Posts by Andrea L. Ramsay
Jesus the Idea, Jesus in the Flesh
I feel like I can go long stretches of time where my faith is based on this idea of Jesus, but not really the person of Jesus. As if who he was was this wonderful collection of love and peace and wisdom. A formless mass of goodness. And then, someone will say something or I’ll…
Read MoreAnnouncing A New Project: Breathing Room
This is how my ideas come to fruition: I have an idea. I think about that idea for a long time. I say the idea out loud, but only to myself. One day, I say the idea out loud to a trusted friend. Then, I say it to more friends. I practice speaking the idea.…
Read MoreI Am Not Good at Being Me, Except When I Write
I am not very good at being myself. But I am very good at being who people want me to be. I can walk into a room, read the situation and take on a persona. (I would probably be a great spy.) A room of academics? I’ll try and act smart. A room of Christians?…
Read MoreBetween Home
I just returned from my first visit back to Nashville since I moved to Austin in January. I haven’t really written about this move since then. I got here and immediately I finished up edits on the book, got the launch team going, went to Israel for a couple of weeks, came back, geared up…
Read MoreWhy I Get Off Social Media on the Weekends
Every Friday at 5 p.m. I get off social media. I delete my apps from my phone and try my hardest to resist logging in on my laptop for the rest of the night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday morning, around 8, I get back on. I reload the apps on…
Read MoreI Want to Come to Your Book Club and Give You Presents!
Attention all book clubs, Are you considering reading English Lessons in July or August? If so, I would love to know! For two reasons: 1. I would like to mail your group some custom made stationary as a gift. Isn’t it beautiful? 2. I would like to Skype (or FaceTime) into one your gatherings for…
Read MoreWhat Happens When We Love Others First, And God Second
by Alyssa DeLosSantos Dear Younger Me, I see you caving under the weight of all you are trying to get “right.” You are worn out and discouraged from trying to earn your worth. You may bristle at what I’m about to say because these words might feel like an ill-fitting garment, but I’m begging you…
Read MoreLook Past the Clearance Jesus
by Sarah Brooks *** If you were to Google stock photos of Good Christian Teenagers, my high school yearbook picture would show up. I was the World’s Best. Someone needs a volunteer for the mission trip? Camp? Retreat? Bible study? Prayer team? Small group? Sign me up. There’s a new ministry? It’s called Ignite? Elevate? Revolution? Engage? Impact? I’ll…
Read MoreWhen Doing Everything Right Is No Longer…Right
by Devi Duerrmeier *** It was a solid concrete mass of a highway that got you there. Straight on Highway 412, a right onto Holly Street and then a slight left on West University Avenue. On the left across from the cathedral is a graveyard. Concrete tombstones dotted the green field, there were trees and…
Read MoreThe Difference Between Worshiping God and Worshiping Comfort
by Jordan Harrell *** Dear 19-Year-Old Me, You’re probably wearing a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants, a ponytail wagging back-and-forth as you bee-bop around your Christian university in between chapel and the campus center. The whole concept of “college” as an educational experience is beyond you, but you sincerely enjoy it nonetheless. Yours is a…
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