Pietism in Less Than Five Minutes: Are you an evangelical Christian? Are you a Christian that cares deeply about faith on an individual level? Then it might be helpful to learn about a late 17th-century movement in Christianity that began in Germany. It is called Pietism. As Christians, it would benefit us greatly to know more about various thinkers, movements, and ideas of our history. We do not live in a vacuum; others have gone before us. Others have succeeded and failed. We can learn from them, reject where they erred, and embrace the good. Click here to learn about Pietism in only a few minutes.
Grading: Whether one likes to admit it or not, there is a significant level of subjectivity that goes into grading even when using rubrics that attempt to bring some objectivity into the process.
Purpose in Five Words or Less: What if you could only use five or fewer words to capture what God has put you on earth to do? Of course, there are duties that we all have as Christians, but I am talking more about your specific calling, or vocation. I have four in particular, although I will not toss them out here. So think about this. What has God put in your deep heart to do for him no matter what outward form it may take from one season to the next? Okay, so here is one of my words: 1. Teach
Toxic Youth Camp Messages: The message I heard time and time again as a teenager is that God had something HUGE for me. Everyone, including me, was supposed to change the world. But that is not true, is it? God does not have a HUGE plan for each person; instead, God has a special plan for each person. It is special and unique, but not necessarily “huge.” Some of us will touch a few lives, some a few hundred, some a few thousand, and some millions. But that is up to God, right? If we equate a meaningful destiny with quantity, then most Christians will feel like a failure. Besides, this is not biblical. But if we equate a meaningful destiny with God’s will that is rooted in a person’s specific makeup that God has bestowed to match what He has called them to, then EVERY SINGLE person can live a very meaningful and special life whether it is “big” or “small.” The “Everyone has a huge destiny” message is an Americanized version of a Gospel truth. And this results in what always results when humans get their hands on something that comes from God: perversion. Evil is perverted goodness; it has no origin of its own.
My First Two Books are 99 Cents on Kindle:
The Word as a Vehicle – This book is about how the Bible can help us encounter God and enjoy his presence, not just learn more about him.
Where Does God Go? – This book is about hearing God’s voice, listening to him as he listens to us, and living in such a way that God can also turn to us with his burdens and concerns.
They are short books. If you purchase and read, please leave feedback on Amazon and send me a message to let me know what you think.
BJ Condrey, Ph.D. 