4 Events That Explain God’s Grace For Prodigal Sons
Let’s talk about grace. 4 events that explain God’s grace for the prodigal sons: Do you secretly wonder how God feels about you? Do you look at others and try and imagine what a loving, perfect Father would have to say about their lives? We’ve been told about God’s love and grace, but when we’re…
Read More4 Inspired Portraits Revealing the Roles of a Faithful Father
Consider 4 inspired portraits that reveal the unique responsibilities and roles of a faithful father. Over the decades I have spent parenting our children, I have done a lot of pondering over the roles of a faithful father. And it all began with a dream. Men, have you ever awakened, in the middle of the…
Read More5 Pressing Questions Being Asked By Parents With Adult Children
Check out our 6-session Daily Discipleship course, Navigating Life With Adult Children with Dr. Jim Burns and Chip Ingram. Is your parenting role changing? Find answers to 5 pressing questions being asked by parents with adult children. Q1: Parenting my adult kids, should I just forget about any verbal influence and instead just pray? How…
Read More5 Core Values That Will Leave A Legacy That Lasts Forever
You have a legacy to share with those you love, and today is the day to start sharing it. The 5 core values of our faith that we must pass on to the next generation: Get more ideas and practical insights when you watch the YouTube teaching series, Leave A Legacy That Lasts Forever. Have you…
Read MoreWill You Let God Wrap His Arms Around You?
Many years ago, a little girl began to attend the Sunday school class I taught in the church my husband, Chip, was pastoring. Her name was Sandra. Her family was very dysfunctional. Sandra didn’t know what it was like to be truly loved and wanted, much less accept God’s great love for her. God drew…
Read More5 Power Faith-Building Exercises That Work Every Time
BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series Methods for building the muscles of spiritual maturity When my son was a pre-teen, he had become very adept at lying. He was a skilled deceiver, to the point of believing his own stories! He’d memorized Scripture and desired to change, and yet it continued to pop…
Read MoreHow to Break Out of A Destructive Lifestyle And Start Living On The Edge
BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series 3 truths that describe what new life in Christ looks like Which words best describe your life experience since coming to faith in Christ — Exciting and adventurous? Fearful and uncertain? The Barna and Gallup research tells us that most Christians, though given a new life, still…
Read MoreThe One Leadership Mindset That Maximizes Transformation
BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series Healthy leaders equip believers to become ministers 6 lessons for everyone that we can apply today from Paul’s leadership directive to the Ephesians. Equipping everyone for ministry is a model that works. Can you imagine a general contractor having a team of workers at his disposal but…
Read More5 Reliable Methods For Putting On Your New Self — Even Before It Fits
BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series Let your new identity in Christ impact your daily life Most of us long to be transformed and changed for the better, but we find it incredibly difficult. It’s hard to begin the process, and even harder to maintain the change. Look at the multibillion-dollar self-help industry.…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Unique Purpose in God’s Big Story?
Explore 3 foundational ways to let Christ live through you as you fulfill your unique purpose. BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series What’s your unique purpose in God’s big story? Your purpose in God’s story is to let Jesus live His life in you and through you. 3 ways to build a foundation…
Read MoreHow To Turn 5 Powerful Truths Into A Supernaturally Transformed Life
BONUS: Access the entire Daily Discipleship Video Series Would you use the word “transformed” to describe your faith? Embrace these 5 powerful truths and become fully equipped to supernaturally transform your spiritual life: 5 steps to your spiritual training program: Live out your purpose of letting Jesus live through you. I’d like you to consider…
Read MoreEaster and the Meaning of the Divine Intervention
For Christians, Easter of course means infinitely more than a ham dinner and jellybeans. But do you have a clear picture of what the real meaning of Easter is? Jesus Christ’s life on earth was a divine intervention. God knew humans couldn’t rescue themselves from their addiction to sin—so He intervened, motivated by love. “For…
Read MoreWhen You Need a Breakthrough but God Doesn’t Seem to be Listening
Are you feeling stuck? Tired of dealing with the same issues? Perhaps you’ve even told God you need a breakthrough in a relationship or among your family or at work or church—yet God doesn’t seem to be listening? It’s easy to give up and just pretend everything is okay. Or worse, start to doubt that…
Read MoreWhen It Feels Impossible to Love and Find Love in This Crazy World
Deep down inside, every person who has ever lived wants to be loved and to be good at loving. But even a cursory look at history—and at our current world—makes it clear that humans aren’t always good at loving. What is the key to loving well and being well loved? Is there a recipe, a…
Read MoreBeing a Light in a Dark World: Restoring Our Society with Love
We’re in a tough period in our culture’s history. With the pandemic, job losses and economic decline, racial protests, contentious politics, schools forced to move to remote learning, and churches not being able to gather in person—it’s understandable if we feel less like a light and more like hiding! Yet in the midst of darkness…
Read MoreFeel Like You Need a Makeover?
Feel like you need a makeover? An extreme makeover, perhaps? Go to Wikipedia and type in “makeover TV shows.” You might be amazed. The original “Extreme Makeover” has over the last decade spawned countless spinoffs and copy-cats—some you probably don’t want to watch! (I’m going to bet there’s more to come, too. “Extreme Makeover: COVID…
Read MoreThe Inside Story of God’s Great Rescue Plan
There are few things that grab our attention like a daring rescue. Think about hearing stories like firefighters, trapped by wildfire, getting picked up by a helicopter in smoke so thick the pilot had to fly blind. Or remember the hope we felt when volunteers, who wouldn’t give up, found a toddler alive under rubble…
Read MoreThe Hope of Christmas Is the Hope of Eternity
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it but there are two kinds of hope. The most common way we use the word today is to mean a desire or a wish. “I hope the pandemic ends soon.” “I hope my family stays healthy.” “I hope life makes sense someday.” The other kind of…
Read MoreThree Steps to Becoming a Resilient Christian
Sometimes the Christian life feels blessed and rewarding. Other times it’s a struggle. If you’re wandering in a dark season and not feeling much like a resilient Christian, please remember that God wants to help you grow in maturity until you become wise, complete, and Christlike. That’s what James promises in the first chapter of…
Read MoreFacing Hard Times? Learn the A.R.T. of Survival
Facing hard times is clearly not unusual in a fallen world. The apostle Peter told us to not be surprised at trials—as if they are something out of the ordinary. (See 1 Peter 4:12). However, while Jesus Himself told His followers to expect tribulation in the world, He admonished them to not fear—because He has…
Read MoreHow to Face the Future with Unshakeable Confidence
It’s easy these days to be anxious when facing the future. Some people might even look around and retort, “Oh yeah, what future?” True, our modern world right now is facing a lot. A pandemic, a government in turmoil, social unrest, closed schools, a maxed-out health care system, a struggling economy, global warming, a moral…
Read MoreTired of Struggling Relationships? Learn from Love’s Inventor
Feel stuck in struggling relationships? Everyone is hardwired to seek meaningful, rich relationships. We’re designed to want to be known and accepted and loved. It hurts when close interactions with family members, friends, and even co-workers hit bumps—or brick walls. So when it comes to our hearts, we all want to be a little smarter,…
Read MoreHow Can I See Myself as God Sees Me?
What do you see when you look in the mirror? I will never forget, as a senior in college, having coffee with a beautiful cheerleader. No, honestly, the unforgettable part wasn’t her beauty and quick mind. It was that beyond the stunning exterior of a young woman who looked like she “had it all together”…
Read MoreHow Is “Doing Good” Part of Our Calling as Christians?
The reputation of Christianity these days has taken a serious hit. Our influence has been undermined and marginalized across all sectors of society. It’s not a problem that we as believers can just delegate to pastors or church leaders. It’s a problem we’ve all got to own. I won’t take space here to expound upon…
Read MoreGoing Through Hard Times? God Wants to Teach You How to Handle Adversity
The headlines point to it. Your neighbors talk about it. Your heart feels it. Just about everyone is going through hard times right now! But let’s face it: Life is hard, even in the easiest of times. Disappointments, illnesses, broken relationships, dashed dreams. What does the Bible say about getting through adversity? Plenty, actually! God…
Read MoreLove as God Loves: How is That Even Possible?
During His last days on earth, Jesus gave His disciples an impossible order to “love as God loves.” “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12, 13 NASB). How can…
Read MoreDon’t Be “Troubled”: Set Your Mind on Heaven!
A lot of Christians are apprehensive about heaven. Part of this is a typical human reaction to the unknown. What is going to happen to me? What will it be like? How will I feel? What will I do? Our lack of knowledge is a bummer, and it’s unnecessary. The Bible has a lot to…
Read MoreKey Principles for Navigating Life with Adult Children
Most parents I talk to tell me they lost sleep worrying about their kids when they were younger. But it’s surprised me to discover how often many parents of adult children tell me the same thing. I often hear statements like these: “My son’s choices are breaking my heart.” “Every time I give my daughter…
Read MoreThe Miracle of Easter Is Yours Today, Everyday
Easter has come and gone, and we’re starting week four of sheltering in place with a beautiful, sun-shiny day. I’ve been focusing on taking one day at a time during this coronavirus pandemic, but last Sunday (Easter) was probably my most difficult day since our quarantine began. My husband, Chip, and I have been keeping…
Read MoreFour Ways to Find Your Way Back to God after Feeling Betrayed
Have you ever been betrayed? When I was in college, I broke up with my girlfriend of two years because it became clear she didn’t want the same committed walk with God that I did. I was heartbroken about it but it felt like my only option. Then a few months later I discovered she…
Read MoreHow Can I Parent Godly Kids in an Ungodly World?
My wife and I often get questions about parenting. Neither of us grew up as Christians and there was a lot of dysfunction in our families. But God was faithful to help us as we had our own children. Any success we had was because of His mercy and guidance, I assure you! But along…
Read MoreHow to Parent Your Adult Children
What does it look like to be a Christian parent of adult children? If you’re a mother or father of small children, someday you are probably going to ask yourself that question. Maybe you’re not a parent yet—but I bet you’re an adult child. How would you answer? But if you’re like me right now,…
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