Are we loved? It is a question we often ask in times of depression, sadness and hardship. We want to know if someone cares about us or worse, is there any reason someone should care about us. In this video, we begin to answer that question (spoiler alert - the answer is an unequivocal "yes!") by mentioning the three big reasons people do not believe they are loved - their circumstances, evil done to them and evil they did, then by focusing on this question: "Does my difficult life mean I am not loved?"  
Verses covered:
Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus)
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (God wants all to be saved)
John 3:14-21 (Jesus is a gift for all)

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

Two of the more puzzling questions regarding how we got the Bible, especially the writings of the New Testament, are "who wrote them" and "how did we get the books that we have?"  The answers aren't as straightforward as one would think.  Still, thanks to the evidence within the Scriptures themselves and to the writings of some of the earliest Christians, we can with confidence know most of the true authors of the books of the Bible. More importantly, we can approach with these writings with trust, that they will lead us to eternal life if followed.  
Scriptures covered: Luke 24:44-45.  1 Timothy 5:18.

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

We continue our look at the writings of the Bible by examining how others viewed and treated them, especially Jesus Himself when He was tempted by Satan. We will consistently see that the Word of God was seen as authoritative, as truth, and even as basis for proof including the proof that Jesus is the Anointed One, i.e., the Son of God.

We will also start looking at which writings should be considered Scripture by first understanding what was Scripture in Jesus' day, then by thinking through Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit would guide His disciples into all truth. We will also see how Peter referred to Paul's writings as Scripture, and how Paul himself treated them as such. 

One tangent of discussion: The differences between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus, and how the forgiveness of sins is not one of those.

Scriptures covered: Matthew 4:1-14.  Acts 18:24-28.  John 16:13-15.  2 Peter 3:14-16.  1 Thessalonians 5:27.  Colossians 4:16.

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

What are the writings of the Bible? Why are they considered holy? From where did they come?  Today we take a look at how the Scriptures are described as "the word of God", "the word of the Lord". They are writings penned by men who were being guided by the Holy Spirit as they wrote them.  Along the way, we will see how they were treated with absolute respect and authority, how they were regarded as truth even by Jesus Himself. 
Scriptures covered: 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  2 Peter 1:19-20.  Matthew 22:41-46.  John 10:31-38.  Daniel 9:1-2.

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

One of the biggest values in the kingdom of God is humility, the quality of refusing to think oneself as being greater than others. In contrast is pride, where we believe ourselves to be greater than a person or group.  Today we will see how Jesus repeatedly taught that if we exalt ourselves, we will be humbled, but if we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. We will also look at how Jesus taught that to be the greatest in God's kingdom, we need to have the humility of children and strive to be a servant to all as He was a servant to all, dying for us that we might be saved from the punishment of our wrongdoings.  
Scriptures covered: Matthew 23:1-12.  Luke 14:7-11.  Luke 18:9-14.  Matthew 18:1-6.  Mark 9:33-37.  Mark 10:35-45. 
For further reading: Micah 6:8.  1 Peter 5:5-6. 

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

We've been talking about how, in God's kingdom, we have a different world view, a way of seeing various aspects of life often not in line with the rest of the world. It is a view framed by the teachings and ways of God and His Son. That being the case, how then should we view women? Look no further than Jesus who demonstrated time and time again that women were precious to Him. Today we will see Jesus longing to give the Holy Spirit and eternal life to a 5-time-divorced, living-with-a-man woman of a different race. We will see Jesus raise a widow's only son back to life as His heart goes out to her. He will have compassion on and refuse to condemn an adulterous woman under the sentence of death. Jesus will forgive the sins of and comfort a broken-hearted woman of sinful reputation. If Jesus valued women this much, and He did, so should we value, care for, appreciate and genuinely love the women of this world.  
Scriptures covered: John 4:1-42.  John 8:1-11.  Luke 7:11-17.  Luke 7:36-50.

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

When it comes to understanding how we should view various aspects of life from the perspective of Christ, there may not be a more important topic in this day and age than gender. Gender is no longer being seen as simply male and female. More people than ever it seems struggle with their gender identity and at least consider changing from one to the other. So what does God's Word have to say about gender? We start by looking at the basic questions of how many genders did God make and how does the Bible define gender.  Scriptures covered: Genesis 1:26-31.  Genesis 2:18-25.  Genesis 25:19-27.  1 Samuel 16:14-23, 17:41-51.  Proverbs 31:10-31.

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

As followers of Christ and members of God's kingdom, what kind of people should we be? What should we not be? What should we do and not do? What should be important to us what should be unimportant? We look at three passages that answer these exact questions, that detail both the values (the things we should cherish) and anti-values (the things we should reject), as children of God.  
Scriptures covered: Acts 10:34-35.  Revelation 14:6-7.  Colossians 3.  Romans 12:9-21.  Galatians 5:16-26 

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

We continue our look at how, as members of God's kingdom, we see and think about the world differently. When it comes to the subject of race, there is no racism in the kingdom of God. Instead we love people of all races, knowing that good news of salvation by faith in Jesus is for all. That may seem like common sense, but even for the apostle Peter, it was a message that God had to go out of His way to teach before Peter could share Jesus with the first Gentile convert, Cornelius. Related Scriptures: John 4, Acts 10 - 11, Revelation 14:6-7.  

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.

A Christian law enforcement officer on the front lines of fighting sex trafficking for the past seven years, continues to share about his faith and the insight he has learned when it comes to keeping children safe from child predators. You will learn about his journey from Catholicism to Christ and why we should follow Jesus as well. We will talk about what to do if you think your child has been abducted, what can we do to fight human trafficking, and the role pornography plays in the formation of predators.

Questions covered: 
00:31 How did your wife help you get to know Jesus? How did you transition from being part of a religious system to following Jesus? 
05:45  Did you start reading the Bible on your own? What else did you do to get to know Christ better? 
08:41  What should a parent do if they suspect their child might have been abducted? 
10:14  What about letting my child go to the bathroom by themselves?
11:25  How do you deal with the trust issues that come from working in sex trafficking? 
16:50 Why did you go into law enforcement? What would you say to someone who wants to get into law enforcement to help fight sex trafficking?
20:47 For those of us not going into law enforcement, what can we do to help stop human trafficking?
27:16 What role does pornography play in the formation of predators? What role is it playing in fueling the money that helps this industry thrive?
33:06  What do you want to tell people about Jesus and why they should follow Him?

To see David Hicks on YouTube, click here.