When Jesus invited his friends to leave their nets and boats and follow him, he asked them to think carefully before deciding. Jesus was not running an incentive program or using church growth strategies like we do. He warned people that if they chose to join him there would be...
Who And What Are You Living For?
Those who live their earthly lives to be famous in heaven look different than those who live to be famous on earth. I’ve met a few such people, and their very presence is disarming. These are people who live from God’s love, not for his love, and who find their...
A Kingdom Man Seeks Priceless Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is likea treasure hidden in the field . . .—Jesus (Matthew 13:44) One of my favorite Indiana Jones movies is about the search for the Holy Grail. In the movie’s climactic moment, the famed archaeologist is in the Grail chamber with an ancient guardian knight. Indy...
A Kingdom Man Cherishes His Wife
You are the sunshine of my life.That’s why I’ll always stay around.—Stevie Wonder, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” The lyrics to the pop songs we listened to growing up express strong opinions about love and devotion, but even the best lyrics come up short. They’d have us scaling...
The Significance of a Kingdom Woman
When a kingdom woman’s alarm sounds each morning, the devil tries to hit her snooze button. He’ll do whatever he can to try and stop her from getting up and taking on a new day. Hell hath no fury like a kingdom woman disturbed. She won’t stop doing all she...
Different Seasons, Different Quiet Times
This article is excerpted from Quiet by Naomi Vacaro. We will all face new seasons at some point, whether it’s moving to a new place, enrolling in classes, starting a new job, getting married, or having children. These new life circumstances can derail our daily routines, including our quiet time....
Family Finances: Order in the House! Part 2
This is excerpted from The Daniel Fast for Financial Breakthrough, a continuation of this article. Bank and Credit Accounts Many money management experts suggest having multiple bank accounts to keep your funds well organized and designated for the purposes you choose. Consider establishing these accounts if you don’t already have them:...
Family Finances: Order in the House! Part 1
This is excerpted from The Daniel Fast for Financial Breakthrough. Living with order is a good practice. And when our financial matters are in order and managed consistently, we feel better. Order helps us stay on track. It tells us where we are and helps us develop plans for where we...
To Lent or Not to Lent: An Evangelical Explores This Sacred Season
Many of my peers participated in Lenten fasts... even though they also came from evangelical or other Protestant denominations. I began to wonder: Had I been missing out on something meaningful to my own faith journey? By Christine McParland (originally posted on Read the Arc) Growing up, the extent of...
2 Rules for Safe Conversations In Your Marriage
This article is an excerpt from 9 Lies that Will Destroy Your Marriage by Greg Smalley and Robert Paul Think for a moment about the safety level of your marriage. Is your marriage a safe space? You can feel safe emotionally (the two of you believe your heart is safe...