Let’s be honest: in our noisy, broken world, it’s hard to live out your faith. In this first post for my new blog, I want to share six ways it can help you follow Christ more faithfully every day, right where you are.
Over twenty years later, I can still remember those first few months after my new relationship with God began. On September 20th of my freshman year, I had been obsessing over how much money I was going to make ‘someday’. On September 21st, after giving my life to Christ in my RA’s dorm room, my life seemed far less predictable, but filled with possibility and the sense that, somehow, I had found the meaning that I had been searching for all along.
It didn’t take long for reality to set in. Before long, the honeymoon was over and things seemed a lot more complicated than they had in the warm sunshine of those first few months. If this was going to be more than the ‘phase’ those closest to me were predicting, I had to figure out what it means to follow Christ in the harsh realities of my everyday life.
I’m guessing that – at least a lot of the time – you’re facing the same challenge. Whether it’s the next exam, the next deadline at work, the next diaper change, or finding some semblance of balance, you want to make progress in your walk with Christ. But, it’s tough to rise above the noise and brokenness of your everyday life.
That’s exactly what this blog is all about. Making meaningful progress in your relationship with Jesus, even if your circumstances don’t change, so that you can impact your world. (By the way, if you’re not a Christian, I hope you’ll consider reading anyway. There’s a lot we can learn from each other).
I’m praying it will help you by…
- …coming from a place of openness and transparency. I make lots of mistakes, but that’s how I’ve learned nearly everything I know. I don’t mind sharing my failures and ‘takeaways’ so that you can learn with me.
- …connecting your relationship with Christ to your everyday life. It can be difficult to connect your relationship with God to your everyday life. My blog will help you connect the dots.
- …balancing substance and practical application. So many times, we’re offered either in-depth, biblical teaching that never touches the ground or lots of practical tips that aren’t rooted in our relationship with God or shaped by his word. We need both.
- …teaching you how to impact others. If we’re going to make a difference in our world, we need to not only grow ourselves, but share that growth with others so they can benefit, too.
- …encouraging and challenging you. We all we need hugs and rebukes, don’t we? I know I do, and I’ll try to give you plenty of both!
- … inviting you into a conversation with others. We can make progress by ourselves, but it’s so much better when we do it together. I’d like this blog to be an ongoing conversation where we enrich each other’s lives, so I’ll end each – or at least most – posts with an open-ended question.
More than anything, this blog is for you. I hope you’ll give me honest feedback on what’s helpful – and what isn’t – so that we can make progress and enjoy the journey together.
Question: What one topic, or area of your life, do you most need to be encouraged or challenged in? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section just below.