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Anxiety about seeing family this Thanksgiving
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

Anxiety about seeing family this Thanksgiving

Many of us have anxiety about seeing family during Thanksgiving. As a sincere Christ-follower, a part of my anxiety is a feeling of inadequacy as I engage with non-believing family members. I feel the pressure to have all the right words and present my faith with a lot of wisdom and eloquence…

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Humility by taking
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

Humility by taking

In our lives, we pour ourselves into various roles. At work, we are the boss or the employee. We are the mom, dad, son, daughter, or sibling at home. In our social lives, we take on the roles of friend, host, and guest. There is a kind of humility that comes from taking on these roles because they often require an emptying of ourselves for the sake of serving those around us. Jesus knows what this is like. After all, he humbled himself by taking on the role of being our Savior.

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What makes our lives significant?
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

What makes our lives significant?

When we are young, most of us launch into our lives full of ambition, hope, and optimism. But given enough time, we find ourselves exhausted. If we're honest, we're not exhausted because we're "so busy." We are busy, but what makes life exhausting is that it's incredibly hard. Nothing works the way it should. Our exhaustion is rooted in our disappointment, discouragement, frustration, and disillusionment. What can reenergize us? What can give us the courage to dream again? What do we need to joyfully pursue the good work set before us with new joy and optimism?

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The Light in my darkness
Blog Post Emily Martin Blog Post Emily Martin

The Light in my darkness

As I grow in Christ, it can be disheartening when He reveals dark places in my heart. I know that God will be good and faithful to finish the work He started in me, but it doesn’t remove the discomfort of having my lingering sin patterns revealed and brought out into the light.

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How to be confident
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

How to be confident

For the past year, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be confident. I struggle to operate in true confidence. I worry about being perceived as arrogant, so I sometimes present myself as overly “humble,” soft-spoken, and meek. At other times, I feel frustrated by my fear of arrogance, so I grit my teeth with the determination to pull up my “confidence pants.”

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Justified and blessed
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

Justified and blessed

Years ago, I remember being startled by King David’s delight in the Law of God. I remember wondering how and why it was beautiful to him. I used to be a bit skittish regarding the Law of God. I didn’t have categories for understanding verses like the ones we see at the beginning of Psalm 119.

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What people coming to life do
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

What people coming to life do

The opportunity to escape the pain in our lives is one reason why getting drunk is appealing. With enough alcohol in our system, it’s easier to forget, for a moment, the things that worry and trouble us. It can be a way to detach from reality and numb our wounded hearts. I get the appeal. After all, if you get drunk enough, you might even find yourself singing…

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The oaks we have desired
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

The oaks we have desired

One of the biggest dangers I face is that I’m a fairly capable person. I can accomplish a lot, and I know it. In recent years, I’ve been feeling a bit disillusioned and disappointed. I’ve accomplished some things that I’m proud of, but on the whole, it feels like my efforts are being thwarted. It’s only recently that I’ve started to wonder if, like the tower of Babel, God is hindering my progress. And it’s only recently that I’ve also wondered if this might be an act of mercy.

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Lead us not
Blog Post Jonathan Martin Blog Post Jonathan Martin

Lead us not

When I think about God’s faithfulness, specific memories come to mind. There are the times the Lord provided for me, the times He spoke a timely word, and the times He guided me when I wasn’t sure what to do. But when considering God’s faithfulness, what comes to mind most are things I was kept from.

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