​We’re less than 30 days into the new year, but I’m wondering—has 2023 lost its glitter? Have you lost your life purpose? Maybe you started the new year with great excitement but now you’ve lost your bearings or you’re wallowing in the muck of last year’s unfinished business. It’s time to shake off the dust so that you can experience all God has for you this year!
 
Here are five action steps you can implement today to regain the wonder and excitement of the year. You have a future and a hope in God. Now let’s help you find it...

​“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 NIV
 
There is healing in confession. There is healing at the cross. In a society where wrong is right and right is wrong, we’ve lost the power of confession. We’ve lost the gift of self-awareness and the acknowledgment that we are all “sinners saved by grace” in need of a Savior...

It’s almost become a cliché. Are you saved? To the outside world, the question may seem arrogant or even confusing. But for those who have experienced the saving knowledge of God, it’s a valid question that needs to be asked.
 
But how many of us are truly living the full life that God intended at the cross? Salvation may begin there, but if you read through the Bible you’ll find a salvation that encompasses the totality of who we are - body, soul and spirit...

Have you ever noticed how quickly prayerful concerns can evolve into anxiety? Heavy burdens easily spiral into anxious thoughts and sleepless nights.

​Maybe you’re speaking God’s word over a wayward daughter, a sick friend or a long-held dream, and praying all the “right” prayers, but if you’re stressed, it’s time to check your trust level...

It’s one of my least liked questions in the world, and yet it seems so innocent. “How was your day?” Ask me that and I immediately examine the hours since I crawled out of bed – the frustrations, the irritations, the disappointments, the accomplishments. All put under scrutiny as I try to respond to your simple question...

Stores do it often to stay open and do business. Taking inventory of what’s on the shelf and what needs to be replenished. Restocking, facing off the shelves, giving everything a fresh look. 
 
The year is quickly slipping away. Spring into summer, and now the trees show a hint of fall, tinges of color brushing their leaf tips. It can be easy to lose the year's momentum and settle into a “what will be will be” mentality, but if you do the math, we’re only in the eighth month...

As the heat wave continues across the world, I’m incredibly thankful for a good, working air conditioner. The house has stayed comfortable and we’ve been able to focus on our tasks versus struggling to keep cool.
 
Our neighbor’s air conditioner is another story. ​Bushes had grown around it, choking out the air it needed to function well. It was loud and ran continuously trying to keep up with the heat and complete its mission: to cool the house...

Addiction comes in many forms – a dependence on something other than God to meet your needs and satisfy your cravings. It could be food or entertainment, unhealthy or unholy relationships, an unbalanced need for love or acceptance, or a reliance on drugs, alcohol, or – can I say it – even caffeine.
 
We excuse. We rationalize. We cover up. We deny. But deep within we sense a Holy Spirit prompting that our lives aren’t quite right. We aren’t quite our own. Something else is driving our lives and ultimately, controlling our future.
 
Do you want to be free?

What makes faith grow? What can lift your weary heart when you’ve been praying and believing for weeks and months and maybe years for a situation to turn, a miracle to happen? 
 
You may have started out with bold statements of faith about God’s healing power. You may have declared with certainty God’s ability to save even the most lost person in the world. But now your faith is wavering and what was at least mustard-sized seems to be shrinking in fear and doubt and misgivings.
 
You’re in good company.

Finding a good friend is sometimes easier said than done. The long two years of the pandemic haven’t helped, polarizing people with varying opinions on masks and vaccines and gatherings. It can be tempting to pull back and allow yourself to become isolated – but to do so means to lose out on the value of true friendship.
 
If we opt out of the work of building a friendship, we can end up like the guy I encountered in a Southern California park one day. I’ll call him Joe, and Joe had an advantage...