The Dead Sea, bordering the countries of Israel and Jordan, is also located at the lowest point on Earth. The landscape is so barren, it looks like a moonscape. Not exactly a place for a vacation or rest stop. And yet…did you know that one of the valuable things from that area is the vast amount of salt that rings this body of water? Besides the salt content, the minerals in the Dead Sea are valuable for everything from medicines to cosmetics. What initially looks like a terrible place is actual...
Nov 30, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 651
Does your life feel out of control? Are you experiencing that common feeling of weaving down a busy highway, about to crash? It’s a metaphor for life that most internalize at some point. All of a sudden, what you were sure of isn’t there anymore. You might as well be behind the wheel of a fast car that’s heading into oncoming traffic. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” This isn’t some nice little bit of wisdom someone put on a greeting card. This ...
Nov 27, 2020•1 min•Season 1Ep. 650
You’ve heard that every good thing comes from God, right? Of course, it’s true. He is our example, both of how to live and how to react to others. This week we’re talking about practicing gratitude, and as usual, God shows us the way. Psalm 107:1 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Often, we can become disappointed if we don’t get everything, we think we should have. But that’s a dead-end when it comes to true happiness and peace. And those are things we al...
Nov 26, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 649
The lack of gratitude in society can be contagious. Kind of like a negative “Pay it forward.” How did we get to this place? Are we too prideful to thank each other, or even to thank God? Too busy? Too self-absorbed? As believers, we know life is a rich blessing from God. The clearest path to becoming a person of gratitude is to choose it. If we don’t choose gratitude, we choose ingratitude. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Ye...
Nov 25, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 648
Do you ever feel like life is passing you by, or worse – running right over the top of you? When we focus on unpleasant circumstances or people, life can really bring us down. This perspective is a downward spiral, and not a place we want to dwell. Author John Kralik was there, once. A long hike one day led him to an emotional crossroads; there he decided to devote the rest of his life to being thankful. His life changed dramatically. John began to write thank you notes to everyone he could thin...
Nov 24, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 647
Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday – it’s an attitude we can choose to fill our hearts with every day. The Bible shares many examples of gratitude in the midst of challenging circumstances. Imagine Mary, a young Galilean girl given the news that she was to be the mother of the Messiah? She didn’t panic or protest. Instead, she embraced the news and nurtured the One who would bring healing to the whole world. The story in Luke 17 tells us that of the 10 lepers who were healed, only one returned to...
Nov 23, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 646
Keeping things simple is usually the best path forward. For Christians, that means following Christ’s lead in everything. This includes sharing and standing for our faith. The Bible is full of examples of how Jesus did this. Occasionally he got mad, as when he threw out the moneychangers. Other times he just quietly sat and taught what His Father had shown Him. This is our model. When you share Christ with someone and that person believes, you have been given the privilege of watching the most i...
Nov 20, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 645
Have you ever tried to follow God in a half-hearted way? You know what that means. You like the idea of God, but His perfect will for our lives also can feel restrictive. That’s the moment you are walking along the highway of life completely alone. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Notice the precise language in these beautiful verses. We are to trust Him with all...
Nov 19, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 644
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...
Nov 18, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 643
Life can be overwhelming sometimes, right? A huge wave of despair can come out of nowhere and push us toward disaster. Anita’s life was like that, growing up in Hong Kong where revolutionary movements brought violence and loss of hope. She couldn’t see how the pieces of her life could be put together. She would ask herself, “How do you make peace with a potential that is frustrated? That happens to be our theme this week, having it “All Together.” Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply ...
Nov 17, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 642
Micah had a tough job. The prophet that lived in the time of Isaiah warned the people in the land at the time that God was not pleased with their behavior. He was not exactly a popular guy! He told them that the rituals they performed did not bring them closer to God. Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” In Micah’s time, foreign enemies did a lot of damage, but the message the prophet brought was that the Savior wa...
Nov 16, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 641
Do you get tired of being alone or afraid? Have you had enough of feeling like you can’t take any more stress? If you’re honest with yourself, there are times when you think you’re just going to lose it. The cares of this world can be like that. You stress about not having enough money each month just to pay your bills. You can’t sleep at night because your mind is racing, striving to create a workable plan for every possible scenario. And no one can actually do that successfully. So what do you...
Nov 13, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 640
In a world so filled with war and suffering and human conflict, it’s pretty hard to focus on just what can be done. And sadly, we can fall into a bad habit of just looking for revenge. This revenge can almost seem good, since we want bad characters brought to justice. But God has a better way. Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Do you get it? In Scripture we are taught that revenge belongs to God. Our task is to ...
Nov 12, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 639
Are you struggling right now? Are you listening to this while gripping the steering wheel, wondering how you’re going to go on? You have so many burdens! First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.” He has a purpose for you; He really does. God wants to use you for things no one else can do. And He wants you to do it while...
Nov 11, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 638
Humans often get things backwards, to the point of being comical. Case in point, the little story in the book of Jonah, about the plant God provided for the prophet’s shade. You’ve heard about Jonah and the great fish, of course. As a prophet and evangelist, God had sent him there to preach and when the people repented…Jonah was mad! He sat looking over the city after God had spared it and because it was hot, God provided a plant that grew up to provide relief from the sun for Jonah. But then th...
Nov 10, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 637
You’ve heard the joke about family gatherings, haven’t you? If you weren’t related to these people, you’d never see them. What a horrible punchline, really. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” God’s world has purpose in everything. Everything. He gave you a specific family for specific reasons. It’s super easy to be nice to people we aren’t around very much. Short-term “love” is pretty common. It’s when we get in close quar...
Nov 09, 2020•1 min•Season 1Ep. 636
One of the things that sets God apart from all others is His ability to tell us what is going to happen. We read about this in Isaiah 46, where He says only He knows the end from the beginning. An amazing example of this is found in Psalm 22, and it’s almost surprising how many people are not aware of it. Psalm 22:11 says, “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” If you read the entire chapter carefully, you begin to realize that this is a conversation that Jesus...
Nov 06, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 635
As humans, we compartmentalize, don’t we? By that we mean, it is in our nature to rank priorities, then even lose sight of some of them. This can often lead us to confusion about which direction we’re supposed to go. This confusion even can extend to faith itself. We wonder, When am I supposed to pray, and when am I supposed to act on faith? Psalm 34:1 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." When we get the Word deep in our hearts, we always have ...
Nov 05, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 634
Life is a process. We know that if we’ve lived very long at all. And this week, we’re talking about the process of trusting God. John 16:24 says, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” Could Jesus meet our needs by just giving us something instantly? Of course. He made everything! And sometimes He does that; the miracles he performed that are recorded in the New Testament tell us that he often instantly met a person’s need...
Nov 04, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 633
Even during times of calm and security, the honest truth is, there are very few examples of really strong and steady leaders. It’s a given then that when times are scary, brave leaders that reassure us are really rare! The Bible speaks of one such person. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua was an especially passionate and courageous leader. A born leader....
Nov 03, 2020•3 min•Season 1Ep. 632
When Richard Winters stood in the doorway of a huge glider in the pre-dawn over Normandy, France, he thought about a lot of things. The young Army captain was preparing for the invasion of Europe, to free the continent from the Nazis. He knew one thing first: he couldn’t survive on his own skill. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” A very disciplined soldier, Winter...
Nov 02, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 631
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...
Oct 30, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 630
Some of the greatest stories of believers down through time have involved those who really studied God’s Word. These people have gone before us to show us the way. From Charles Spurgeon to a missionary mother in China, daily study of the Word, and prayer, prepared them to mentor entire generations. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” We also read in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. We have to do it, so that others know ho...
Oct 29, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 629
Have you had an experience in your life that has prepared you for helping others? Has life dealt you circumstances that speak to a situation in a younger person’s life? If so, you might be ready to help in such a way that will bring honor and glory to God. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” The apostle Paul suffered much for his faith in Christ. Beyond a dramatic shipwreck, prison, beatings, and hunger were part of his daily routine. Then, God sent Timothy i...
Oct 28, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 628
Do you struggle with being humble, and yielding to God’s will? Most of us do. This extends to accepting an iron-sharpening-iron relationship He has set in our path. Yet the benefits are so good for us. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Make no mistake, God sets people in our path for a reason. That Bible teacher in your church might have words of wisdom for you from her rich and varied life. Be open to that. If you are in fellowship with a mature, older bel...
Oct 27, 2020•1 min•Season 1Ep. 627
The Bible is full of wonderful analogies. One of the best is found in Proverbs, which paints a picture of godly mentoring and accountability. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” The idea is that as pieces of iron are drawn against the other, each piece becomes sharper. A further application is made in Hebrews 4:12, which talks about Scripture as being a double-edged sword, and it is with His Word that we are to sharpen each other. The goal is mutual accountab...
Oct 26, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 626
The area surrounding Ein Gedi, near the Dead Sea, is bleak. Desert scenes and HOT temps! It isn’t a place you’d go just for fun. It really wasn’t fun when David was hiding from King Saul. The guy who whipped a rock at Goliath’s head was already a legend among the people. Saul couldn’t stand that, and so he did what power-hungry leaders do: he decided to eliminate the competition. David hid from the King’s henchmen for a long time, eventually settling south of Jerusalem, in a bleak place. Sitting...
Oct 23, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 625
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...
Oct 22, 2020•1 min•Season 1Ep. 624
Watching little kids perform on stage at school or at church is the best, isn’t it? There are always a couple of shy violets, but many of them sing their hearts out, fidgeting with excitement and performing actions to accompany the songs with gusto. If Grammy awards were doled out based on sheer enthusiasm, kids in elementary and Sunday School programs would win every year. They simply can’t contain the feelings in their hearts when it’s time to make a joyful noise. Psalm 111:1 says, "Praise the...
Oct 21, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 623
Most of us assume that if Jesus had a driver’s license, his listed name would be “Jesus Christ.” That’s kind of funny, but as usual, our puny human perceptions can’t define Him and box Him in. The Bible tells us in fact that Jesus has many names, each a shining facet of Who He is. He is called the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. Elsewhere He is referred to as the Prince of Peace. Romans 10:13 says, “For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” His names are a remi...
Oct 20, 2020•2 min•Season 1Ep. 622
