“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God….” -Isaiah 41:10
I still remember the day when performance anxiety became a thing for me. I’d been playing piano for a decade, having stunned judges at a fifth-grade talent show and wowed my peers with a Brahms rhapsody at the National Honor Society banquet. Then came college. It was my freshman year,… Read More »Faith Over Stage Fright: How to Beat Performance Anxiety
What comes to mind when someone asks you to visualize a tough person? Someone with lots of muscles, right? Like the guy who can beat anybody in arm-wrestling, or the football player who can take any hit and give it right back. Or maybe you envision toughness as hardness of… Read More »Real Toughness Redefined: How to Develop a Strong Mind
How can you know God loves you? Pose that question to any good Christian and she’ll whip out John 3:16 and hand it to you with a flourish. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but… Read More »How to Really, Truly Know God Loves You
Jemma is a brilliant young woman, with stellar grades, a small group of close friends, and an enviable summer internship. But inside, she’s a jumble of doubt and insecurity. Her faith has been shaken by the unshakeable feeling that God simply isn’t as close as her Sunday school teachers always… Read More »Faith Over Feelings: 6 Biblical Truths For When You’re Down
Pride = the quality or state of being proud. Also one of the seven deadly sins, right up there with greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Proverbs 16:18 tells us “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Clearly, pride is a weed you don’t want taking… Read More »20 Awesome Things Christian Teens Can Take Pride In
Like any longstanding group of people, Christians have their own jargon and overused phrases. Someone who comes to faith is said to be “born again.” A Christian who tells her coming-to-faith story is said to “give her testimony.” When sharing the good news of Jesus with non-believers, we urge each… Read More »The Battle’s Already Been Won . . . What Battle?
Christians are always seeking Jesus as though he were a child who wandered away. Where is he? Why can’t I hear him? Shouldn’t I at least be able to feel his presence? Did he leave me? It reminds me of a bizarre incident that happened in my hometown years back,… Read More »Seeking Jesus: How to Get Closer to God Right Now
What does it mean to fear God? Fear is a colossal stumbling block for Christians and non-Christians alike. It halts the achievement of dreams and diminishes faith, and because of this, fear has its own category in my blog. In No Fear: The Danger of Sin in Your Heart, I… Read More »Teens for Christ: What Does it Mean to Fear God?