“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” -Matthew 10:37, 38 We live in a culture today

“But the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of your son’s birth. Every word I’ve spoken to you will come true on time – God’s time.’” -Luke 1:20

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” -1 Corinthians 13:11 Dr. Paul Hegstrom is the author of a book called Broken Children, Grown Up Pain. A psychologist himself, Dr. Hegstrom describes a phenomenon known as “arrested development”, in which

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” -Hebrews 13:5 Have you ever felt far away from God? I have. I’m sure every Christian, no matter their current circumstance has felt far from God at one time or another. But, why do we feel this way? Do we have to feel this way?

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” -Luke 14:28 If you’ve ever tried to do something great, you’ll know it has a huge cost. Anytime we attempt to accomplish something more than most

“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” -Colossians 3:3 In life, there is a great temptation to go for the next big thing: the next big business, the next big degree, the next big job opportunity. But in the kingdom, things are different. God works quite

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” -1 John 4:16 Many times we are taught to believe, consciously or subconsciously, either through culture, the media, or false religious teachings,

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” -James 1:2&3 I often reminisce on my family history. So much of what we encounter in our daily lives roots back to our childhood experiences. (See Paul Hegstrom’s book Broken Children, Grown-Up

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” -Romans 12:2 Have you ever noticed how certain forms of media, whether it’s the news, music, or movies, can make us feel worse

“In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and His goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” -Acts 14:16&17 Do you struggle with finding evidence for God? I think it’s difficult for Christians

“But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.” -1 Corinthians 7:7 Paul talks in 1 Corinthians about the question of whether it is better to be married or single. He expresses the idea that it’s okay to be married,

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” -James 4:14 When I turned 10 years old, my parents took me to a really nice restaurant for my birthday. It was called the Sundial, located in the

“Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.” -1 Chronicles 15:12, 13 Have you ever had to follow directions? We have to follow directions all of the time in order to

“The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side.” -Nehemiah 4:17&18 Sometimes life requires that we do two things at the same time. Nehemiah was burdened for the city of Jerusalem, and he wanted to rebuild

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” -Mark 2:22 If you’ve ever been running, you’ll know that the body takes an extraordinary amount of energy and

“You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies. You anoint My head with oil; My cup overflows.” -Psalm 23:5 The word “cup” is mentioned many times in the Bible, mainly as a reference to drinking and eating, but also many times it is spiritually significant. A “cup” implied what filled your

“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march

“Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.” -1 Chronicles 21:1 In the Old Testament, David instructed Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census. This may not ordinarily have been a noteworthy event, except for the fact that David suffered enormous consequences by

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” -Isaiah 43:19 Has God recently done something new in your life? Often when we’re going through the drudgery of life, in

“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.” -Luke 11:52 Jesus was very popular among the religious leaders of his day. However, it was not a positive popularity. The Pharisees, because their power

“Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?” -1 Corinthians 5:6 Have you ever gotten involved in something only to realize a lot of it was hype? Marketing, promotion, and a lot of people believing in something (even

“But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” -Genesis 25:33-34 What is a birthright? According to WordNet online dictionary,

“What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?” -Psalm 116:12 Recently I went downtown to my school for the beginning of the semester’s classes. Students were everywhere, hurrying to class and hanging out in the student courtyard. As I was walking to the bookstore to buy some of my books,

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,’”and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you

“Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager,’These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’” -Matthew 20:11&12 Have you ever been passed up for a promotion? Has anyone ever received something you thought you deserved? Have you

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot

“Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.”  -Proverbs 11:3 How important is honesty in a Christian’s life? Is every Christian called to honesty? Two professors, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, have surveyed leaders for more than 25 years in every time of organization.  They asked the question to more than 75,000 people on 6

“So David asked God, ‘Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ The Lord replied, ‘Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.’” -1 Chronicle 14:10 Do you know the best way to plan for the future? Is there any way to ensure we’re making the

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” -Matthew 12:30 There is a great movie that came out called Grace Unplugged. The story is about a girl named Grace who wants to pursue her dream to become a singer, and moves away from home

“For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” -Psalm 51:5 Have you ever thought about how much we are born the way we are? …or are we really “born this way”? There is often debate about the “nature” vs. “nurture” perspective of the way each of us turns

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23 When I was working in a secular environment, people used to ask me why I seemed so happy. “I want whatever drug you’re taking!” they would say. I would