Conflict is something we all face. Many times we experience conflict in our families, our friendships, our places of work, and even places of worship. We want to help. We want to give you the inspiration and information you need to reconcile and resolve your conflicts.
In a time of strong opinions, harsh rhetoric, and polarizing ideas, the gospel cries out for us to do “one another” with intentionality and excellence. It’s not an option. Consistently and clearly we are called to do “one another” as Jesus did. Walking "with" Jesus means that as brothers and sisters, we learn to walk "with" one another. Isolation and self-protection aren’t an option. Walking "with" one another well is the desired outcome of truly walking "with" Him.
It is one thing to know something, but it is a whole different thing to put that knowledge into practice. We now know that doing life WITH God is the better way to relate to God, but how do we practically live out that knowledge? The Word of God lays out a very simple path to the posture of WITHNESS, but one that takes a high level of intentionality.
Life for God sounds like a great posture to take in our relationship with God, but is it the best? Could it be that in such a posture our motivations may be distorted, as well-intentioned as they may be? A life for God posture can quickly place the mission over the Master, significance over salvation and performance over presence. May we reorient our hearts to choose what is better, like Mary did in the presence of Jesus.
Could it be that sometimes we have the tendency to view our relationship with God similarly to the way we view our relationship with a vending machine? God becomes someone that we get things FROM. Consumerism is a ME-focused universe where everything’s value is determined by its usefulness to me, even when it comes to God. What if we traded building the “Kingdom of My” with the “Kingdom of Thy”?
So just who is in charge? Our natural tendency is to want to be in control. We tend to minimize God and maximize ourselves. We want a relationship with God, but we want one where we are in control. We find ourselves trusting more in the natural than the supernatural. Life WITH God is the only way to complete joy and fulfillment.
Living life under God seems like a proper way to relate with God, right? We ought to live under God’s authority, but what happens when this posture gets distorted and the motivations muddled? Living under God can quickly become a means to manipulate God through obedience to secure blessings and avoid calamities. What if we traded the posture of life under God for a posture of life with God?
One of the mega-themes of the Bible is the very idea of God with us. God never abandoned His creation. He does not dwell in the heavens apathetic and uninvolved in the affairs of humanity. He is God with us, manifested most powerfully through the incarnation of Jesus Christ—Emmanuel. Here’s the catch though: God, in his infinite goodness and greatness, has chosen to do life with us, but have we reciprocated? Or have we chosen a potentially more manipulative relationship with God, driven by fear ...
Surrounding us daily is an ever increasing accumulation of information. We see it, absorb, and often pursue more of it. As people, we want to know more. As Christians, we want to know more so we can connect more with God and others. You may be startled to find out there is one piece of information about Jesus no one can know. And amazingly, it is the not knowing which informs how we choose to live for him.
The statistics are staggering and dismal. Stress, anxiety, depression, fear, and other related mental and emotional health symptoms are showing up in our everyday lives from small to debilitating ways. We are doing our best to find new and better ways to cope, but often without success. While followers of Jesus are never exempt from these challenges, we have an advantage over those who don’t know Jesus and are led by His Spirit. We also have an opportunity to help others even while in the midst ...
When we look at the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God, it is interesting that many of us would agree that we must continue to not worship other gods, have idols, misuse the name of the Lord, dishonor our parents, murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, and covet. But what about the fourth commandment… should we continue to observe the Sabbath? Should we work six days and on the seventh completely rest as it was commanded to Moses and the Israelites?
One of the distinguishing factors of Christianity in comparison with other world religions is the access that we have to God through the blood of the Lamb. Jesus has made a way for all of us, once and for all. Why then do we not embrace this gift with consistency and with confidence? What would happen if we devoted ourselves to fully receive God’s gift of presence?
Maybe the term "woke" as it is being used today has you concerned or confused as to its meaning and context. Don't let that stop you from embracing the call in Scripture to "wake up" spiritually. The Lord has a purpose and a plan for every believer to fulfill. We are called to follow Him. We are in the process of being changed by Him. And we have been challenged by Him to impact our world. We can only do this when we are "awake" in the truest sense of the word.
We believe that God is omnibenevolent (all-good), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing). So how are we to understand suffering, pain ,and evil in this life? If God is all-good, then He would desire for there to only be good, right? If God is all-powerful, wouldn’t He have the power to end all suffering, pain, and evil? And if God is all-knowing, wouldn’t He have the knowledge on how to get rid of all suffering, pain, and evil? So why doesn’t He?
It’s so very easy for us to say that we believe that God can do anything, but we often live as if we don’t really believe that. A father who encounters Jesus in the Gospel of Mark helpfully illustrates that strange tension. Jesus’ response helps us see a deeper truth about who He is and the nature of a deeper faith that can change how we live!
Our culture today is constantly bombarding our children, trying to get them to conform to their way of living. As an adult, many times we don’t know what to do. What does it take to be inspired and equipped to raise Godly children who are able to stand strong in a world that falls short?
Jesus, in the Gospel accounts, asks His disciples to come and follow Him. But what does that mean? And does followership look different today than it did when Jesus walked the earth? Are we missing something crucial in the pursuit of following Jesus? Sometimes when something seems off or missing, the answer is rather simple or obvious. What would happen if we took a different approach to following Jesus?
It is so easy for us to lean back into our flesh and forget the power of what Christ has done for us. Paul is addressing the church at Colossae to challenge them to remember who they are because of Christ so that they can live the life Jesus invites us to. Paul will have us look back at who we once were and then help us change our clothes into who we have been called to be.
Have you ever been troubled when thinking about what happens after death? Have you ever been lost in thought in regard to the meaning of life? Why am I here? What is next? These are common questions in the human experience called life. The Apostle Paul, and the way in which he lived his life, offers a beautiful perspective on what life and death are all about. To live is Christ; to die is gain!
Jesus offers a very important invitation in the Gospel according to Matthew. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Are you weary? Are you burdened? Are you just flat out tired? What is holding you back from receiving what Christ is so freely offering? Come to Jesus.
In the closing moments with His disciples, Jesus sits with them at a special location. This location probably stirred up many memories of the moments Jesus showed up and made incredible impact on their lives. As He spoke, He gave them their mission, their life’s purpose – to make disciples. How do we continue the mission of making fully committed disciples?
Born. Filled. EMPOWERED. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” In describing your relationship with God, would one of your descriptors be power? When God’s people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are plugged into an omnipotent power. What would it look like to be unleashed with the power of God? He is available!
It is God’s idea. He’s the one that put it all together. He created the blueprint. He gave everything necessary for it to be a healthy, beautiful, functioning family. He birthed the local church. When spiritual gifts are understood, appropriately used, and fully invested the local church, it is a beautiful, healthy, fully-functioning body. When spiritual gifts are not used biblically, the local church becomes a beast. So it’s a simple choice—BEAUTY OR BEAST!
The Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit can be grieved. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, warning them to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Grief can best be described as a deep sorrow experienced from the loss or betrayal of something or someone. What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit, and how can we make sure not to do it?
Most people enter marriage and family life anticipating creating a romance novel. Unfortunately, it often turns into war stories. While coaching, conferences, and seminars can play a valuable role in moving towards building a healthy family, being filled with the Holy Spirit is foundational. Some things are worth fighting for. Healthy families and marriages are at the top of the list.
There is a great conflict all around us and even in us. There is a battle being waged for the heart, mind and soul of every person. Will I live to gratify the desires of the flesh or of the Spirit? The call is to bear good fruit, but how does one bear good fruit? As always, the Holy Spirit guides to the Truth and to the Answer.
Be filled with the Spirit! That’s a call heard throughout the Bible. There’s something inside a believer that wants more. There’s a desire to go deeper. How can I be filled and live filled with the Holy Spirit?
Come Holy Spirit, come. In Jesus’ ministry, He has a conversation with a man named Nicodemus, a renowned religious leader in the Jewish community. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” More specifically speaking, Jesus clarifies that one must be born of the Spirit. Like Nicodemus, we must ask the question, “What does this mean?”
The normal, Christian life is living, walking, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Holy Spirit is rarely talked about. He is usually ignored, or at best, an afterthought. Jesus, in His desire to make sure the disciples were fully equipped for the challenges they would face, extensively taught them about the Holy Spirit. It’s impossible to live an overcoming life without the work and presence of the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. We need you.
Lots of people can tell their version of stories, but the best one to share is the first eyewitness. The first eyewitness to the resurrection was an unlikely person. She was a woman with a checkered past. God, in His meticulous providence, didn’t choose one of the 12 disciples. It was a woman who turned a page and allowed God to write a new chapter. God is still choosing people today and writing new chapters in our lives.
