The followers of Jesus shaped civilization. Regarding your faith, have you become more of a consumer than an advertiser? If not, how have you kept that from happening? If so, what needs to change?

Christians are not expected to believe based solely on a collection of ancient manuscripts. The foundation of our faith is anchored to something far more substantial and sustainable.

In an unexpected series of circumstances, Jacob is reunited with his thought-to-be dead son after decades. Through the truth coming out and forgiveness being extended, the entire family eventually settles in Egypt where there is food. God uses this moment for Jacob to bless another son through whom people from all nations would have their relationship with Him healed.

Joseph’s life up and until now led him to this opportunity, which was a gift from God. Although God seemed silent, He was at work all along in Joseph’s life. Each moment led to the next and eventually to an opportunity to not only save his adopted home but his family from starvation.

Have you ever spent time reading the Bible and praying; then looked at the clocked and realized 15 minutes felt like 2 minutes? Time to God is different than time to us. Time is like an island to God while time is like a moving train to us. How do we react when we believe God is silent?

It’s been said, “Repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth.” Sometimes it’s not the number of times a lie is repeated but the influence of the person who is repeating it. How do we respond when someone lies about our integrity? How do we react when something we tried to hide comes out?

If Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams were right, he was a threat their way of life. The normal reasons for betrayal are unhealthy ambition, greed, or lust. Trust makes betrayal possible. How we respond to betrayal can reveal what we believe about God.

How do you respond and react when things are going well? Who do you call, text, or see? When things are going well, we find ways to keep everything going well. It’s likely that things going well in our lives has little to do with us. God is writing a bigger story and invites us to be a part of it.

When you think of the church, what is the first word that comes to mind? If you were to ask your neighbor or your co-worker, what would be the first words that come to their minds? In other words, what is the reputation of the church? What is the reputation of your local church? More importantly, how can we begin to repair the reputation of the local church?

Our reputations are important because they impact our influence. But when we look at the life of Jesus, he often risked his reputation for the sake of connecting with the excluded and marginalized. If we are to help repair the reputation of the church—and by extension, Jesus—we may have to follow that example.