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Yesterday, I had the blessing of attending a friend's voice recital. She's a beautiful singer AND an amazing songwriter and she performed some of her original works. In one of her songs, she described that mountains were a place to be inspired and see God's presence in the valleys she'd traveled through, but that ultimately, she was made to walk in the valleys. It's a faithful, long trek, and although it can be hard to see more than a few steps at a time, God is with us and He does great works through our obedience in the little everyday things. I deeply resonated with this truth. There are few moments in life where I feel like I'm on a mountain and everything makes sense. More often, I'm in the valleys, walking day by day, often doing the mundane tasks and only able to see far enough to do the next thing. Her song was a reminder to me that God is at work in the everyday and I can rejoice in that. I also saw this illustrated on my spring break mission trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. During the week we were there, our team hiked up to several lookouts and saw incredible views of the valleys, Salt Lake City, and the snow-covered mountains in the distance. It almost felt unreal to be up so high and to be able to see so much. At such a height, it was easy to distance from everything else and just enjoy the view, but as soon as we descended back into the valley, the reality of life in Utah as a Christian became very real. Throughout our week we were able to have really good conversations with many Latter Day Saints, and other unbelievers. We also were able to hear the stories of four different churches that had been planted in and around Salt Lake City. Each pastor emphasized similar themes. For the sake of the gospel, many of them had left good jobs, and nearby family and friends, to go to a place that is spiritually dark and desperately needy. I was struck by the sacrifices they had been willing to make and the challenges they had endured, but I was even more struck by the faithfulness they had shown in daily following Christ, even in the seemingly mundane things of going to work, getting groceries, spending time with their family, and serving in the church. They were not engaged in some glorious movement that was plastered across the internet. In fact, they told us multiple times that moving to Utah as they had done would not make them be remembered. They knew that they would be and had been forgotten by people and friends back east and they would never go down in history for what they were doing. But they were willing to give their one life in the service of proclaiming the gospel and making disciples. One day, my group did some doorhanging in a run-down neighborhood. We were putting flyers on door handles for the Easter service of the nearest church. There were several moments where I questioned why I had taken my spring break to come to Utah to walk down streets, climb the stairs of dirty apartment buildings, and wrestle a flyer onto doorhandles, all without interacting with anyone. However, as I walked up to a house with a pride flag in the window, God prompted me to pray for the door I was walking up to. Even though I didn't know who was inside, even though I didn't have a chance to interact with them, even though I was doing the "meat and potatoes" of serving, there was a chance that the flyer I was leaving might be the open door to attending a Christian church for the first time and hearing the true gospel of grace and forgiveness for sins. While I would never see the impact, God was still using me and that was enough to know. I was humbled in that moment and realized that where I often wanted to do something to be remembered for, God was asking me to be faithful in the small things and let Him use me to do things I couldn't even fathom doing on my own. Now, a few weeks after coming back to school and settling into the regular grind of school, with graduation and a new job on the horizon, I'm still thinking about this lesson. I'm thrilled and excited for all the new changes headed my way, but I know that whether on the mountaintops or in the valleys, once I settle into a routine, I want to be found faithful in the everyday things that matter. Spending time in God's Word, working hard, building relationships, loving my church well, and faithfully doing what God sets before me.

Have you ever realized how stories are a part of everything we do? We love to hear them, we tell them to others, and we dream about them. Stories come in all shapes, sizes, and genres. Growing up, my mom and dad would read to my four siblings and me every night before bed. My mom loved the classics and picture books. She introduced us to so many beautiful stories. My dad, on the other hand, took us on wild adventures across space and through the mines of Moria. Today, my entire family loves stories. If someone gets a new book, we all get in line to have a turn to read it so we can talk about it together. So what makes stories so powerful and why do they impact us so deeply? Well, one reason is that we remember them more easily than we remember a list of facts. We've been hard-wired by our Creator to tell stories. When I call friends or family, they tell me stories of what's been happening in their lives, and I tell them stories about my own. Stories form a connection between our own experiences and the experiences of someone else. This is just as true in a fictional story as in real life. We are drawn into a story because we become connected to the character and the challenges and joys that they encounter. We're also curious creatures. We want to know what happens, and so we continue to read, watch, or listen. This concept of connection is intimately related to why stories impact us so deeply. A well-written story and characters can touch a reader's heart. We often see something in a character that we can relate to. Either we have similar challenges or flaws, or we've been through similar circumstances. A story is beautiful because it gives the reader and audience time to interact with, confront, and wrestle with the ideas and beliefs that an author is trying to convey. A proposition or statement of facts is logical—black and white. Either you accept it or you don’t. However, stories explore life with all the mistakes, sacrifices, and love that comes with them. Stories engage our hearts and our minds. They may demand an answer from us, but they may also ask us to consider something. The best stories are those that leave us with a powerful thought long after we've read the final sentence. I'm so glad that God gave us a love of storytelling. I believe we've each been commissioned to share stories, first His story, and then our own. Ours is just a piece of the greater story that He is writing. Why do I write? I write for the little child living in a dark place, not so that she can escape it, but so that she can go and return, carrying back with her a flicker of hope that the best is yet to come and that good always triumphs over evil. I write for those my own age, who are growing up in a world consumed by self, to remind them that the best life is that which is lived for a greater purpose than oneself. I write because through my words, I can tell others what I care about and why. It's an invitation to come and consider and to be a part of the story. So, what's important for you to communicate to others? Why do you tell stories?

This week we're going to celebrate a special day that's quickly being overwhelmed by the holiday that comes after it. I do enjoy Christmas and I'm already pulling out the Christmas playlists, but I don't want to miss Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving for me means memories of warm kitchens, people bustling everywhere, laughter, and delicious food. I remember eating rolls slathered in butter and having second helpings of cranberry sauce and turkey. I grew up listening to my mom read Cranberry Thanksgiving , a book about a girl and her grandmother who live in a cranberry bog in New England. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend! Thanksgiving also means memories of a turkey so big that my dad had to run out to the barn and build a cutting board big enough to hold it! Or the times my siblings and I would make turkey hands to set up on the table. It's a wonderful time of year to come together with family and celebrate all we have to be thankful for. Colossians 2:6-7 says, " Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. " I don't want to miss or pass over the reality, however, that for many, Thanksgiving is a time of tension or grief for the loss of a loved one. I've never known what that felt like until this year. Several relatives, some closer than others passed away this year. Thanksgiving won't look exactly the same and it won't be easy, but God has shown me that even here in the pain of a broken world, He is with me. That's something I've learned and been shown again and again over the past few months. It doesn't take away the pain of loss, but it's a comfort and a truth to cling too that we have a God who walks beside us in the paths of deepest darkness and suffering. He doesn't always take away the sorrow or suffering. Most of the time He won't. But he will walk beside us through it, leading and guiding us. That's how we learn to depend on Him. We also don't grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). One day, all who believe in Christ for salvation will be raised to eternal life with Him. That is glorious news! However your Thanksgiving looks this year, I hope you will not forget the One who gives us all we need, who provides for us in joy and in sadness, and who is worthy of our lives, our worship, our all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Last semester I took an evangelism class...and it changed my life. I'd always known the importance of sharing the gospel, but this class forced me to come face to face with the fact that I wasn't sharing the gospel. At all. Why? For starters, I was scared. I didn't want to make a mistake or not be able to answer a question, and I certainly didn't relish the idea of walking up to a random stranger and trying to tell them they were sinners in need of saving. I think that this is the fear for most Christians. But today, I want to tell you that evangelism and proclaiming the gospel IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WILL EVER DO! Sharing the gospel is not simply sharing an idea or a personal opinion, but it is the proclamation of the gospel through the Holy Spirit, with the aim of persuading people to repent and believe in Christ. Sharing the gospel is also not sharing just when you see that someone is interested or when you feel "prepared." Trust me, you will never feel fully prepared. That's okay because it keeps you reliant on God. There are people all over the world who don't even know the name of Jesus and who, unless someone tells them, will die and spend an eternity in hell in suffering and banishment from God. It's real and it's harsh, but it's the truth. You might be the last person someone meets before they die who has the knowledge of the only thing that can bring them true and lasting joy. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” In Paul's mind, the gospel was of first importance. And it should be for us as well. We won't have all the answers, and that's okay! The Holy Spirit is the one who opens hearts and minds and He is powerful enough to use our fumbling, broken explanations to plant seeds. If you and I have the cure, the promise of hope, why wouldn't we share it with others? A story that powerfully impacted me recently was something that atheist Penn Jillette said about Christians. It's a long quote, but it's worth reading. "I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward. ..how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that. He's right. But we shouldn't have to have an atheist telling us this to know that the gospel is the best news anyone in the world could hear. I want to share a quick personal story of one of the first times I actually fully shared the gospel with someone and then in my next post, I will share the tools I was given to share the gospel. I met K.D. in the library of a university. She was putting away books from a cart. I went up to her, introduced myself, and asked her if she’d be willing to share about her spiritual beliefs with me. As she shared, I gathered that she grew up in a Christian home and was hurt by some bad experiences. As a result she turned away from Christianity completely and had a hard life, including being homeless several times. She said she now did ancestral worship and was happy where she’s at. I asked her if she remembered the gospel at all from growing up but she didn’t so I asked if I could share it with her. She very willingly agreed and I walked through the whole gospel story. I tried to emphasize how sin broke our relationship with God and people tried to fill that gap with other things, relationships, wealth, or more things that ultimately didn’t satisfy. I shared how God sent His son Jesus, who is God in the flesh to come down and ultimately die for our sins, paying the price and restoring us to a right relationship with God. At the end, she nodded, but she it was clear that she didn't have a biblical view of Jesus and who he really was. I asked her if she would ever consider believing in Jesus and she repeatedly affirmed that she didn’t “see herself coming back to Christianity.” She was very vague but said that as long as people followed their hearts and had good morals, all religions would eventually lead to God. She argued that if you were true to yourself and didn’t hurt others, then you would be on the road to heaven.  I gently pushed back and said that I personally believed that Christianity was the only way and shared the Scripture where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” She nodded and agreed, but didn’t go much further.  I was struck by the fact that she seemed so close and yet so far. She was very smart and she agreed with me on a lot of things. She acknowledged that it was quite clear that there was a higher power in this life. She also said that she believed that people innately knew that there was a right or wrong. I believe that the Lord was working in her life so that she even recognized these things.  We prayed and I left and haven't seen her again. However, I left praying that the seeds that had been planted would grow and she would come back to God. Not every conversation ends in someone giving their life to Christ, but it doesn't mean that any of it was wasted. God uses us and others to plant seeds. We might be just a piece of the process or the only person someone hears about Christ from. Regardless, God uses us in His grand plan of redemption and that brings with it the honor of serving and responsibility and joy of sharing the good news.

"You can't be a Christian and involved in politics." "We should just focus on proclaiming the gospel. Politics has nothing to do with faith." "I don't have to vote. God will take care of everything." Each of the above statements are either partially or completely false. While it's true that we should be engaged in proclaiming the gospel, it's false that we shouldn't be involved in politics and sit back and do nothing. God is in control and ultimately sovereign over what happens in our country, but that does not diminish our call to steward what He has given us. I think of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Just like the servants in the parable, we've been given many gifts, one of which is an amazing country founded on biblical principles and freer than any other country in the world. As Christians, I believe we've been called to steward what we've been blessed with in this country and that means being engaged in the political process, voting, and caring about what happens in government. We're at a turning point in our country. We've watched waves of injustice, death, and outright lies march relentlessly across America and have seen the persecution of anyone who gets in the way or stands up and speaks out. How can we as Christians stand by and do nothing when one of our candidates for president is committed absolutely to abortion and killing innocent lives? How can we remain silent when children are being taught that they can choose their gender based on fleeting feelings? How can we sit and watch our country be overrun by illegal immigrants, most of whom are adult men who are committing crimes and trafficking thousands of women and children? Has the church allowed a misguided compassion to destroy the lives of legal citizens and those who are our neighbors? (If you think the Bible doesn't talk about borders, it does! Take a look at 2 Chronicles 14:6, ALL of Nehemiah, and Psalm 147:13-14). We can't sit back. If we remain silent, soon enough, our voice will be taken away for good. Christians were never told to work hard, to strive for peace and righteousness, and to share the gospel in all areas...except the political arena. No! We are called to go take our faith into EVERY area of life. It's not something we can pick and choose to do or not do. Our country is a gift. It was founded on biblical values by 56 men who believed that everyone should be free to worship as they choose, speak freely, and live their lives in relative freedom. Everyday, I'm encouraged by the stories of many Christians who have spoken up for their convictions, who've shared the gospel, who are actively engaged in politics for the glory of God, and who recognize the blessings of liberty that we have. So go out and vote. Let your voice be heard. Attend school board meetings. Learn what freedoms you have so that when they are infringed upon, you can respond and fight back. Take the gospel into EVERY sphere of life. If, Lord willing, I ever get married and have kids, I want to raise them in a place where they can speak about their faith without fear of being imprisoned or killed. I want to be able to teach my kids without the government hovering over my shoulder telling me that if I don't teach certain things my kids will be be taken from me. I want my kids and the generations that come after me to grow up in a country where they have the opportunity to succeed—to grow their skills and serve with excellence in work, ministry, or wherever God sends them. So please don't sit by. As a Christian, it's simply not an option.

We were not made to live this life alone. Whether it's friends, family, people from work, or our church family, God has given us so many opportunities to love and be loved by others. Over the past few years, I've come to realize the importance of friendships and the beauty of knowing someone deeply. Growing up, I only had a few friends I could really call best friends, mainly my family. This may, in part, have been due to the fact that I was shy and quiet and preferred to listen rather than talk. As I watched more extroverted friends around me laugh, take pictures together, and go on trips together, I felt that I wasn't one of them and began to resent what I thought was a burden, not a blessing—my personality. For a long time, I struggled to build friends because I waited for others to make the first move and extend friendship to me. When they didn't, I got bitter and thought that it was their fault. Then, when I realized that others probably were waiting for me to make the first move, I got bitter when I realized that I struggled to reach out. I didn't know what to say and I certainly didn't know the right questions to ask. I would get upset at myself up for awkward conversations where there was stilted silence. Looking back, I'm beginning to see my experiences through new lens and realizing amazing things about myself and about the beautiful thing we call friendship. First, I realized that my personality was not something to be ashamed of. I began to meet people who encouraged me to recognize that while I might not be the life of the party or someone who made all the right jokes at all the right times, I was someone who was steady, who could be depended upon, who would listen well, and who would encourage others. What I thought were my weaknesses were actually my strengths. This doesn't mean that we can't grow and change. I absolutely want to keep learning how to ask good questions and lead discussions and conversations. But I no longer compare myself to others who are different than me. Each person is unique and gifted in different ways. No one way is better than another. Second, friends are so important in our lives and friendships take time to develop. You might click with some people right away, but often deep friendships come out of time spent together doing daily life. I want to share a few tips for building friendships that I have learned along the way. Ask questions! If it helps you, come up with a list you can always reference. Go deeper than the surface level questions. Don't be afraid to ask bigger questions pretty early on. It sets the tone for how deep the relationship will go. It's much harder to stay at a surface level relationship for a long time and then try to go deeper. Ask about someone's personal life or what they're passionate about. People always enjoy talking about themselves and chances are, they will ask you the same question back. Be open and vulnerable. Similar to what I said above, how open you are with others will set the tone for how open they will be with you. Be honest about what is going on in your life or about how you feel about something. So many people are too afraid to say anything because they don't want to step on toes or they don't want to say the wrong thing. I'm not saying to go too far the other way. However, when building friendships, it's important to live honestly and genuinely before others. Don't wear a mask. Be a good friend. If you want good friends, you must first learn how to be a good friend. That means doing to others what you would want them to do to you. If you wish someone would ask you how you're doing, ask them! If you wish someone would invite you to go somewhere with them, ask them to go somewhere with you! Show them that you care and they will respond. Finally, friendships are built doing day to day things. Even simple things like studying together, watching a movie together, and laughing together are the building blocks to deep and lasting friendships. Don't ever get discouraged when a friendship takes a while to develop and especially don't compare yourself to those you see around you. You can't see the whole picture of what happens in other friendships. No friendship is absolutely perfect and that's normal! I know I gave a list of some tips for building good friendships, but my biggest piece of advice would be to pray. Ask God to give you good friends. Our heavenly father loves us and he created us to be with others. He will hear your prayers and answer in ways you could never dream of. Til next time!

I could feel the muscles in my legs beginning to shake. My hands gripped two climbing holds tightly as I searched for another. I could see one above me but I would basically have to jump for it to reach high enough. A large part of my mind was focused on the fact that there was a 25-foot drop below me. A smaller part of my mind was reminding me that the harness around my waist and legs and the belayer below me would keep me safe even if I fell. Still, I hesitated. This was my first time rock-climbing in years and I was running out of grip and arm strength. Finally, I made my decision and pushed up hard, reaching with one hand for the next hold. I grabbed it and held on tight. It was one small move, but I felt like I’d accomplished a great feat.  Nearly two hours before I had finished eating dinner with my brother. As we were parting, he invited me to go rock climbing at the gym. I agreed. It was a small thing, but in my mind, it was a big step. I’d always wanted to go, but never had the courage or the friends to go with me. Up until several months ago, this situation was normal for me. As an introvert, I’d always found it easier to spend evenings in my room studying or hanging out with a small group of friends. To try something new with or without others, however small it might be, was usually way out of my comfort zone. Even if I wanted to do things that looked fun, it took hours—even days sometimes—to work up the courage to do them.  Thankfully, God knew my weaknesses and didn’t let me stay in them. Over the last two years, He put numerous opportunities before me that forced me to step outside of my comfort zone. Through those experiences, I began to realize that what I had thought was my comfort zone was actually a cage I had unconsciously built around myself to keep myself from doing things that might be risky or uncomfortable. A deeper reality of this “cage” that I was beginning to see was that I had also stopped myself from growing in confidence and courage, a process that almost always includes taking risks and being uncomfortable.  A verse from the Bible that I found and looked at often towards the beginning of this journey of realization was Psalm 112:6-8a which says, “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid…” ( English Standard Version ). Even early on, I desperately wanted to be unafraid and trusting in the Lord because some small part of me recognized that it would open the door for me to live a life of confidence and wholeheartedly pursue what the Lord had for me.  Fast-forward a year and a half, and many experiences later, and I finally understood that true confidence comes from knowing who I am in Christ, being willing to go where He leads me, and enjoying this world and the people that He has made. Fast-forward to today, and I’ve come to see that having that kind of confidence has farther-reaching impacts than my recent experience of going to the climbing wall. It takes that kind of confidence to walk up to a complete stranger and speak the truth of the gospel to them. It takes that kind of confidence to speak the truth in grace to people who hate you for what you believe. It takes that kind of confidence to work hard, to love others, and to not be afraid of the future or of what’s happening in the world. The small victory at the climbing wall was just the latest step and a small picture of my journey of growing in confidence.

Hey everyone! Over my last two breaks (Thanksgiving and Christmas) I read a lot. I mean A LOT. I think it evened out to about a book a day. I hadn’t read much or any fiction/nonfiction at all during school because I either didn’t have time or I knew that starting a book would only distract me from schoolwork until I finished the story. Since reading is such a huge part of my life, I would love to share with you some of my favorite books and would love to hear some of yours in the comments! Let’s dive right in. Ever since I read this book for the first time, I knew it was one that I would pick up again and again for years. It's full of wisdom and advice on life, writing music, and using our gifts to serve the Lord. This sentence on the back of the book sums it up perfectly, "This book...is written in the hope that his {Andrew Peterson's] story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ." I have loved every other book by this author and her newest one is definitely near the top of my list. It follows the story of several 8-inch tall little people and their adventures. Delia is a deaf princess, the last surviving member of her family, and thus the heir to the throne. Her coronation day is turned into a catastrophe and her life seems to be crumbling until a few unlikely friends find her and set out on the greatest adventure of their lifetime. "Lavender's blue, Rosemary's green, When you are king, I shall be queen." This is a sweet, short story about a princess who is...ordinary, but in all the best ways possible. When her parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and finds a job working in the kitchens of a palace in another kingdom. She runs into a prince who is just as ordinary (and special) as she is. Definitely one of my favorites :) This book tells of the love story between Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, but it's so much more than that. Elisabeth Elliot shares her heart and so many life lessons that have helped and inspired me in my own life. This is one of my go-to books when I want to read a story of the brave Minnipins who defended their valley from the evil mushrooms. There's so much richness and depth woven throughout the plot and characters of this story that makes it easy to read again and again and again. This book is high-energy and full of action! I read the whole thing one Christmas afternoon because it was impossible to put down. The main character gets in trouble for keeping a Bible and she begins to see what her faith might cost her. This book is a spin off of the classic fairytale about Rumpelstiltskin. Two boys, Tousle and Innes must solve the riddle from the king: What fills a hand fuller than a skein of gold? Straw into Gold is a beautiful tapestry woven with threads of forgiveness and redemption running throughout. And that completes my booklist! There are a hundred more that I would have loved to include, but that might need to be saved for another time... Let me know if you've read any of these or some of your favorites. Until next time, happy reading!

One of my favorite authors is J.R.R. Tolkien. His books are not only full of high adventure and mighty battles but also of thought-provoking ideas about life and hope and human nature. Every character is caught up in a grand story that began long before them and will continue on after they are gone. Wars are waged in on the battlefield yes, but also in the hearts and minds of each person as they walk the road before them and find their place in the story. There is one moment in the Lord of the Rings where this point came home for me. Sam and Frodo are alone in enemy territory and getting closer and closer to their final destination. They crouch in the dark, resting a while before continuing on. The road has been hard, and the road ahead is harder still. Sam remarks, “‘I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?’ ‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know…’” He goes on to say that some people may know the end of a tale, but the people in it don’t and you don’t want them to. Sam replies, ‘No, sir, of course not. Beren now, he never thought he was going to get that Silmaril from the Iron Crown in Thangorodrim, and yet he did, and that was a worse place and a blacker danger than ours…And why, sir, I never thought of that before! We’ve got—you’ve got some of the light of it in that star-glass that the Lady gave you! Why, to think of it, we’re in the same tale still!… Don’t the great tales never end?’ Sam is comforted by thinking of their tale as only a small part of a greater story, instead of focusing on the misery of what they are currently enduring. When circumstances have plunged Sam and Frodo into dark places, hope is found in remembering the bigger picture because they know that regardless of what happens to them, the greater story will turn out alright. Tolkien work creates a true picture of our life. We are called to live for a purpose and King far greater than we could ever hope for on our own. There will be times when our own strength will sorely tried and tested and perhaps even fail, but His never will. Therein lies the beauty of the story that Tolkien tells. Our life is a journey and if the King is our companion, we will traverse heights, explore lands, and cross bridges that would be impossible to cross on our own. Join the journey!