Culture

Flamed for my faith: 7 points on persecution

Recently, two of my friends have come under a lot of fire for expressing their views on faith. Theyā€™re both younger than me ā€” barely 25. The younger one of them took a lot of flak for...

Faith

Worship is not about us

Some time ago, my friend sent me a video of a band performing a medley of worship classic with a parodic twist. For instance, instead of singing ā€œI Exalt Theeā€, the singer changed the words to...

Missions

My mission trip was on the rocks

There I was, on the southern-most point of Taiwan, with the waves of the South China Sea crashing against the rocks I was climbing. I was with my friends, of whom one was Taiwanese. She had been...

Mental Health

A cell leaderā€™s first encounter with the blues

ā€œI have clinical depression as well as a history of self-harm. Are you sure the cell group will accept me?ā€ I was momentarily speechless as I looked at Rachel, who was sitting across me at the...

Faith

What if each cell group was a house church?

Iā€™ve been asking questions about the church model for awhile now. Iā€™ve heard the Holy Spirit speak to me on this issue: ā€˜There are many Christians in this nation, but few disciples.ā€...

Faith

Are ā€œcallingā€ and ā€œdestinyā€ just overhyped youth ministry buzzwords?

How many of us grew up in youth ministry and were sold the idea that we were going to do life-changing, earth-shaking exploits for God? That destiny and calling came with a great amount of swag,...

Faith

What is ā€œfellowshipā€, really?

If youā€™ve hung out in Christian circles for long enough youā€™re probably familiar with the Christianese version of ā€œfunā€ and ā€œhanging outā€ā€“ fellowship. Playing...

Discipleship

Learning about election: How can we be sure?

For the longest time, Iā€™ve avoided thinking too hard about the inconvenient or uncomfortable aspects of the faith. With ā€œpredestinationā€ for instance, I simply packed it up in a box...

Faith

Holding on to God amidst uncertainties

God, why? Have you ever asked that question before? I certainly have. I ask it all the time: when outcomes fail to match my expectations, or when something that I want eludes me. Sometimes when our...