The “Why” Behind Our Resolutions

January 5 I’m going to be honest. New Year’s resolutions are often a way I scramble for control— over my health, my schedule, my dreams, my relationships, my life. At the root can be a self-consumed motive to be better, do better, look better. God is unmasking that sin inside me and piloting me on … Continue reading The “Why” Behind Our Resolutions

Why I’m Rethinking My Blog Schedule

This month marks two years since I launched Bethany J’s Journal and became a blogger. Since October 2017, I’ve made pages of mistakes. I’ve fought discouragement. I’ve tried to craft better sentences. I’ve been enraptured by who God is and how he chooses to use me. And this month, I’ve realized it’s time for a … Continue reading Why I’m Rethinking My Blog Schedule

Don’t Worship the Weekend

People have disliked Monday morning for decades. Today, we take it a step further with coffee mugs and t-shirts and ball caps to broadcast our complaints. Wake me when it’s Friday. I don’t do Mondays. Coffee and dogs and weekends. The message is clear: Weekends are fun. Mondays (and Tuesdays and Wednesdays) aren’t. But like … Continue reading Don’t Worship the Weekend

Meditation, Celebration, and a Good Friday Playlist

Two thousand years ago a sinless man set his face toward Jerusalem. He heaved a cross on his shoulders and climbed a hill outside the city gates. He let seething men drill nails through his veins. He hung against the wood, bleeding, gasping, dying, forsaken. He bore the foaming ocean of God’s wrath so we … Continue reading Meditation, Celebration, and a Good Friday Playlist

Teenager, It’s Time to Wake Up and Join the Battle

This article was first published on the Rebelution blog, where you can read it in its entirety. If my generation woke up, we’d realize we’re being treated like babies. The world is coddling us with low expectations, stroking our flesh and rocking us into lethargy. We’re being spoon-fed the tasty lies that we don’t need … Continue reading Teenager, It’s Time to Wake Up and Join the Battle

What Black Friday Taught Me About Godliness and Contentment

For twenty-four hours, Thanksgiving Day arouses gratefulness and benevolence in Americans. Then Black Friday hits, and things take a radically different turn. On Thursday, we open our doors to welcome family and count our blessings. On Friday, we tear down doors to snatch the hottest items at satisfying prices. The twenty-four-hour paradox is almost funny. … Continue reading What Black Friday Taught Me About Godliness and Contentment