A fresh approach to spiritual growth straight out of the book of James.

Are you willing to go down without a fight? Because it could be happening. Your marriage, your family, and your heart are in the battle zone. It's time to man up for God.

Most of our frustrations are born out of our own personal experiences not meeting our expectations, but what about when the tables are turned? What do we do when we are the ones not living up to the expectations of others? How do we avoid the weight of disappointment when we don't measure up? And what should our response be to the negative opinions in our lives? In part 3 of our conversation, The Expectation Gap, we learn the proper position to take when the expectations of others get between us and who we are in Jesus.

Frustration is born when our expectation doesn't match our experience. But what happens when God is at the center of our expectation - and He doesn't come through? When our prayers seem to fall flat. When it seems like the God who loves us didn't provide for us in the way we had hoped. But God doesn't share our perspective. And His plans won't always match up with our plans. And in part 2 of our coknversation The Expectation Gap, we explore the story of Lazurus, an learn how to realign our expectations with a new perspective on who God really is.

Frustration. It's born in the space between our expectations and our actual experiences. This isn't what marriage was supposed look like. I thought this job was going to be different. I never thought my kids would act that way. We have all been there. Overcome with frustration and left with nothing but unmet expectations. How are we supposed to respond? Do we suck it up and get on with life? Do we just lower our expectations? Or is there another way? In the first part of our series The Expectation Gap, we use Mary and Martha to teach us about the source of our greatest frustrations, and what our response should be, in light of who Jesus is.

Giving has always been a topic that makes some people clench their fists, shift in their seats, and begin checking their watches. But maybe that's because we approach our giving from the wrong perspective. Far too many of us see giving as an obligation to God, or as a way to manipulate Him into blessing us. If that's the way we were taught about giving, then yes - there's not much there to get excited about. But in the final part of our conversation This Is Your Permission Slip, we explore a third way to approach our giving - one that breaks us free from our own selfish desires and draws us closer to a God who will not be out given.

When we think about our future, what keeps us from moving forward? And what is limiting us in our lives today? The irony is that often the answer to these questions is rooted in our past. Failure. Disappointment. Shame. We feel chained to these failed past performances and broken dreams. In part three of our conversation This is Your Permission Slip, we explore the idea that when we make Jesus our Lord, God has given us permission to let go of our past as He takes us into the future He has planned for us.

Most non-believers see Christianity as a burdensome religion, leaving its people bound with rules and regulations. And for good reason. Throughout the Bible, God gives extensive commands for His people to follow. And often times, it's these rules that many people use as their proof that God is a punishing taskmaster. So how do we reconcile the freedom that Jesus promises, with a God who seems to say 'No' so much? In part two of our conversation, This Is Your Permission Slip, we explore the deeper response God gives when He commands 'Thou shalt not' and what this reveals about His heart for us.

If we ask the average unchurched person what a relationship with God looks like, what would they say? For many, a life following Jesus looks like a life of restriction. Rules. Regulations. "Here's a list of the fun things you can't do anymore - welcome to Christianity." But this is not the heart of Jesus. He did not leave heaven and come to earth to enforce limitations - he came to liberate. To rescue us from ourselves and our sinful state. In part one of this conversation, we introduce a paradigm-shifting concept about the true purpose of scripture and how Jesus changed the way we approach God.

Powerful story - great perspective on why our giving matters.