Most of us feel a deep respect in our hearts for those who have sacrificed so that we can remain free. Loving those who have paid the ultimate price is just something we do as a people. We pause to remember each year. Isaiah 56:5 says, “To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.” God instituted the concept of maintaining memorials. He remembers, and so do we. Maybe you’ve ...
May 30, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1041
Games and sports aren’t real life, but they often give a pretty accurate picture of how we can choose to face life. Some people love Tom Brady, some don’t. What we have to admit though is that the guy is at his best when the pressure is the most intense. Imagine that your profession is on a national stage. You have the ball with less than two minutes to go, and your team is behind. Standing behind center and looking out at the defense, how many of us could even think? Then, imagine throwing the ...
May 27, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1040
Few of us enjoy chaos. It’s just too...chaotic, right? The human mind needs order and peace, yet we live in this messy world. Stuff is flying by all the time, and we duck. Our relationships are a mess, and we have to schedule that root canal...while simultaneously making dinner and cleaning the house. Is there a way out? Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God...
May 26, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1039
Have you ever watched a war movie and realized that the actors didn’t know how the conflict would turn out? World War 2 movies are like that. When they filmed “Casablanca,” Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman weren’t sure whether the Germans would win or lose. Life can be like that. Matthew 28:20 says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In your own life, you might be facing some really serious stuff. And it’s not unusual to be staring at several problems all at once. T...
May 25, 2022•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1038
Jill felt like she couldn’t keep up anymore. Four years out of college, she was doing well in her chosen career. But it had not only taken her far from home, it took her away from the values she had known. This new place she lived in pressed-in on her mind and heart. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Burdened by her stresses, Jill realized something had to change. But in that unique way He has, God showed her that she didn’t necessarily have to m...
May 24, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1037
Billy Joel says that his hit song, “Pressure” really is about the pressures of daily life: providing for your family, putting food on the table, and career obstacles. Even the way he sings the song, with power and anger, makes the point. It’s quite a statement on life. And we’ve all felt it. 2 Corinthians 1:8 says, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” But as believers, we can take heart in the fact that Paul then writes that diffi...
May 23, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1036
A really cool thing about God is that He has a solution for literally every situation. That includes mental health. We see this especially in the ministry of Jesus, who walked the land healing people of all sorts of terrible things. One day He encountered a man driven insane by demons. Mark 5:15 says, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the ‘legion’; and they became frightened.” The “Legion,” ...
May 20, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1035
For some reason, people sometimes tell big lies when it comes to fishing. You know, what was really a small fry becomes a man-eating shark in the re-telling of the story. But that’s nothing compared to a really incredible story in the Old Testament book of Jonah. It seems the prophet didn’t want to preach in the pagan city of Nineveh, so he sailed away on a ship. He forgot that God controls the sea and everything in it, and Jonah found himself overboard and then swallowed by a huge fish. Jonah 1...
May 19, 2022•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1034
One of the extraordinary stories in the Bible involves a young woman named Rahab. This story beautifully expresses God’s love for all people. Rahab lived in the Canaanite town of Jericho, which was near the border of the Promised land God had promised to His people, who had been wandering for years in search of a home after slavery in Egypt. Because the Canaanites were powerful, Joshua sent a scouting party into the land, to see what they were up against. Then men sent ahead were hidden from har...
May 18, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1033
The Bible is full of stories of God doing amazing things for those He calls. One of the most famous seems to be too good to be true, but it is! Daniel, God’s man in exile in Babylon, insisted on worshiping the Lord, and not a human king. This was against the law. When those who were jealous of him urged the king to punish Daniel, the prophet was thrown into a lion’s den overnight. And that was that. Or was it? Next morning, the king was so anxious about Daniel, that he ran to the den and called ...
May 17, 2022•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1032
Have you ever gotten so tired of life that you wish you could disappear and start over somewhere else? Ever wish that fantasy would just pull you out of your circumstances? They make movies about things like that, but it’s not real. John 14:2–3 says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”...
May 16, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1031
How much can one person take, and still choose to offer kindness? In Genesis Chapter 37, verses 12–36, 17-year-old Joseph is sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending the family’s flock of sheep in the countryside. Rather than the friendly check-in he expected, Joseph’s brothers initially plotted to kill him out of jealousy, but instead sold him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites heading for Egypt. Among the brothers, only Reuben wished to leave Joseph unharmed, attempting (...
May 13, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1030
Donna and Betty were sisters, but in mid-life they were both tired of the fighting and mistrust and hurt. Each had their grievances. Both were stubborn. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” At one particular time of the year, Betty heard this verse spoken in a service. And here’s an ironic thing: of the two sisters, most people would agree she was definitely the most stubborn! But that day she did an amazing thing. She went home and called Donn...
May 12, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1029
Family is a wonderful thing, and these relationships do so much to enrich our lives, but family makes a lousy god. People sometimes think...if only my relationship was better with my dad, or if only I found a husband or wife, or if only we had kids — then life would be complete. A picture-perfect family is a blessing, indeed, but this is not where God wants us to seek meaning in our lives. Family relationships are complicated, and since we’re talking about people – not God – we are sure to be di...
May 11, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1028
In thinking about different kinds of love, it’s a beautiful thing to realize that God has placed certain people in our lives for specific reasons. Friendship is one of His great gifts to us, all-time. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Do you have someone in your life that is not blood-related, but it sure feels like it? In fact, often it feels like a closer relation than biological family! Notice what the writer of Proverbs tells us: A frien...
May 10, 2022•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1027
The Bible has a lot to say about how we are to treat each other on our life’s journey. One story in particular in Genesis shows us how to resist peer pressure, especially when someone’s life is in danger. In fact, this story really captures the essence of what we’re talking about this week. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." Jacob had sons, but one was his favorite. Joseph was younger than his brothers and for various reasons, most of ...
May 09, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1026
Hers is the greatest motherhood story of all time. You know who she is. Magnificent Mary! Her story has been told many times, but how grateful we are that it’s recorded in Scripture. Whatever God’s reasons for choosing this particular woman to give birth to Jesus, we know that she must have loved the Lord with all her heart. And just think how her head and heart must have been spinning when the angel visited her and told her the special job God was going to give her! Luke 1:46–48 says, “And Mary...
May 06, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1025
Are you a woman blessed with the gift of a wonderful mother-in-law? We can hardly think of a more important relationship. Through the ages, this mentoring friendship has sealed families and nurtured them. Likewise, we easily see the pain inflicted when this relationship isn’t good. In the Old Testament, we read of a really remarkable mother-in-law. She showed great kindness to a young woman at just the right moment. After returning home to Bethlehem after a famine is over, Naomi wants the best f...
May 05, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1024
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be close to Jesus when He was on the earth? It would have been amazing to be in His inner circle. We know of a remarkable woman, a family member, who would have been able to be around to watch the most amazing life unfold. Her name was Elizabeth. An aunt of Jesus. We read in Luke that everyone thought that the time for Elizabeth to become a mother was passed. In those days people thought sin prevented pregnancy, so this godly woman went thro...
May 04, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1023
We think of her as a genteel Southern lady, and she was that, for sure. But Ruth Bell Graham was so much more. While her husband was away so much, preaching to the masses, she was preaching to her own little flock. The result was children who became adults, and in turn shared the Good News of Jesus with others. Anne Graham Lotz and Franklin Graham didn’t just fall out of the sky! Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” In their little home in the mountains of Nor...
May 03, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1022
If you’ve been fortunate to hold a newborn, you know what it’s like to be thunderstruck by the delicate features. Everything in miniature. And then the eyes open. You’re in love. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” A baby is a blessing and gift from the Lord. All life is precious; it doesn’t matter if the parents are famous or completely obscure. In that warm bundle is a whole lifetime waiting to unfold. Will he be adventurous? Will she run the country? Man is capabl...
May 02, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1021
Today, we wrap up our series on finding contentment by discussing the source of true peace and happiness. John MacArthur once wrote a book called “Our Sufficiency in Christ.” In it, he revealed the path to finding true peace and contentment. And he says, "There's a single word that encompasses all the riches we find in Christ — grace." What a magnificent word it is. It's used more than 150 times in the New Testament to speak of divine favor, bestowed on undeserving people. It is the means by whi...
Apr 29, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1020
Solomon was king after his famous father, David, in ancient Israel. He also became insanely wealthy. According to the world’s standard, he had everything. Everything except peace later in life. In this way he was like a modern person, because truthfully, people’s natures never really change over time. It’s one of the things we have talked about this week. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what...
Apr 28, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1019
As we continue in our series on finding contentment, today's message is really about taking the long view. The human attention span is short. Like really, really short. Between the World Wars, Winston Churchill warned Europe that Hitler was a threat to the continent at least. But people ignored him. And then when the Nazis turned violent, the people turned to Churchill as their prime minister. Having led the country through another costly war to preserve freedom, Churchill was defeated for re-el...
Apr 27, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1018
When someone asks how you’re doing, what is your typical response? Many of us give a quick, “I’m fine, thank you,” or, “Doing great!” Even if we’re actually struggling. It’s easier not to dive into a verbal rundown of our discontent if we aren’t really fine, and things aren’t so great, after all. As followers of Jesus, we are called to curate contentment in our lives. That doesn’t mean we have to pretend everything is awesome if life feels like it’s falling apart, but it does mean our trust in t...
Apr 26, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1017
Modern society lives in a constant state of discontentment, and the messaging we hear on a daily basis constantly entices us to buy into that state of being. Our home or mobile phone or television is too small, too basic, too old. Our hair is the wrong color, cut, or texture, our faces are too plain, and the shape of our bodies...imperfect, obviously. We don’t drive the right car, wear the right designer labels, or attend the right schools. But what if the best way to be “right,” has nothing to ...
Apr 25, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1016
Have you ever visited a construction site, or lived near one? A construction site is a unique kind of mess. Dirt and mud mingle with piles of wood, shingles, and other building materials. Utility flags poke up from the ground like man-made weeds. Trampled grass and dirty sidewalks give further evidence of the work at hand. Eventually, what began as an empty field will grow into something more: a business, a medical facility, or a home. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’...
Apr 22, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1015
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is widely looked upon as the most famous painting in the world. By some historical estimates, the Mona Lisa took as many as 16 years to finish! Capturing Mona Lisa’s famous smile on a poplar plank was no hack job; Leonardo accepted a commission for the work in the year 1503, and completed his masterpiece around the time of his death in 1519. Clearly, this level of artistic achievement takes time. When you hear the word “masterpiece,” what do you think of? A fam...
Apr 21, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1014
Nothing is more basic to life than creation itself. The Bible tells us that God alone has the power to truly create, and the beauty of language in Psalm 139 explains this fully. Some believe the psalmist was writing in part about the creation of Adam. Psalm 139:1–3 says, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” The writer marvels at the way...
Apr 20, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1013
Are you eager to share Christ? If so, good for you! Your boldness is seen by God our Father, and it pleases him. Often though, we get a little frustrated, if we’re honest. It seems like not enough people are getting it. We want to see everyone find new life in Jesus! When we think about sharing the Good News, it’s important to remember that God is responsible for the harvest. We just have to be willing to be sent as his ambassadors. John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,...
Apr 19, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1012
