According to James there are two options for the believer, friendship with God or friendship with the world. There is no middle ground. Which one will you choose?

God works in us as we worship. He works through us as we use His good gifts to serve other people.

Community is cultural; it's something that most of us want. It’s also biblical, and it’s one of the big reasons why any church exists. The Bible says it best: "It’s not good for man to be alone."

Worship is something that happens at every moment, in everyday. We are always worshipping, but the object of our worship fluctuates. And that’s why this needs to be included as a spiritual discipline.

The Bible says a lot about prayer. But there's really only one passage of Scripture where Jesus tells us how to pray. That's in the Sermon on the Mount. More than giving us the exact words to say, Jesus gives us a pattern for prayer.

God is a speaking God. He speaks through scripture. He speaks through creation. He speaks in the incarnation. He speaks through his church. God also speaks to us as we pray… which means we should be listening.

If you're gonna grow as Christian, you have to some systematic intake of the Bible. Ways that we can meet God in Scripture include reading/listening, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word. Each of these tools serves as a mirror to reveal who God is, but also to help us see ourselves.

Spiritual disciplines are activities that we do (bible study, prayer, worship, serving, community, and more) to help us connect with God. The purpose of these disciplines are to put us in a place where God can change us from the inside out. Spiritual disciplines help us experience Jesus.

Why do we lack hope? Could it be that we put so much confidence in other things that we don't need. We hope for so much: a good job; a mate; a new car. In the end, all we need is Jesus. He should be the object and focus and obsession of our hope.

For many, joy of Christmas are gifts! The Magi bring gifts to Jesus, seeking the one whose star shined brightly in the sky. We're all searching for something to bring us joy. We learn through the story of the Magi, that God himself is the real seeker.