This Month’s Theme:
Come, Follow Me

Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it

Mark 8:34-35

graphic image of a man looking Jesus' reflection on the water

Artist’s Reflection

I was born and raised with a dead god.

My childhood and adolescence were filled with hundreds of immobile images that said nothing and could do nothing, deaf figures of wood and stone on large walls! Life was going well, and I could not—and did not—want to hear God’s call.

But as C.S. Lewis said: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” It was in times of crisis and great burden that God became alive to me, and I heard his voice whispering to me in my pain: “Come and follow me”. 

—John Joven

Join in the Conversation

When was the last time we heeded God’s call, instead of following our hearts?

Living a life that reflects Christ requires setting aside the desires and pleasures of this world for His Kingdom. But when we choose to follow Him, God doesn’t shortchange us, and we gain a more satisfying life than the world can ever offer us.

This month, we invite you to reflect with us on what it means to take up our crosses and follow Christ (Mark 8:34-35). What are the sacrifices involved in being His disciple? What are the joys you’ve experienced as you’ve walked with Jesus? How can we continue following Him when the world pulls us in another direction?

If you have got a story to share, we’d love to hear it! Check out our writers’ guidelines and send us your story.

Here are some subthemes to help you get started: 

  • The cost of following Christ
  • The joys of walking with Christ
  • The upside down kingdom of God

Learning to surrender, giving up our rights, experiencing fullness of joy, walking with Jesus through the trials and troubles of life, renewing our minds, priorities, building a kingdom mindset, being lights in the workplace, decision-making, setting goals, rethinking success and failure, finding hope for the future, expectations and dreams, learning to recognise God’s voice, living counterculturally, financial decisions.

We are also looking for stories on dealing with burnout, eating disorders (binge-eating, anorexia), illness (physical & mental) and restored relationships (divorce, difficult relationships, family conflict), etc.

Join in the Fun

If you’re more of a visual person, you can be a part of the YMI community by contributing or tagging your artworks with our hashtag #ymitoday. Check out our creatives’ guidelines and send us your artworks.

We know you love your colours, so do we! Each quarter, we set a colour theme that we’ll work around. Use the colour palette below to increase your chances of getting featured!