May 15, 2012

Guest Post – Tolerance vs. Acceptance

Charity (guest contributor) talks about what it really means to love a friend and the difference between tolerance and acceptance.

Everyone wants to be accepted. We all want to feel as if we are loved and tolerated, even if we aren’t perfect. If we are accepted by others, maybe we can learn to accept ourselves.

“Acceptance” is a popular word these days, along with “tolerance.” Both are often aimed at Christians, with the implication that not agreeing with something makes them hateful toward their fellow man. But that is not always the case.

The following story highlights this.  Let’s say I have a friend who is a chronic thief. She wants me to accept that she just can’t help stealing things. But I know that sooner or later, being a thief is going to get her caught, and she will go to prison and suffer. Is it more loving for me to accept her as she is, or to want what is best for her? What is best for her is not to accept herself as a thief. I can love her whether or not she ever steals another thing, but I can’t support her theft.

There is a big difference between acceptance, which means coming to terms with the fact that this or that person will never change, and being tolerant of their flaws. Continue reading →

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April 21, 2012

Grandiose Theories and Dead Clay

In the article below, Hannah K. talks about theorizing about the future versus actively creating, and the allurement of excuses.

‘I have something to say, I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.’

How these words can characterize so many of us!  Perhaps at one time or another you have felt similarly stuck: torn between the desire to create something or be something, but uncertain what exactly is the right fit.  How can we figure out what “it” is?

Everyone has a unique, God-made identity, made up of a multitude of personality traits and interests.  We are made to interpret our interests through creating, making, building and doing.  Regardless of whether these are in art, engineering, writing, science, or something more obscure, God gives us talent and enthusiasm about certain subjects for a purpose.  Everyone has an individual contribution that can be made, and we desire as a basic part of humanity to do things that are meaningful, rewarding, and involved in the creative act.  Also, there is a time and place for finding identity.

Yet, the difficulty for most of us lies in taking the step from searching for what we should do to doing it; from theorizing about possibilities to experimenting.  Our minds create lists of excuses for why we should stay in the former modes, even when the real sources of the thoughts are ridiculous.   Continue reading →

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April 12, 2012

Bio Terrorism, Jesus Spit, and Other Tales of Apathy

In the following article, Sarah talks about the destructiveness of apathy versus active faithfulness.  We welcome Sarah to our writer’s team!  You can read more about her at our writer’s page.

Every now and then, there is this beautiful moment when everything works out in your favor. I experienced one of these moments when my spring semester class schedule left my Mondays wide open: no classes, no work, nothing at all. I made great plans for productivity to occur. I’d get up early, hit the gym, have a good portion of time to cover my friends in prayer and pour into my Bible.

In reality, I’ve spent almost every single Monday this semester lying in bed until lunch time and only rolling out of bed to meet friends while they did homework. I like to think that this tendency to waste time kicked in simply because I work just so hard and totally deserve this time off, but when I am completely honest with myself I come to realize the ugly truth: this kind of apathy runs rampant throughout my life.

Apathy is the thing that has gotten me into the worst situations throughout my life; it’s the reason my grades are not so spectacular, the reason I am constantly struggling to put gas in my car or mooching my roommate’s shampoo, and the reason I have a string of broken relationships. Ask anyone around you and I bet they’ll tell you their greatest struggle is laziness. It seems that apathy isn’t something we see as a threat or an issue we need to tackle at the moment; this is just another lie Satan uses against us, and if we’re completely honest with ourselves it’s working. Continue reading →

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April 11, 2012

Guest Post: A Job 29 Man

A Job 29 Man, by Guest Contributor Mark Muldez

There is a lot of Christian talk on relationships, and through it basic questions surface.  To women, one is: do you know what sort of a man you want to marry?  It is helpful to return to the Bible to see what God says.  For example, not often is the passage Job 29 used as a text on relationships, but the chapter gives an interesting list of a man of character (see especially verses 7-17).  Let me share with you some of the characteristics you might find in a Job 29 man..

He is the kind of guy who would rather stay at home reading his Bible and spending time with God worshiping Him than to be out partying with a group of friends on a Friday night.

He is the kind of guy who constantly longs for God’s presence and who walks closely with Him. He desires for his heart to be transformed into His. Even if life gets tough, he knows that The Mighty One is holding his every moment and nothing seemed to be too difficult for him. Continue reading →

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April 11, 2012

What We’re Up To (and a giveaway)

Updates and giveaway from the Editor.

It seems as if lately the months have been flying by!  As a result, I thought it might be time to give our readers a few updates, as well as some information on what’s to come at the blog.

1. We have added a new member to our list of regular contributors!  Please welcome Sarah, whom you can read about at our writer’s page, or by visiting her personal blog here.  We will be featuring a fantastic article she wrote on spiritual apathy.

2. In addition to having a new regular contributor, we will (hopefully within the week) be featuring an article by guy contributor and aspiring worship pastor Mark Muldez!

3. If you are already gearing up for summer break, you may be interested in adding a free novel to your summer reading list!  In association with Guest Hollow, readers of this blog can enter a book giveaway for Frank Peretti’s Illusion.  The giveaway is being hosted here on the site (click the link here to visit the giveaway), and will be open for 2 weeks.  You can enter by commenting at the link.

4. I (Hannah K.) am very excited because I will be interning in Japan this summer!  As a result, I would love if readers would consider submitting articles that we could feature during the time I will be away.  I can then schedule posts to make sure that we’re covered for the month. =)

5. April is National Poetry Month, and we encourage our readers to participate. =)  If you have a poem you would like featured at this blog that you believe our readers would enjoy, please consider submitting to the site!  I (Hannah K.) will also be sharing one or more poems when I am finished participating, and I would love if others would join the event.

Art Credit: Pinterest

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March 30, 2012

Keeping At It

In the article below, Hannah K. discusses desiring purpose, “keeping at it”, and finding identity in Christ.

Finished. I close my laptop and sit back in satisfaction.  I have spent the morning sitting in a coffee shop, notes of jazz and probably Beethoven in the background, as well as a steady stream of conversation that is friendly, measured, and kind.  Amid the deluge of papers, assignments, tests and quizzes that this week has offered, one morning spent in a coffee shop feels heaven.  It gives a few hours to reclaim some sense of what it means to be at peace, and victory over to-do’s that have been looming over my head like so many brooding rain clouds.

“You need something to identify with to keep going.”  A woman had said earlier that morning, another college student that made herself comfortable at the edge-of-town Starbucks.  Her friend nodded assent.  When we have nothing to identify with, our college work becomes meaningless.  I can’t let this become meaningless.  She went on to explain.   Continue reading →

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March 16, 2012

Clothesline People

Editor’s note: Recently I came across the following poem and thought that our readers might enjoy it.  It is called “clothesline”, and is by Marilyn Maciel.  

Question to ponder after reading the poem: do you think that choosing to speak inclusively is important?  Why or why not?  When? Continue reading →

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