hills, and guarded the herd with his life. It was hard work, often frustrating, and sometimes heart-breaking. Moses left his life of elegance and glamour behind and embraced simplicity and faith. It changed him to his core, and he never went back to his old life. Instead, he embraced the life for which God created him and led millions of his fellow Hebrews to the freedom God promised Abraham. Why should we choose humility? The word translated as humble indicates a person with a modest, lowly opinion of himself, someone who prefers to bear an injury than to cause one. We sometimes call a person with that mindset a “wimp,” but God calls them great. In our culture, humility is in scarce supply. Instead, society rewards those who are confrontational, arrogant and speak derogatory words toward others. We need look no further than the plethora of “viral” posts on the internet to see the truth of our craving for word-bashing. We think we know best, always, and that we’re entitled to our opinion without opposition. Or so we think. Pride abounds. In the perfect culture of God, humility abounds. In the perfect culture of God, we, His people, recognize He knows best. We bow to His authority and treat each other with respect and honor. In heaven. God is on His throne and everyone behaves as if they know it because they do. If we want to prepare ourselves for our life in eternity, we will choose humility now because, when we’re in heaven, we’ll humble ourselves and bow before Him. We, the body of Christ, would adopt a humble mindset now if we grasped the enormity of God. Moses didn’t wait for the Red Sea to part to become humble. It was burned into him through years of sacrifice, simple living, and hard work. Humility doesn’t come to us in fancy clothes, bespoke suits, or big bank accounts, but in the simplicity of a life of faith. It comes from following, not demanding the right to lead, and in seeing ourselves as we are before a great and mighty God. How to choose humility In some areas of American society today, the simple life is considered foolish, strange, unwieldy, and senseless. Our lives are often consumed with schedules, productivity, money, success in a twisted version of the American dream. What if we redefined success to include simple faith and simple living? What if a great city was one in which a vibrant community of like-minded individuals worked together to accomplish a greater good for every citizen? We may never redefine society but we can embrace a heart of humility and allow Jesus to change our lives, our priorities, and our definition of success. Even in this busy, mixed-up world of ours, we can choose humility, and we should. We begin by doing what Jesus said. Love God more than anything else and love our neighbor as much, and in the same way, as we love ourselves. When we move our focus from ourselves and our desires to God and His plans for our life, there’s not much room for pride. The blessings of humility Why should we choose humilty and love? Scripture tells us pride comes before a fall but God gives grace to the humble. Why choose the fall of pride when the grace of humility is freely available? There’s something that’s even better though. The seeds of humility in Moses’ heart grew into a deep relationship with God in which they spoke as man to man, friend to friend. No one else dared to risk it, but Moses walked into the presence of God and experienced grace on an entirely new level. We, too, can have the same relationship if we’re willing to let go of pride and embrace humility. Today, let’s ask God for a humble, gentle, Moses-style heart and embrace the simple faith that brings us into the presence of God and leaves us glowing from the impact of our time with Him. “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 nasb While you’re here, check out these blog posts: How to Trust God in Hard Times The Benefits of Repentance What Does it Mean to Be Beloved? What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus? Promises of God Fulfilled What Does Freedom in Christ Mean? What Does He Must Increase and I Must Decrease Mean? Thanks for reading “Why We Should Choose Humility” and sharing your time with us today. Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look t Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you grow in your Christian faith: (This is

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What Does it Mean to Be Beloved by God?

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

Beloved is a word used in Scripture both as an adjective (“My dearly beloved Son”) and a term of address, but what does it mean to be beloved by God? Paul, John, and Jude all use the word to describe the people to whom their letters were addressed. The Greek word translated as “beloved” (agapetos)* indicates dearly loved, highly esteemed, or favorite. We, those who follow Jesus, are dearly loved, and, in way, we’re favorite children. Consider the words of Jude as he opened his epistle: “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:1 I am beloved by God, and so are you. Ponder that a few moments, then say these words aloud: I am beloved by God. Repeat them and let their beautiful truth soak into your soul. God spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism and He used the same word. “This is My beloved Son. (Mark 1:11) My agapetos Son.** The word describes the depth of God’s love for Jesus and His love for us. The never-ending, unconditional, unlimited love of God is not only lavished on His only Son; although underserved, the same love is also lavished on each of us. Selah. Pause and ponder that for a moment then consider this… Being beloved doesn’t equal an easy life. Several years ago, I thought and talked about the love of God quite often, but maybe not for the reason you might expect. After a long siege of hard, followed by a long siege of a different kind of hard, I wondered what God intended. It was an excruciatingly difficult time during which I was so overwhelmed I wondered if there was a lesson in the suffering at all. I had a lot of questions for God. Was there a point to the suffering? If I learned whatever lesson was included would it bring my trial to an end? What did it mean to be beloved by God in the midst of such suffering? Answers came slowly, if at all. Eventually, I learned an important truth in the long season of agony. Suffering is common to the human experience, but it does not diminish the love of God by a single iota. I spent more days than I care to admit wailing before the Lord. Finally, I took action. Offered to repent of sins I didn’t have after repentance of the sins I did have failed to break the siege. In case spiritual warfare caused my problems, I rebuked the evil one and quoted more Scripture than I realized I knew. It didn’t help. Because a sacrifice of praise turned things around once before, I gave thanks for the blessings I have, the problems I don’t, and the gifts of God I might or might not receive. Powerless to fix it. Finally, I admitted something terrible. I had no control over the duration of the siege of hard. I was powerless to shorten it or to make it easier. My job was to get through it and honor God while I did. Unfortunately, I felt a little like a coyote in a trap who gnaws off his own leg to save his life. The needed medical treatment was a drug so potent most people who take it feel terrible. Imagine first-trimester pregnant, a severe case of influenza, and a football concussion all at once. Yeah. Bad. With a dazed brain, generalized aches, fatigue, and persistent nausea writing was hard. No, nearly impossible. I’m a writer. It’s who I am, what I do, how I process life. The biggest, best part of my life (next to my faith and my son, Ryan) vanished and I missed it dreadfully. Blog posts? Impossible. Novel edits? Out of the question. New stories and Bible studies? I couldn’t put together a sentence, much less an entire book. After twenty years as a writer, I didn’t know how to function without writing. The hardest months of my life weren’t wasted. The long-haul of hard taught me one important fact: Being beloved by God doesn’t always equal feeling loved. What I knew and how I felt didn’t match. I knew I’m God’s dearly beloved child but I didn’t necessarily feel beloved. My problems didn’t feel fair but it wasn’t about fair. In truth, fair would equal eternal damnation. Grace allowed a temporary difficulty that would, in some not-recognizable-at-the-time way, mold me into a more Christ-like Leanna. It was sensible, at least from a human perspective. The difficulties made the work to which I’m called harder, not easier. I wanted to know the why behind my suffering. The decision to give up my perceived right to an explanation was a hard step. I didn’t know why those agonizing months were necessary. I still don’t. Eventually, I realized “why” didn’t matter and I determined to endure with grace, even if it lasted the rest of my life. That, my friends, was one of the hardest steps in the journey. What does it mean to be beloved by God? We don’t always see what God’s doing. Jude also wrote about God’s generous gifts to us. Eternal life. Mercy. Peace. Love. None of them seemed pertinent to my experience at the moment, nevertheless, they were still given in abundance. The longer the hard time persisted, the more time I spent in God’s presence. Sometimes all I could pray was “Jesus, Jesus,” but it was enough. Despite the pain and anti-viral-induced brain fog, peace reigned. Grace carried me through. The other side I read the story of Job more than once during that time, especially the “after” part when God restored two-fold. I clung to the hope of “the other side.” When it finally came, it was worth everything I went through. God worked when I could not and did things I never imagined. In my writing. In my ministry. He answered prayers that were nothing more than longings in my

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Harbinger of Hope: Springtime Daffodils

3 Comments / Discipleship / leannahollis

Harbingers of Spring If you’re like me, after a long season of hard you probably wonder where to find hope or maybe even is fresh hope possible? The row of daffodils along my fence line after a long, hard winter serves as a harbinger of hope and has ever since I moved to the farm one fall more than thirty years ago. The winter was colder than I expected, and a little harder. Spring finally arrived with a surprise. Daffodils along both the fence line and the driveway. The bright yellow was a welcome sight after months of gloomy weather. Once all the daffodils bloomed, Sam, the farm manager who’d planted them years before, went down the row and picked a double handful, careful not to take too many from any one spot. He presented me with a huge bouquet, as proud as a little boy with a blossom for his mama. The flowers filled my largest vase. Daffodils along the fence became my harbinger of spring, my sign of hope that a long winter would soon be done. The Overcomer Daffodils: Harbinger of Hope Some years ago, I went through a particularly terrible time. Devastated by the events. Powerless to change them. Unable to see any light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Fresh hope was in short supply. That Christmas, the hardest we’d ever faced, a friend gave me a bag of daffodil bulbs. I was out of hope, struggling with faith, and didn’t know if I’d ever find new hope again, but Ryan (my son) and I took a leap of faith. We planted the bulbs in a new row along an unplanted stretch of driveway. In a few months, the daffodils bloomed and with them fresh hope. Things were better. I called them my Overcomer Daffodils. A few years later, another difficult time came and stayed for a while. I bought a bag of daffodil bulbs for myself, planted them, and prayed our circumstances would improve by the time they bloomed, as they had before. I wanted another dose of fresh hope. It wouldn’t actually come in a bag of daffodil bulbs, but I knew where to find hope: in the One who made the daffodils bloom. Winter came before blooms, of course, and that year was a hard one. The temperatures were low. Sam was sick and frail. The water to the barn froze. I hauled water to livestock in single-digit temperatures until I was nearly crazed by cold and exhaustion. I was too busy to think about daffodils. When they finally bloomed, a thrill of hope shot through me. It was a sign, a harbinger of hope. I felt certain of it. My spirits soared. It didn’t take long to realize the daffodils weren’t the sign I’d hoped to receive. That particular stretch of hard didn’t end for quite a while. When it came, the change was in me, not my circumstances. I relinquished my difficulties to the only One who could intervene and allowed Him to heal my wounded, weary heart. The daffodils served as a symbol of the grace and power I received as I became a little more like Christ. Forgotten Flowers Sam died just before winter began in 2017. I missed him more than I thought possible. Life without him was far more difficult than I’d expected. If the daffodils bloomed that year, I overlooked them. Flowers, hope, and power were in short supply. Despite proddings from well-meaning people to “get over it,” I stayed with my grief until the hardest part of the work was done. Earlier this spring, I remembered the daffodils and waited in anticipation for the buds to shoot up and the flowers to open. When the earliest daffodils bloomed, an important truth came along with them. This year, for the first time since Sam’s death, they didn’t come with the pang of grief and loss. Their arrival is more than a harbinger of hope. They’re a testimony to more than thirty years of God’s faithfulness and His grace. Those daffodils helped me realize something else, and it was as surprising as ever. I made it through another hard season and God’s grace was sufficient all the way through, even without my beloved farm manager, Sam. More than a Harbinger of Hope: Consider the Lilies “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?… And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25, 28-32 ESV What about you? Have you been through a difficult season in life? What helped you find fresh hope? What served as a sign, or harbinger of hope for you? Have you learned where to find hope? I’d love to hear from you, so please comment below. Want to read more articles like Harbinger of Hope: Springtime Daffodils? Here are links to a few other posts: Hope: God With Us When the Hand of God Restored My Hope Finding the Beautiful Place Called Hope Promises of God Fulfilled Thanks for sharing your time with us today. Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on

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How to Make A Fresh Start

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

If you wonder if you can make a fresh start, or how I can make a fresh start, this guide on how to make a fresh start can help. Perhaps your social media feed is similar to ours. It’s not filled with suggestions for how to serve others or how to lay down your life for something you believe in or someone you love. Instead, it’s filled with recommendations for how to optimize your time, practice good “self-care,” improve your appearance, or work less but get more done. Judging by a recent review of social media, we might be a bit self-absorbed. Before we talk about how to make a fresh start, let’s pause for a moment and consider the end goal of life. Do we want to die with tight skin, a tiny waist, and a well-organized planner? If so, the self-help gurus may be of assistance. If we want to leave a heritage and a legacy instead, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere for guidance. Where do we go for information on how to make a fresh start? If social media isn’t handing out the best information on how to have a life that counts, and it’s not, who is? Ponder that question for a moment, then consider John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life…” If we want our “best life now” as well as transformation and victory in the coming years, we won’t find it in a self-help book unless our “self-help” book is the Bible. We won’t find what we seek in a “word of the year” unless our word reflects surrender and obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our best life may not be what we think we want. According to Jesus, He’s the only one who can give us our “best life.” He didn’t use those words, but it’s what He meant. “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10 The word translated as abundantly is perissos and means “Over and above. Super-added. Exceeding. Abundantly. Supremely.” (1) Here’s the “Faith Lived Out Loud Paraphrase”: “I came so you can have your best life.” Selah. Pause and consider. We find our best life now in Christ alone. How do we make a fresh start and achieve the abundant life Jesus offers? It’s amazingly simple. It’s astoundingly hard. Three easy steps can take us to the kind of life most people only dream about. Repent Follow Repeat How to Make A Fresh Start: Begin with Repentance Our life may look great by the world’s standards, but our best life begins with a careful look at our hearts and an honest appraisal of our mistakes according to God’s standards. We’ve all done wrong actions and entertained wrong thoughts (sinned). We deal with those by confessing them to God and asking for His forgiveness. Let’s take a moment to consider and confess our failures. Scripture tells us He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. If God lets our mistakes go, we should do the same. It’s not repentance if we hold on to our sin, so let’s quit rehashing and give our mess to Him. No more take-backs. How to Make a Fresh Start: Begin to Follow Jesus called His disciples with two simples words: Follow Me. They left their old lives behind and spent every available minute with Jesus. They did what He did. Went where He went even when it was not politically correct. Lived as He lived. They obeyed. If we follow Jesus, we spend time with Him through Bible study and prayer. We do what He says. Love as He loves. Forgive as He forgives. His priorities become our own. We let go of our desire for more stuff and find our contentment in more of Him. We obey in big and small areas, even when it’s hard. How to Make A Fresh Start and Maintain it? Repetition It would be convenient if we could repent one time and be through for eternity but it doesn’t work that way. We all fail—whether by the hasty word, impure thought, unkind deed, or neglected obedience. If we want to maintain the sweet closeness Jesus intended, we must be consistent in repentance and obedience. If we make a mistake, we repent, shake it off, and get up again. In a way, we make another fresh start. Repent. Follow. Repeat. For the disciple of Jesus, it’s more than a mantra. It’s a way of life and the key to how to make a fresh start now and throughout the years to come. When we unload our sin burden by confession and repentance, we have a fresh start. We enjoy a sweet relationship with Jesus through time spent with Him and a lifestyle of obedience. Only then do we experience the abundance He intended. Abundance doesn’t mean stuff Jesus didn’t promise an easy life or earthly wealth. In fact, He promised us trouble and trials. Does that sound like the “best” kind of life? Maybe not. The “best,” however, can be found in His presence despite our trouble and trials and the resulting fruit of the Spirit: Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) We don’t have a smorgasbord of spiritual fruit from which we must pick and choose. Instead, we have the opportunity of a lifetime filled with all of it. A glimpse of “best” When we repent of our sins, receive Christ’s forgiveness, and make a fresh start by following Jesus, we find in Him our best friend, comforter, guide, healer, and teacher. We are never alone and need never despair, no matter what we face. Over time, He fills our life with love, joy, peace, and all the other aspects of His fruit. We may not have worldly abundance but we can be content with what He gives because Jesus is always enough. If you’re ready

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How to Pray the News and Why We Should Pray the News

12 Comments / Discipleship, Prayer / leannahollis

If you look at your news feed and wish God would move, keep reading to learn how to pray the news and why we should pray the news. Can prayer make a difference in current events? Yes. Our prayers make a difference in greater ways than we can imagine. According to Scripture, the prayer of a righteous man is both effective and powerful. If that’s true, and we believe it is, we must be vigilant observers of our culture and the world around us. We must look for opportunities to invite God into current events and troubling situations and ask Him to intervene. The Prophet Elijah was a great example of prayer’s impact on the culture. At the urging of God, he prayed there would be no rain in ancient Israel and it didn’t rain for more than three years. (James 5:17,18). Scripture is filled with examples of world-changing prayers. What Does it Mean to Pray the News Christians, if we believe prayer is powerful, we should pray the news. As we scroll through news feeds (not social media feeds but actual NEWS), a variety of stories will capture our attention. It’s vital to know the difference between fake and real news. SNOPES.com or other online fact-check source can verify accuracy or lack of accuracy. When we see troubling news items, our first response may be to question, “Can pray make a difference in current events?” Instead, consider how God might want to become involved in the stories you read. What intervention would bring glory to Him and line up with Scripture? Has God intervened in a similar situation in Scripture before? When you have an idea of what God’s done before and His potential plan, pray Scripture over the situation. We’ll give examples below. Can prayer make a difference in culture or current events? It depends on how you view prayer, how you view God, and how you pray. What is prayer? The Online dictionary defines prayer as “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship,” or an “earnest hope or wish.” We define prayer as a conversation with the One who loves us most, Almighty God Himself. Want to know how to pray the news? Start with relationship. When we choose to follow Jesus, we choose a relationship intended to be intimate and loving. The Bible, God’s word, is, in a way, a letter from God to those He loves. It’s designed so we learn more about Him when we read what He’s said. Conversation, or prayer, is the natural response to time spent in His Word. We learn to know Him through time spent with Him in conversation and through a faithful life of obedience. Talking with God, or prayer is not limited by space, time, or whether or not a Bible is in our hand. God is omnipresent (everywhere at once) and omniscient (knows everything at once). God is wherever we are and knows whatever we’re doing. He sees what we see and hears what we hear. Our Lord is with us. What prayer is not… As important as what prayer is in regard to how to pray the news is what prayer is not. Prayer is not the token we insert into the cosmic dispenser of wants and desires with the expectation that whatever we ask will mysteriously appear. It is not the command of a general to a lower ranking soldier with instant obedience expected. It is the humble request of a rank recruit requesting a favor of a 5-star general, the request of a child snuggled in the lap of a beloved daddy. Can prayer make a difference in current events? If we pray as Jesus prayed, it can. His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His response (Matthew 6:9-13) focused more on who God is and what He wants than our desires and needs. Jesus began prayer with worship and honor to God, followed with a request for God’s will, and, only then did He move into personal requests. Jesus asked for needs, rather than wants. Our prayers should follow that same formula. Why we should pray the news: The God who loved us enough to send His Son (John 3:16), who forgives our sins and carries our burdens (Psalm 68:19), cares about us. He’s concerned about the things that concern us. God desires righteousness and justice and, according to Scripture, is involved in the affairs of men in significant ways. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” If God can change the heart of a king, do we want Him to change it to a focus on righteousness and justice? Certainly, we do. Do you still wonder why we should pray the news or can prayer make a difference in current events? According to the apostle Paul, the answer is yes, prayer can make a big difference. The most important reason to combine prayer and politics or prayer and current events, however, is not because we think it will help. We pray the news and for current events because God commands it. “First of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 How to Pray the News Regardless of our political party or ideological preference, we are to pray for those in authority whether we agree with their policies or not. Those “authority figures” include elected officials, political appointees, and law enforcement officials, as well as managers and administrators in offices, teachers and administrators in schools, pastors, elders, and

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How are we like Judas? Worship at the Judas rock

5 Comments / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

Have you ever wondered how we are like Judas or are we like Judas? If you have, keep reading because we believe there’s a bit of Judas in us all. Most people consider Judas as the worst of offenders because he betrayed Jesus, but who among us has not betrayed Him in some way? One of the most unusual things we encountered in Jerusalem was in an out-of-the-way church on the Mount of Olives. It was adjacent to The Grotto and filled with beautiful artwork. Some of the paintings appeared to have been restored, while others were nearly obscured beneath centuries of grime. We made our way around the room as we looked at the paintings and finally arrived at a glass-enclosed shrine. Inside, there was a large rectangle of rock. The Judas Rock It was (reportedly) the rock on which Judas stood when he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. (Luke 22: 3-6, 47-48) A narrow opening under the lid was just wide enough to allow a piece of paper to slip through. The rock was covered with randomly scattered money and hastily written notes. We stared at the slips of paper and money and wondered… Do people identify with Judas? Do people leave letters and money on the Judas rock because they see the betrayer in themselves? We struggled with this for days. Did people think Judas could answer their prayers? That the money would redeem their sin? It took us a while to come to the conclusion that no one wants to identify with Judas. We already identify with him because we are like Judas. We, too, are betrayers. How are we like Judas? Our focus, like the Betrayer, is all too often on money, possessions, success, and prestige. We put what we want before the call of Christ. Pleasing ourselves comes before our relationship with Him. We include ourselves in that corporate “we,” for, though we hate to admit it, we still put our own desires before Jesus all too often. Our first thought is, far more than we’d like to admit, what we want in a particular situation, rather than what Christ wants. Although we usually find our way to seeking God’s will, the first burst of “self-worship” is a betrayal of the higher call to the will of God. Neither dollars nor letters of contrition can change that. We are like Judas when we put our desires above those of God, and only the grace of God is sufficient to save us from our shameful state. It’s the greatest paradox that our Holy God would exact the price for our sin from Himself, but He did, and He offers that redemption to all who will receive it. What can wash away the stain of sin? The black shroud of betrayal? Nothing. Nothing but the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Today, let’s choose to love God first and love others as we love ourselves. In so doing, we live as those who have been redeemed. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy reading: When the Hand of God Restored My Hope When You Try to Hide but God Can Still See Living in the Shadow of the Cross and Loving Our Enemies The Capture Bag: When Letting Go of Hurt and Anger is Way Past Due Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday.

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How to Stop School Shootings + How to Help End Teen Violence

4 Comments / Culture / leannahollis

Another school shooting this week left many of us asking the same questions: how to stop school shootings and how to help end teen violence. I, too, am sickened by the wanton destruction and meaningless loss of life as a result of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, just as I’ve been sickened and heartbroken about teen violence in my own city. Author’s Note: Four years ago, another school shooting rocked our nation. The original version of this post reflected my outrage. Instead of anger, this time I’ve taken a long moment to settle my heart and reflect on the myriad of influences that lead to acts of violence. The original post has been completely rewritten to reflect a more contemplative approach based on the knowledge gained through years of direct work with troubled teens and those who work with them. This article is written for the body of Christ from a Judeo-Christian perspective. You may wonder if the changes discussed in this article are fail-safe actions to stop school shootings or end teen violence. The answer, unfortunately, is no. These recommendations are core-belief actions for disciples of Jesus. Can they make a difference? Yes. Can they help end teen violence or stop school shootings? Yes. If even one death is averted, if even one violent act is avoided, the changes recommended here will be worth it. How to Stop School Shootings: Consider Hurts and Scars Let’s begin by considering children living in impoverished, difficult family situations. They aren’t blind to the lifestyles of those who have more financial resources and they want what others have, including a peaceful home, love, and sufficient healthy food. For a child whose family doesn’t live by the Judeo-Christian ethic (or for the child who chooses not to), it’s not a far stretch to think they should have the same things other children have and, if they can’t, they should be able to take what they want. In addition, poverty can lead to difficult or abusive situations which often seem as if they will never end. Physical and emotional abuse leaves scars that last for years. Words hurt, just as punches and rape hurt. They can take root in the minds of the recipients and linger for decades. Bullying can come from adults or children and it always wounds. Children learn from the examples of the people around them, including the examples of abuse or other poor lifestyle choices. These seemingly never-ending challenges can breed anger and lead to violence. The addition of adolescent hormonal surges can be, and sometimes is, a recipe for disaster. Children who don’t know the basics of the Judeo-Christian ethic or the unending, unconditional love of God, lack the filter of this basic God-centric moral code. If you’ve never heard “thou shalt not murder,” you don’t know God’s view on murder. If you’ve never been taught, “love your enemies,” hate and retaliation seem like reasonable responses. According to Scripture, our actions reflect the condition of our hearts. For wounded children and teenagers, angry, wounded hearts lead to angry, wounding actions. It’s that simple and it’s also that hard. The Influence of Affluence “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 niv We need to look no further than social media to see a shocking picture of the heart of the church and affluent America. Our lifestyles may not seem extravagant by American standards, but they do to someone living in the poorest areas of our world and often to those living in poverty in our own nation. We want what we want and we expect to have it, even if it means we have to work long, hard hours or stretching our budgets near the breaking point to get whatever is the next great thing. Most of what we want is not inherently evil but our propensity toward extravagance and entitlement does say something about our priorities and our hearts and may lead others to choose the same. Please don’t misunderstand me. The affluence of others does not cause school shootings and an end to affluence is not the way to end school shootings. Instead, poverty and difficult, abusive situations can be contributing factors to violence in frustrated, hurting adolescents. We do not suggest an end to affluence or to the enjoyment of resources but an awareness of the needs of those experiencing great trials in life and how difficult the contrast between rich and poor can be, especially for the one trapped in poverty who sees no way out. Those who enjoy affluence have a God-given responsibility to care about and help those who do not. How to Help End Teen Violence: The Crown Conundrum and Our Servant Savior As people of God and children of the King of Kings, it’s easy to embrace the idea of ourselves as princes and princesses, but the only crown Jesus, Prince of Heaven, wore here on earth was a crown of thorns. (John 19:2) The garment he donned was that of a servant. (John 13:3-5) As children of the King, can we expect to do differently? Jesus waded into the darkest situations and gave light and life to the most hopeless. His light shined in the darkness, and the darkness DID NOT overcome it, and it still doesn’t. (John 1:4-5) He set the example for us all. How can those living in darkness embrace the light if they never see it? Never experience it? As disciples of Christ, we are the designated light-bearers and we must take the light of Christ to those living in darkness, even when they’re outside our comfort zone. (Matthew 5:14-16) How can we help end teen violence? Share the light and love of Christ with hurting teens and their families. How to Stop School Shootings: Change Begins in the Heart If our heart condition determines our actions, and it does, only heart change can bring about different actions. We cannot expect people who don’t know Jesus personally to

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When The Last Days Come: What Will it be Like?

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

A quick look at current events can leave us wondering if what we’re experiencing is merely a lead-up to when the last days come and what to expect when the last days come. Are we living in the last days? How much worse can it get? What comes next? What will the last days look like? Many of us struggle with questions about the future. On the night before He was betrayed, Jesus’ disciples were filled with questions, too. He reminded His disciples of the truth He’d told them several times before. Jesus would die, be buried, and come back to life. He would return to heaven to prepare a home for them and He would one day come back to earth to establish His divine rule. The disciples expected an earthly kingdom, riches, position, and power. Instead, Jesus was a suffering servant Messiah whose Kingdom reigned in hearts, not on a throne. He offered the power of the Holy Spirit, not the power of a mighty army, and His kingdom riches were stored in Heaven, not on earth. We can’t answer all the questions about end times in a single blog post, but one thing’s for sure. The end times likely won’t be easy but there will be some good mixed in there, too. The stark reality of the last days Isaiah’s prophecy begins with a stark dose of reality. (Leanna paraphrase coming up.) “You’re a bad mess of sin and consequences, Israel. God won’t put up with it much longer, so you’d better change. Pronto. Nothing good’s headed your way if you don’t straighten up.” Those weren’t his words, of course, but they convey the essence. Isaiah’s actual words leave us reeling. When the last days come, they won’t be full of sunshine and flowers. Instead, public humiliation. Burning. Unquenchable thirst. Thirty-one verses of too-harsh truth paint a dire picture of the future. No one wants any of what Isaiah predicted in his opening chapter. The next chapter is more of the same, but sandwiched in between a description of crushed sinners and the need to hide under a rock because of God’s judgment to come is a little oasis of words. One day, hearts will change “Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways; and that we may walk in His paths.’” Isaiah 2:2,3 nasb When the last days come, Isaiah tells us, hearts will change. Many people will want to go to God’s house. They won’t be there to be seen or show off their new outfits. It won’t be the “in” thing to do before lunch at the country club. Instead, many people from all over the globe will stream to the house of God because of one very important reason. They want to learn God’s ways in order to obey. We don’t always go to the house of God to learn His ways in order to obey now, do we? But one day we will. What will the last days be like? One day, the evil one will be defeated and there will be no more weapons, no war, no conflict. Imagine a time when people everywhere want to learn AND obey God’s ways. The fruit of the Spirit will be in abundance. Can you wrap your mind around a world in which people’s hearts are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (Galatians 5:22-23) That’s quite a change, isn’t it? We long for that day, yet most of us are not quite ready. We’re not yet full to the brim with the fruit of the Spirit. There are days when pride or anger or judgmental, critical spirit raise their ugly heads and speak through our mouths. If we’re honest, most of us probably have a little not-like Jesus in us, but wouldn’t it be nice to be rid of all the old sin so we can be ready for those last days? How do we prepare for that time when the last days come? Here are two easy steps to make sure we’re ready: Diligent Bible study. Open our Bibles and allow God’s words to cleanse and transform us. Learn God’s ways. Surrendered obedience. Once we know what God wants, we must choose to obey. Learn what God expects and do it. “And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that He may teach us concerning His ways; and that we may walk in His paths.” Isaiah 2:3 Want to know more about how to prepare your heart for the last days and what will the last days look like? Here are a few blog posts you might enjoy: Promises of God Fulfilled How to Pray the News and Why We Should How to Trust God in Hard Times The Benefits of Repentance What Does it Mean to Be Beloved? What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus? Why We Should Choose Humility and Let Go of Pride Thanks for sharing your time with us today. Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you learn God’s ways in order to obey. (It’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you make a purchase, we may make a few cents but it won’t increase the

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The Importance of Offering Friendship

Leave a Comment / Discipleship / leannahollis

If you find it hard to make new friends or enter a roomful of strangers alone, this story about the importance of offering friendship can help. One woman’s kind offer of friendship showed me a new way to be a friend to strangers and how to do it with grace and kindness. I pulled into the lot, parked, and checked my watch. Too early to go to my meeting. If I dallied for a few minutes, I could cruise into the workshop just before it started and avoid the awkwardness of meeting a roomful of strangers. I scrolled through a few emails. Rummaged through my purse. Sorted receipts. Delayed as long as possible. Finally, I made my way inside, pasted on a smile I didn’t feel and looked for a free chair – preferably close to the rear of the room, a place to be invisible in the crowd. Other introverts beat me to the back row but there was one place left at the end of a row near the front. A beautiful, well-put-together woman was in the next seat. I groaned inwardly for I felt shabby and rumpled beside her. The Importance of Offering Friendship: One easy technique Before I could ask if the seat was taken, she looked up and greeted me with a huge smile. “Sit here,” she said. “I want to be your new friend.” Startled yet relieved, I sat down. “I don’t really know anyone,” she told me. “Let’s hang out together.” I laughed and agreed. Her invitation put me completely at ease. My tension and fear evaporated in an instant. Her gracious invitation made me feel a part of the group, despite the multitude of unfamiliar faces, and her kind welcome eased what could’ve been a very difficult weekend. Those first sweet words still hand in my mind. “I want to be your friend,” she’d said and proceeded to act on her intentions. Her example is a model I hope I remember and one we, in the body of Christ, would do well to emulate. “I want to be your friend.” Don’t just make a friend, be a friend. Imagine the impact if we said—and meant—those words to people who feel estranged and alone. Would they tarry a bit? Might they long to know what makes us different? Unfortunately, my tendency is to greet the people I know. It’s an act of discipline to look for those I don’t know. I try to greet strangers with a smile and a quick introduction. Sometimes I include a few get-acquainted questions. It shames me to say this, but never have I greeted a stranger, welcomed them, and offered friendship with follow-through to show I meant it, in the church building or outside it. If we’re honest, many of us are a lot like me. Our lives are so full there’s barely room for those we love, much less the new people Jesus sends our way. Is this what Jesus intended when He said to love your neighbor as you love yourself? I hate to admit it because it requires change on my part, but I don’t think so. The Importance of Offering Friendship: The opportunity to love big. Love includes a smile and a greeting, but it’s much deeper, longer-lasting than a mere hello. It’s far bigger than we realize. The kind of love Jesus commanded is a long-haul commitment, even when it’s not romantic love. Imagine churches in which we arrived at services with a “Sit with me; I want to be your friend” mentality. Imagine if we meant what we said to strangers and followed up with a phone call and an invitation. Life would be different. Fuller. Richer. Consider what would happen if we took that same let-me-be-your-friend, love-you-no-matter-what determination outside the walls of the church meeting place. If we adopted the royal law of our King, (James 2:8) to love our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves, strangers would become friends and our lives would be better for it. At its core, the importance of offering friendship is the love and kindness it displays. Love God. Love all. It’s the royal law of our King so, as followers of Jesus, let’s reach out and love someone today. “If, however, you are fulfilling the a]”>[a]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” James 2:8 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 Thanks for sharing your time to read “The Importance of Offering Friendship.” Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest Want to read more? Here are links to a few other posts: How to Trust God in Hard Times Promises of God Fulfilled What Does it Mean to Be Beloved? Why We Should Choose Humility and Let Go of Pride What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple of Christ? The Benefits of Repentance and Why it Matters What Does Freedom in Christ Mean? What Does He Must Increase and I Must Decrease Mean? Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you grow in your Christian faith: (This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I might make a few cents from your purchase but it will not change the price you pay)

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