At this point in 2020, it's easy to despair. The events that have transpired this year have derailed dreams, closed businesses, and left many without hope. It's easy to wonder what on earth to do next.

Step back for a moment. This episode, recorded early in 2020, seeks to paint a brighter picture for followers of Christ. 2020 is nearing its end, but it is never too late to plan for a new start. It is time to see something new, so join Dr. Mark Lantz for this episode of Life on Purpose, entitled Now Is the Time.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in undesirable situations that are undeserved. We haven't done anything wrong to end up here, so why are we here? We feel crippled; unable to move on, living in grief over a life we will never be able to live.

In Scripture, we are given a story about a young man named Mephibosheth, who was crippled from childhood by an event over which he had no control. He was locked up in a house, with seemingly no future. And yet, King David extended a hand of mercy to him, and changed Mephibosheth's life. What does this mean for you? Join Dr. Mark Lantz as he discusses just that in Handicapped in the House.

Have you ever felt locked up? Have you ever felt like all the escapes in your life have been closed off, and you are left to sit in a prison on your own? Have you felt betrayed and abandoned, your dreams lost in some inaccessible place? Joseph did. And yet, that very same experience of being locked up led him to a greater experience of joy and dominion than he ever would have encountered had he not been locked up.

We all have locked up experiences in our life. But what we do when we are in those experiences is what determines where we will go from them. Join Dr. Mark Lantz in this episode of Life on Purpose, entitled Locked Up.

There are times in your life that you feel that you are wandering in the wilderness. You feel like you are in the badlands of life, on the backside of every experience in life. You feel left behind and abandoned, and as if no one hears your cries.

You are not alone in this experience! Exodus 3 tells the story of Moses, a man who was, quite literally, in a wilderness experience. But it was from this wilderness experience that God raised one of the greatest leaders in Biblical history. How did Moses go from the wilderness to leading God's chosen people to their Promised Land? And how did his wilderness experience prepare him for his God-appointed task? Join Dr. Mark Lantz as he examines the story of Moses' wilderness experience in this episode of Life on Purpose.

The potential of what God can and will do in your life is absolutely overwhelming and thrilling. God has so much more to bring in your life, and the most important step to achieving that is developing a vision for your life. If you do not know who you are, you will limit what God can do in your life.

We many times say that we are waiting on God, but it very well may be true that God is waiting on us. You must be willing to take this next step in your life to reach all that God has planned for you. Join Dr. Mark Lantz in this episode of Life on Purpose as he examines Biblical truths on how to achieve the greatest level of vision and influence that you've ever experienced.

You want your life to be significant and to count toward a greater cause. You want your life to matter, to have a dramatic impression. And that is not a bad thing! God has created you to be an influencer! You were created to leave a footprint in your journey in life. You were created to leave a difference wherever you go.

But this will not happen automatically. Being an influencer means taking real steps toward that influence. What do those steps look like? What does Scripture say about influence? Join Dr. Mark Lantz in this episode of Life on Purpose to discover exactly how you can push the limit in your own life.

We're living in incredible times right now. The spiritual territory we are marching through is uncharted. The challenges and difficulties we face seem monumental and nigh insurmountable. How do leaders within the Christian community deal with sexual temptation toward our youth, self-abuse, and a world previously unknown to our children opened up through social media?

Indeed, what can we do? Join Dr. Mark Lantz in this episode of Life on Purpose as he examines what it will take to be a relentless leader in a world that seems to be pushing back as hard as it can against the name of Christ.

We live in a generation of instant gratification. Benefits are expected without any of the time and effort put into earning them. Online ads, even those of 10 seconds or less, are seen as a major inconvenience.

But there was a day where Jesus made a very clear statement about this "right now" mentality. He held off His hand for TWO days as His friend Lazarus lay deathly ill. Why did He do this? What was the purpose in waiting to do what Mary and Martha knew He could do? What was Jesus saying by waiting?

Dr. Mark Lantz tackles these questions of "right now" as he examines the story of Jesus and Lazarus given in John 11. Delve into what you can learn about waiting today as you examine the day Jesus didn't show up on time.

Isaiah 54:2-3 offers a promise of breaking forth to the right and to the left. But is that a promise for us today? And if it is, what does it mean? How do we apply it in our modern world? What is God saying here, and what is He telling us to do with it?

Dr. Mark Lantz reads in these words a promise for provision and abundance in your life, but you must be ready to receive it. He dives into the book of Isaiah to examine closely this promise from God, and to explore what you must do to prepare and what you must expect to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary in your life.

The Bible teaches us that every life has value. No questions asked. We hear the words "life matters" thrown around a lot, but what do those words really mean? What does it mean to live a life that values life in a practical sense? How do we combat voices in our world that tell people that they are worthless or not worth keeping alive? What is the spirit of the enemy that tells people that their lives or the lives of others are not worth the effort.

Dr. Mark Lantz dives into the Psalms, as well as other points in Scripture, to establish the Biblical basis for the value of life, as well as principles we all can adopt on how to live a life that shows that life truly does matter.