Life Update: August

How do you describe seven months of growth and pain? How can the human mind, advanced as it is, convey such powerful emotion, dreadful turmoil, and difficult growth?

As always, this post is a life update. Given my lack of time, I have to resort to publishing these but rarely. Before I begin: I pray for wisdom as I write. I do not want to defame or insult anyone, and thus I will take extreme care in my descriptions of the past months.

At the end of February, I suffered the loss of a friendship. I believed this step away from friendship to be temporary, but I discovered that it was permanent (against my desires), mere days after my eighteenth birthday and graduation date. This loss sent me into the deepest time of depression I had ever experienced. For once, I knew what it was like to battle dark and even suicidal thoughts.

Yet God brought me out of this in the most unlikely of ways: through baseball. I am a basketball player, and had hardly touched a glove/bat in well over a decade. Thankfully, one of my friends was wise enough to see through the darkness I battled, and he suggested a new sport.

I took to baseball quite well, started in a few games, but the real joy was in the companionship. This filled the void left in my soul, and restored my heart and mind to a place of joy while the loss of my friendship was still believed to be temporary.

I graduated and turned eighteen towards the end of May. Shortly thereafter, my family prepared to return to Uganda for the very last time (due to unfortunate circumstances, we are in the process of leaving Ministry). Covid is, unfortunately, a reality, and our plans were abruptly cancelled when Uganda announced a country-wide lockdown.

By this time, it was the beginning of June, and the time had long since passed for the relationship I had briefly put on hold to be restored. It is in deepest grief that I say that this did not go as planned. The relationship was lost for good. It was an incredibly difficult loss of friendship, and this loss was made more difficult because I had to process the discarding of my expectation of return to relationship. Yet despite the difficult time, my respect for this person remains as high as possible. Hurt and deep pain exist, but they are a child of God and deserve to be treated as such.

Needless to say, it was a difficult time. I cried for a week. This was my best and closest friend, after all. As always, however, God is incredible, and He worked some incredible things in me. He used this time to further expose root heart issues that would have remained hidden otherwise. He showed me the truest depths of my sin and idolatry, and taught me that the only times He has to remove something from my hand is because I refused to give it to Him open-handedly.

I bounced back quicker than I had personally anticipated, much to my relief. I returned to college prep, and for several months, I believed I would be attending Moody Bible Institute. I even paid a deposit to the school.

Again, quite unfortunately, Moody Bible Institute released new Covid protocols for their students, and I, an unashamedly unvaccinated adult, was not willing to deal with these restrictions. I then shifted my attention to Boyce College in Louisville, to which I was accepted promptly a week before move-in day.

I have now been at Boyce for two and a half weeks, and I have loved every single minute of it. This campus is stunning, and the atmosphere is like no other. It is now incredibly clear to me that God had this place intended for me. I am majoring in communications and may consider a minor in Business.

I am incredibly grateful for the presence of an older friend of mine, Amanda York. I attended high school with her, and although we had not known each other quite well, we became friends over the summer. She helped push me towards Christ, especially as I battled grief.

I am increasingly grateful for my lifelong best friend, Josiah Kegg. Josiah was, by the grace of God, my neighbor for two months during the time I was in mourning. He kept me grounded in the Word and in Truth, constantly challenging me in my spiritual walk.

Another friend I am grateful for is Drew Mehall. Drew was the first to push me towards baseball, and he constantly kept me true to myself. He saw through my depression and called me to something greater. He pushed me to place a higher emphasis on my relationship with Christ, rather than with Man.

I’m also grateful for my parents. They stood by me through thick and thin, literally keeping me from falling (as I wept) or overthinking my own issues (as I worked through my grief). Without them, I would (obviously) not be alive and I would not be even a tenth the man I am today.

Finally, I am grateful to God. He has revealed Himself to me in ways that blow my mind. He is my gracious Father, my caring King, and loving Judge. I owe everything to Him. May the praise and glory go entirely to Him, for He is the only one deserving of glory.

God has meant so much more during this journey. He has worked in my heart, growing me in ways I never could have dreamed. He has never left me and has always stood by my side. He has revealed Himself to me in so many ways, and I feel as if the last year has grown me enough for three. To Him be the glory, the majesty, and the praise.

Soli Deo Gloria

-Elisha McFarland

The Greatest Perspective of All

The Greatest Perspective of All

They say that the best teachers are those that know you best. I believe this to be true. A teacher that can reach into your heart and find your deepest needs, gaps, and desires is a teacher that will always succeed. Moreover, a teacher willing to go to great lengths to ensure your complete understanding of a given topic is a teacher like no other. This man or woman will never be forgotten. They will implant their face upon the hearts and minds of our young generations for decades, changing the future for the better.

My dad is one such teacher.

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What Does It Mean to Be Grateful?

What Does It Mean to Be Grateful?

Traveling from a poor, third-world country back to the United States is arguably the quickest way to become grateful. Within mere moments of landing, you, the American, realize just blessed you are, and vow to never forget to thank God for what He has blessed you with.

Then, two weeks later, you find yourself back in the rhythm you left behind, quite willing to take life for granted. I’m no exception. It is so easy to get caught up in the flow of today’s world, and forget to thank God for the little things.

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Monday Q&A 6: God and Man

Monday Q&A 4: God and Man

In our past three Q&A’s, we have discussed three highly important topics: the character of God, foundations of Christianity, and Scripture. Yet so far, none of these topics have been as important as the one to be discussed today.

God and man. Deus et Hominum. Theós kai ánthropos.

The center of Christianity.

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Monday Q&A 4: Foundations of Christianity pt.2

Monday Q&A 4: Foundations of Christianity pt.2

Hey, and welcome back to another Monday Q&A! Today’s topic is “The Foundations of Christianity”, the second and last discussion here. Last week, we talked mostly about the depravity and utter sinfulness of man, but this week, our focus turns to Jesus and His effect upon man and sin.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!

8: What does the term “fall of man” mean and why is it important?

The term “fall of man” refers to the introduction of sin into the world. Described at the very beginning of the Bible, the Fall took place soon after the creation of the first man (Adam) and woman (Eve). The two lived in paradise and in perfect harmony with God, cherishing Him and fully submitting to His commandment- to not eat of “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, located in the middle of their Garden home.

Eventually, a fallen angel named Lucifer took on the shape of a serpent/snake and tempted Adam and Eve to break God’s commandment and eat the fruit. Lead by Adam, Eve took and ate the fruit, sinning for the first time in history and introducing sin into the very bloodstream of humanity.

Since then, man has been born in a fallen state, unable to not sin. We bear Adam’s curse and punishment for his failure, a punishment only removed by Jesus and His sacrifice.

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What Does a God-Focused Marriage Look Like?

What Does a God-Focused Marriage Look Like?

Today is my parents’ 19th anniversary. Since their wedding day on June 29th, 2001, they have constantly fought for each other, focusing their full and complete hearts on God and their marriage. Through this time, they have inspired many couples to live out a God-focused marriage, keeping the literal Center of the universe at the center of their marriage.

They are, without a doubt, the two most inspirational people in my life.

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3 Ways Christ Helps Us Combat Depression (Guest Post)

3 Ways Christ Helps Us Combat Depression

Panic sets in. Heart racing, your eyes dart around frantically. You gasp desperately for breath, and your entirety trembles. There is no escape. The darkness has imprisoned you, and from within there is no way out. 

Depression is the seemingly inescapable, wall-less prison that confines and cripples teens today. The cycle of fears feeding fears leaves teens feeling hopeless, worn out, and defeated. This is when the Devil tries his hardest to lead us into despair. Those lacking a consistent and strong connection to the truths of the Bible will ultimately fail to stand on their own strength. Yet, at times, it seems impossible to discard the mindset of despair. Thankfully, by God’s grace, there are three factors to combating this mindset.. This isn’t a “3 steps to leave depression” guidebook. It’s not the same for everyone. But in my personal experience, I’ve found that these three things are often key to my thoughts and doubts. I hope they help you as much as they did me.

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Monday Q&A 2: The Character of God pt.2

Christian Q&A 8-14: The Character of God

We’re back again, continuing our series on the character of God. To cap it off, I am answering the last 7 questions from Stoa Apologetics’ worksheet questions on the character and being of God.

In last week’s post, I answered the first seven, mainly talking about the importance of God’s power and how it plays out into our lives. Today, the questions begin to extend further into the realm of Jesus’ existence and the proof found therein. Hang tight; it may be a bumpy ride.

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Lex Luthor’s Guide to the Goodness and Power of God

Lex Luthor's Guide to the Goodness and Power of God

Inspiration can come from the strangest of places. I have, in my three years as a blogger, been inspired by a bagel, a cup of coffee, and other, non food-related objects.

In this case, our inspiration comes from the badly-received movie “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”. The movie was quite predictable and, to nobody’s surprise, was another hard-hitting, sink-smashing DC film with over half the movie dedicated to action scenes.

But, to my complete surprise, the movie later delved into philosophy. As the plot nears the climax, Lex Luthor (the villain) has captured Superman’s mother, Martha, and is threatening to kill her. If Superman wants to see his mother alive, Luthor says, he must “bring me the head of the Bat”. Luthor will only release Martha if Superman kills Batman. But, before Superman leaves, Luthor says something extremely profound.

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The Glory of God in a Bagel

The Glory of God in a Bagel

Have you ever had a bagel? You know, a nice fat one with extra bread, maybe with a little fried banana or a roasted ant on top?

Yeah, me neither.

I prefer a normal bagel, thank you very much. A little peanut butter or apple butter, and I’m set for the afternoon. Throw in some chocolate milk, and I’ll last most of the morning too.

I honestly didn’t know the true wonder of bagels until about three weeks ago. My mom had bought a half-dozen from the grocery store, and I randomly decided to try one.

I knew instantly that I had found the perfect snack.

They’re soft, tasty, and filling too. Easy to bite into with enough variance in toppings that you’ll never really have the same bagel twice.

The Bible is like that in a lot of ways, actually. When read with the right appetite, it becomes easy to digest and provides more than enough energy to get you through the day. It is never the same, and as you continue to read, you go deeper and deeper into God’s word, discovering entirely new things that seemed to have been masked until that moment.

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Why 2020 Has Been the Best and Worst Year of My Life

Why 2020 Has Been the Best and Worst Year of My Life

On January 2nd, 2020, I published the most ironic blog post of my life. Titled “Why 2020 Will Be the Best Year of My Life“, the post outlined my plans for the year and detailed how I thought the year would go.

Boy, was I wrong.

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Christ, the God of Fulfillment

Christ the God of Fulfillment cross images

Even in the darkest of times, God is good. It seems cliche, doesn’t it? Yet over the last eight weeks, this has become my mantra. I have repeated it over and over again, and the words still haven’t lost their meaning.

We all suffer. It’s part of being human. Some suffer more than others, leaving us to question life’s equality. Others bear suffering as their cross, convinced that the burden doesn’t exist.

In one way or another, every single one of us is suffering. You, reading this, are suffering. Right now. In some way, you are. I, writing this, am suffering. It’s part of sin’s curse.

Thanks, Adam.

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What Does “Yahweh” Really Mean?

What does Yahweh mean

Yahweh, Yahweh

Always pain before a child is born

Yahweh, Yahweh

Still, I’m waiting for the dawn

“Yahweh”

These words were sung by popular 90’s band U2. At the time, nobody knew what Yahweh even meant. The song seemed rather random, as many of U2’s works were at the time. And, while many of U2’s fans did not understand the song’s meaning, the writers did. They were referencing God, and only the Christians and Jews recognized it.

So, what does Yahweh really mean?

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Success In Christ- Guest Post by Ian Fischer

Success in Christ

It’s in our nature to work and aspire. Some of us are loud and outspoken, while others are quiet and reserved. Ambition and aspiration are in all of us -adults, teens, Christians, and non-Christians. Many share common goals such as:

1.     Desiring a certain job/career. 

2.     Aiming to be popular.

3.     Gaining wealth.

If you asked a random person on the street to define or explain success, chances are you will get something like the three above.

But, if left unchecked against the truth of the Gospel, these simple goals will naturally grow into sinful desires and idols of the heart. As a result of living in a sinful world, we have sinful hearts that glorify objects instead of the One True God.  

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Does God Hear Me When I Pray?

Man praying in pew does God hear me when I pray

Prayer is one of the key foundations of Faith. Much of our Faith, as Christians, hinges upon it, and without it, we are rendered completely unable to grow in relationship with Christ. Many would describe such a man as a “dead Christian”, having Faith but lacking fruit.

A Christian’s spiritual walk involves prayer from the beginning to the end. From praying the classic “sinner’s prayer” as a teenager or adult to praying our last words on our deathbed, prayer is deeply rooted within the life of every Christian. A Christian with a healthy prayer life can expect to see his relationship with Christ grow, and in direct relation to this, the strength of his Faith will grow also.

Continue reading “Does God Hear Me When I Pray?”