Often we claim to follow Christ, but we continue to talk the same, look the same and behave the same as the culture we live in. While we are attracted to Jesus’ forgiveness and his offer of abundant and eternal life, we struggle to really answer the call to be one of His disciples. No wonder we see the

Do you want to be free from financial worry and stress? Why do we want to be financially free? Will it lessen our anxiety? Yes. Will it reduce our stress? Yes. But life has a way of causing us to have worry and stress anyway. Following biblical principles for financial freedom will help, but it

Americans are awash in credit card and consumer debt! We are tempted by ads like, “Buy now, pay later.” Or “Now you can own anything, any time, anywhere!” Do you feel overwhelmed and trapped by debt? Maybe even a little ashamed? The truth is that your financial condition says a lot about your spiritual condition.

Jesus told a parable that illustrates how our spiritual condition and our finances are linked. We know this story as the parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable is often taught to warn us against rebellious living or illustrate the love of the Heavenly Father and both of those applications are correct and useful. But

We all feel like this is good time to start making some new fitness plans, some new budgets, to make some new eating habits, and new career goals. We might be deciding that we just need to read a lot more this year or study harder or work harder. We are hopeful that 2017 will

Elf is a classic because of the redemptive Christmas themes found in its story. Themes like: a baby boy that gets adopted, an otherworldly young man whose love and innocence cause him not to fit it anywhere, and a man named Walter who is on the “naughty list” and rejects his son. In the movie, Walter’s priorities are upside

It can be hard to find a way to live in harmony with the culture around you. Do you feel that it is difficult to be a believer in your workplace, when your with friends or even at home? Do you sense this tension between being an authentic Christian and getting along with others in

Do you find yourself at odds with the prevailing culture? Or…are you comfortable in this culture? Peter says we should be set apart…. In Peter’s first letter to believers in Asia Minor, he tells them that they can live in holiness as exiles in their world as God’s chosen people. We too can live in

Do you ever feel like an exile? Like you just don’t fit into this old world? Do you feel a little out of sync? Do you ever lose hope as things often seem to be getting worse? How should we live as Christians when the dominant cultural appears at odds with our faith? The apostle Peter’s

Work. Many of us consider work something we have to do in order to pay for the things we really want to have and to buy the time to do the things we really want to do. Americans have made play a higher goal than work. But that’s a low view of work. It diminishes