There are so many areas of life where we settle because it is good enough.  We don't study too hard because a 'B' is good enough.  We don't work on our marriage because it is good enough.  Serving God isn't our highest priority because however we are serving is good enough.  What if I told you there is no such thing as 'good enough' when it comes to your salvation.  Salvation is a matter of being saved or not, but there is no good enough.  In this message, we dispel the idea of 'good enough,' why it is so dangerous to the believer, and how we should make every effort to be sure of our salvation.

It seems like Mom's can do almost anything.  They have so many attributes we can list and applaud, but in reality we sometimes dislike what she does best.  Mother's Day isn't meant to be a one-time day of honor.  It's the day we are reminded why we should honor her, and we honor her because of the attributes God has created into her nature.

We all have to admit that it is easier to shrug off responsibility to someone else.  It's easier to sit and point than get up, engage, and find your place of involvement.  Many times in the church we expect someone....the pastor, a teacher, or a person placed in charge.... to do whatever it is which needs to be done.  The problem with that is this:  If we are part of a church then each person, each need, each concern, and each challenge presents an opportunity for me to be involved in what God is doing in my church.  Instead of condemning the person we think should do something, we must help build up the church by taking initiative to be part of the solution.  Each person in the church can help make the church better than it ever could be when only one person was expected to do it all.

We all struggle, have weaknesses, and face situations which are beyond our control and understanding of how to deal effectively with them.  As believers, we would rather talk about how good and faithful Jesus is rather than admit parts of our lives stink.  Yet, the very reason each person has come to Christ is because of the stench in our lives.....struggles, weaknesses and overwhelming situations.  The greatest reason we've come to Him is our sinful nature, but we also need Him for various challenges we face from within and from without.  We may cover up our reality to others with fake smiles and hollow declarations of faith, but if you're following Jesus, you've already given yourself away; parts of your life stink.  Our first response is to pray for God to deal with the issues around us, but we need to start understanding He wants to change the environment in us so we can see our environment around us differently.  This message is all about possessing a new scent for this new year!

There's always a reason not to do what needs to be done, and it seems like the real problem is not that we can't do something, but we won't do it.  Why won't we?  Laziness.  We love this, and we want that but we won't life a finger because we're too lazy to invest.  Laziness keeps me from fighting for what is rightfully mine, and what I should value highly.  We allow people and circumstances to control what we will or will not do.  We believe we are hindered, but are we really?  Maybe its time you start to understand the power of your turn and what God can do when you live His way whenever you can....which is all the time.

Have you ever noticed how your perspective is always the right one and everyone else is blind to what you so clearly see?  It seems each of us believes that we always see and are never blind.  Since we're human that can't possibly be true.  Jesus drew a distinction between the blind and those who could see clearly by examining a person's source.  Those who are not rooted in Him cannot see clearly, but as believers, it is important He remains our source.  If He's not our source then we fail miserably at our purpose.  People need life, and rather than take our cue from the blind on how to have a happy marriage, resolve conflict, or possess a fulfilling life we need to bring life to those around us and into every situation.  There may be some hurdles we need to overcome to be able to do this, but we must start praying, start leading, and start releasing.  When we can implement these qualities in our lives, we will begin to bring life to the blind rather than relying on them to give us direction.

Ever felt like you could have done more, or done a better job and finishing what you started?  Maybe you stepped back and took a look at your work and saw that project, that relationships, that opportunity was left a little undone.  It wasn't finished the way you originally intended when you started.  It's not just projects we leave undone.  Have you ever given up on anything or anyone?  Lost hope?  Is there something you no longer have faith for?  All those are examples of something left undone in our lives.  It's relationships, people, God-given dreams, and callings in which we started with the best of intentions but along the way became slack, unconcerned, and even may have given up completely.  What has happened is we started but rather than finish the way God intended, we left it undone.  What's undone in your life?

Thanksgiving will soon be here along with the turkey dinner, with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and whatever other sides you enjoy, but what we really crave is what comes second....dessert.  We may even make sure we tap out of the Thanksgiving meal, so we have room for dessert.  Honestly, when it comes to food there's nothing exclusive about our appetites because we generally just eat what we like and sometimes to the detriment of our waistlines.  Yet, our relationship with God is far different than what it is with food.  Our love for Him is to be an exclusive love and sometimes we don't understand the true meaning of this, and we begin to love seconds, first.

Each of us has the ability to influence those who look to our example.  People are always looking for someone to help shape their lives, opinions, standards, and convictions.  We will reserve out opinion on something until we hear what someone else has to say. We may not take any action until we see the direction of another.  It is true; we each have people we look to for example in our own lives.  As we are looking to others, we should realize someone is looking to us.  We may not be a nationally known speaker, a head of state, or regarded as a expert in any particular field but this doesn't limit others from looking to our example.  Since we should be careful of our example, let's make sure it isn't an excuse.  Listen in to find out more!

Every family faces challenges, experiences joys, and can be a great source of strength which lasts a lifetime.  Unfortunately, many may not identify with this type of family.  Family in our society has become fragmented and its importance minimized.  Even then, God's Word tells us the family is extremely important to Him because He instituted it and has a plan for the family.  Many experience a root issue within their family which causes much of their frustration and it is division.  We can allow such little issues to bring division, and even significant issues are not an excuse for us to turn against those in our own family.  If we look and find division in our homes, we can find hope that in every opportunity to become divided there is equal opportunity to remain united.   If we are willing to practice a few basic principles, we can transform our homes into places of growth, health and stability rather than division.