Often times in our closest relationships, we see our friends and family make difficult choices that we know can cause pain and hurt. Do we say anything? When do we intervene? Confrontation is not something anyone wants to do but when we love someone deeply, maybe something we should do.

We love the story of the underdog, the little guy who takes on the big corporation or the team full of all stars. The story of David and Goliath is one we've all heard, whether we are church people or not. But how practical is the famous story of the giant killer? We all face giants and as we dig deeper, we find some great truths for our lives.

Being a person of faith does not mean we will be exempt from difficulties and trials. In fact, the first followers of Jesus knew that sometimes trials were an opportunity for faith to grow and strengthen. Genuine faith has to go through the fire to be all it can be so when faith comes under fire, will we pass the test?

Taking a step of courage and faith can involve a great deal of risk. Depending on how we grew up and our attitudes towards risk, we might be unwilling to be courageous. But holding back could keep us from experiencing God's plan and the real life we are called to. Sometimes courage is risky but is the tipping point to something extraordinary!

The virtue of courage is celebrated often in our world. It's found in someone who gives up personal comfort to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. Courage can also be displayed every day in our choices and relationships. But before we can be strong and courageous we have to overcome fear.

Only one person can ensure that we end up somewhere on purpose. And that person isn’t in the House of Representatives or the White House. They’re in our house. In fact, we look at that person in the mirror every morning. The reality is that we face our greatest leadership challenge every morning when face ourselves.

As our world grows more connected, our neighbors are closer than ever. But how close are we to our neighbors? We might not share a fence but we can still share their burdens and joys. And as we live this out, we bring Jesus to the neighborhood.

The great command is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind. The second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. But who is our neighbor? For many of us, some of our neighbors are children without a family. How might we embrace the orphan?

We don't have to look far to find people struggling financially. They are in our backyards, they are our neighbors. But what is poverty? And how can I really help someone in that struggle? Instead of being overwhelmed by the total need, what if I was willing to go deep with one situation?

In spite of the super-connected world we live in, loneliness can be a very real struggle for many. In order to be a good neighbor to the lonely people in life, we might have to change a few things in our heart and schedules. ** If you would like to go deeper with us in this study, search under "Events" in the Bible app for Mill Creek and a reading plan "How To Neighbor".