For many years, I waffled whether I should serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Doing what I wanted seemed much more attractive. Why should I restrict my life? Many people think they sacrifice their freedom and the world’s pleasure by serving the Lord. Often, the case has not been made why one should serve the Lord instead…
The Barna Group studied younger outsiders (those not affiliated with Christianity) between the ages of 16- and 29-years-old, and discovered 49% have a bad impression of evangelical Christians. Just 3% of the young people in this study indicated a positive impression. The Barna study suggests six broad reasons young outsiders have a negative image of…
A spiritual battle is raging all around us. My wife, Karen, and I do marriage intimacy work with couples. Many today are struggling. As a young person in my early 20s, my parents divorced after 27 years of marriage. Parents, siblings and friends experienced heartache, emotional trauma and identity crises that has affected them for…
When I was growing up, I thought religious people were straight-laced, sober and sad. The worst thing one could be was a fundamental Christian. They didn’t have fun. Their lives were completely irrelevant. Going to church was the most boring thing one could do. In our culture, I believe many people hold similar beliefs. One…
Many people go through life without setting any goals. The most successful people set goals. For many years I drifted through life and followed what other people said I should do. I got a degree in Industrial Engineering, but did not have a passion for the field. After some job losses, God woke me up…
When a bully picked a fight with me in grade school, I wanted to avoid it. Refusing to fight him didn’t stop the conflict. Maybe you also feel that peace comes when we avoid conflict. As we have been studying Joshua, we encounter battles and warfare. Since the Old Testament was written as examples to…
Sometimes it seems everything goes against us. People refuse to help us finish a project. Our best friend makes decisions that violate our convictions. An agreement with someone comes back to bite us. It’s tempting in times like these to withdraw, give up and pull out of the battle. In this study, we receive encouragement…
How many times have you gotten in trouble by making a quick decision? You may face a major financial purchase and don’t do the proper research. A teenager may make a snap decision on who to date without learning about the character of the young man or woman. An employer may not check references of a…
We face fear throughout our lives, especially when we try something for the first time. A kindergarten student would rather stay home before the first day of school. A college freshman feels dread about Finals Week after his first semester. A job interview breeds anxiety. A marriage ceremony brings stress to the bride, groom and…
Our culture focuses on individual rights. We think our actions only affect ourselves and no one else. Many people live like lone rangers in a vaccuum. They don’t understand how little things reap dire consequences in the larger community, including their families and church bodies. Just like a stone being thrown in a pond, concentric ripples move outward affecting the whole body…
People often live like there’s no tomorrow. We see this from news media reports on celebrities being only concerned with their appearance, negotiating their next movie deal or getting publicity to further their career. One month from now, these things will be a distant memory. What should we be concerned about during the few years we live on earth so we…
We all grow up with negative conditioning. We hear words like, “Children are to be seen and not heard,” or “You will never amount to anything.” After the age of five, most people stop dreaming. They settle for mediocrity rather than pursuing their passion. Those who accomplish anything in life aren’t satisfied with the status quo, but continually…