Jesus taught that we are to “love the Lord” with “all” of our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). What does that look like? Paul said that, to those who have “put on the new man,” Christ is “all and in all” (Col. 3:10-11). What does that look like? There are many ways to answer that question, but Chris Tomlin summarized…

So many folks who are not yet Christians have held off on making that final decision to be baptized into Christ and to give their life to the Lord UNTIL “I get things in my life straightened out.” Likewise, many Christians have stumbled over the years and then hold off coming back to the Lord UNTIL “I get my life put together again.”…

Do you have a friend who is always there for you no matter what? I mean “always”! They never have a family emergency or get sick or have something unexpected come up. You probably have a friend who is “almost always” there for you, but no one could say “always.” Do you have a friend who will listen to you all times of day or…

While waiting to board a flight recently, I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing firsthand some lousy parenting. One mom of a 10-year-old boy told him to do something. He ignored her. So she begged him to do it. He smarted off at her. She pleaded one more time. He shouted, “No!” She sulked, “Ok, I’ll just do it myself.” Not 10 minutes later, a father had a similar exchange…

As a quick and fun exercise, take a moment and turn in your Bible and read Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4 and Philemon 3. Essentially what you will find in each of these Pauline letters is that common…

Winter days up north can be kind of dreary, when you don’t see the sun for days and days. In many parts of the country, some storm clouds can be so dark that it can make the middle of the day feel like it’s nighttime. Where’s the SUN? We face similar affects in our hearts and our own personal lives. Some days can be rather…

Following years of separation after his brother stole his birthright, Esau made his way to meet Jacob in Genesis 32. Jacob “was greatly afraid and distressed,” thinking that Esau may be coming to “attack” him (32:7-8). He made strategic preparations for the saving of his family, and he sent a “present” ahead of him to Esau, hoping to “appease him” (32:20). Note what Jacob said…

Jesus entered the city of Capernaum in Luke 7, and he was greeted by some “elders of the Jews,” who had been sent by a centurion to plead with Jesus to “come and heal his servant” (7:1-3). As they “begged” Jesus on behalf of this centurion, the elders exclaimed how “deserving” this man was (7:4). So Jesus made His way to the centurion’s house,…