Cally Logan - Hang In There, Girl: Real Life Advice from a Big Sister in Christ

Bridge-Logos
Newberry, FL 32669

Hang in There, Girl:
Real-Life Advice from a Big Sister in Christ
by Cally Logan

Copyright 2022 by Bridge-Logos

All rights reserved. Under International Copyright Law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopy), recording, or otherwisewithout written permission from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2021950442

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61036-271-9
International Standard Book Number eBook: 978-0-7684-6321-7
International Standard Book Number Hardcover: 978-0-7684-6322-4
International Standard Book Number Large Print: 978-0-7684-6323-1

Edited by Lynn Copeland

Cover and interior design by Kent Jensen | knail.com

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

To my grandfather Ben Blanton Sr. and the legacy he planted long ago.

And most truly,
all honor, glory, and praise to Jesus Christ, to whom all credit is due.

INTRODUCTION

Hi there.

Coming of age in this world is harder than ever, and more often than not we find ourselves needing a big sister in life. The kind of big sister you could ask embarrassing or hard questions of, the kind who would offer godly advice from a genuine desire to help. One who would offer what we need to hear more than what we want to hear. Although I do not know you personally, I hope this book serves as a coffee date with a big sister in Christ. Imagine us nestled into worn, cozy leather chairs in the corner of a local coffee shop, with a leisurely afternoon ahead of us just to chat.

Matthew 10 shares how God knows every sparrow, and reader, He knows you. I hope as you read through this book it feels like a comforting hugwarm and embracing, but never judgmental. Rest assured that the chapters to come have been heavily prayed over and ample time in the Word has been spent upon these revelations and convictions. You see, it is really the Holy Spirit of God prompting me to write. I say this because in this world we need to be discerning. If we are going to take time to listen to people, we need to know that they are biblically sound. This requires the correct balance of Scripture and Spirit, and that is something I adamantly pursue, especially in this book.

So, hang in there, girl, youre not alone in this life. Pour yourself a fresh cup and lets have a little chat about growing up, growing in, and having life abundantly.

CHAPTER 1

Radical

LIVE RAD

What does it really mean to be a Christian? What is the difference between a cultural Christian and a true follower of Christ? The answer is how you choose to live out your life. A cultural Christian is someone who has merely accepted into their hearts and minds that Jesus is the Son of God, but a genuine follower of Christ has also turned from their sin and chooses daily to live out a life imitating Christ. This means living in such a way that people can tell you are set apart; you are living as Christ called all of us to live. This is represented most by how we love, as Jesus said: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).

Now, even those who are not followers of Christ can love someone else. Love is best defined as putting another person before ourselves. What if we radically took that to the next level? To a Christ-follower level? What if we chose to not live in even the mainstream of church culture, but we actually lived as Christ did?

This would require stepping out of our comfort zones. Suddenly keeping to our safe Christian circles of friends would be challenged as we choose to sit with people who arent saved, people who dont live perfectly, even the outcasts. Jesus did this plain and simple, such as the time He chose to sit with tax collectors (unpopular in any time) and even women who sold themselves for money. Now, what is important is to realize that Jesus never said what they did was acceptable, nor did He participate in their sins, yet He radically loved and accepted them as people who needed to know the love of God. How can we imitate Christ in this? Perhaps we can sit with that coworker who always sits alone at lunch. Perhaps we can start up a conversation with someone who doesnt look a thing like us. Perhaps we can love radically.

For many people, fitting in is a great desire, but Ive always felt comfortable walking to a unique beat all my own. That being said, my people are usually those who perk up at the mention of Lord of the Rings, a historical event, or a pop-punk band of the early 2000s. I honestly would not change a thing about myself in that manner, for it allows me to connect and engage with others on many levels and provides the blessing and opportunity to love them. It honestly breaks my heart seeing what a skewed and wrong perception most people have about Christians. From movies to television to culture, there seems to be the narrative that Christians are judgmental, self-righteous, and unwilling to come alongside the least of these, and changing that stereotype falls upon us in action.

Gandhi said, I know of no one who has done more for humanity than Jesus. In fact, there is nothing wrong with Christianity, but the trouble is with you Christians. You do not begin to live up to your own teachings, and that vividly spoke to me. I am in no way bashing church culture, but it is time we break the mold and stereotype that Christians are bigots who judge others and misrepresent the name of Christ. It is time we step out and live radically just as Jesus did. It is time we love others and embrace them in love, not condemning or affirming their actions, but merely loving them as individuals made in Gods image.

Living radically also means we live differently than society, and even church culture. We uphold what Christ calls us to do, like keeping Sundays holy and tithing. It means waiting to have sex until marriage, and placing a high value on marriage in the first place. It means picking up our cross and following His lead, even if it looks dangerous and terrifying. Christ never once said that He would call us to live in secure little bubbles on Comfort Zone Island. He called us to trust Him and be different.

Our society oddly enough often highlights how great it is to be different, so what if we actually lived like Jesus calls us to live? What if we took the first ten minutes of our mornings and read the Word, and His own words, rather than scroll through Instagram? What if we didnt conform to the ways of this world but instead wholly ran after Him, not worrying about our reputations or the thoughts of others but truly just caring about what