It was my very first missions arrival ceremony; I should have been out with everyone else, cheering on the beginning of a new field service...  Instead, I was down in my office with the door closed, experiencing a significant spiritual assault...

Have you ever wondered why God sent Jesus to the place and time that He did?  Why Galilee in the 1st century?  And what that means for us - why God chose the times and places of our lives that He did?

The Bible is a mine whose treasures can never be fully and completely exhausted; I love the new insights to be gained every time it is opened!  As followers of Jesus, we delight in the Word of the Lord, for from it flows help, health, encouragement, instruction, solution, challenge – and life from the Author and authority of life.

A healthy Christian marriage is itself a tremendous witness for Jesus in the world. 

A solid Christian marriage is one of the most spiritually impactful institutions there is: a man and woman who are committed to loving and honoring each other in the Name of Jesus for the rest of their lives is extraordinarily powerful for the glory of God and the expansion of His Kingdom on the earth!  On today's episode of Practical Faith, I want to share 6 more pieces of practical marriage advice that Dianna and I like to give to married couples on their wedding day.

Dianna and I have been blessed through the years to be able to do some marriage mentoring with a number of wonderful couples ahead of their wedding days.  We’ve spent many hours together with engaged couples – talking, sharing, laughing, praying, answering questions – exploring God’s best for Christian marriage together.  We’ve done Biblical studies with couples, and book studies using a variety of great Christian curriculums and resources.  For their wedding ceremonies, I like to share a few last words of practical encouragement and challenge with the couples as they embark on the wonderful journey of marriage together.  What follows are 5 pieces of practical marriage advice that I like to share with couples on their wedding day:

Today we will look at the second necessity of leadership, which is, attentiveness.  Applied in the home, we as men (as husbands and fathers) must have an active awareness of the current status of our family and to know the needs of each family member in terms of spiritual direction. 

If you have anyone living in your home who looks to you for any level of care, then you have a sacred calling and commission from God to be the spiritual leader of your home. There are two primary necessities to spiritual leadership in the home, and today’s episode of Practical Faith will be about the first: which is initiative.

Have you ever walked a labyrinth?  A labyrinth is winding one-way path marked out on the ground or through a field.  Christians have been using labyrinths for centuries as a way to engage in “contemplative prayer” (which is sort of a fancy way to say "a beautifully relational conversation with God").

What's is God's will for our lives? What is our assignment from Jesus? To stay attached to the Vine, so that His life can flow through us and produce fruit in and through our lives. If a branch is separated from the Vine, it can’t do anything. It produces nothing.