Posts with the category “growth-resources”

From Married People Blog by Jim Burns My wife, Cathy, dragged me to our first couples small group. I believe in small groups, but the last thing I needed in my already busy ministry life was another o...  Read More

From Dr. Henry Cloud Over the years, Dr. Henry Cloud has been a trusted voice in the church with balanced view of God's Word and science of how people think and act.  I have spent one-on-one time with...  Read More

Today, our All Star Kids groups finished up a series where they discovered that God always keeps His promises and that He is actively working in our world to do what is best for us and to do His best ...  Read More

In Galatians 6:2-5, the Bible teaches us to help one another and carry each other's burdens. This means that when someone is going through a tough time or facing difficulties, we should be there to su...  Read More

We all deal with stress.  In this broken world, it is inescapable.  That's why the Bible is filled with teaching to help us not only deal with the struggles of the world but do deal with the battle wi...  Read More

As we see the story of Daniel and his friends unfold, one thing can't be missed. Obeying God was more important than life. They knew that fearing God was always better than living in fear of men or wo...  Read More

Our battle is an unseen one with very seen consequences so we must stand with COMPASSIONATE CONVICTION. The evil influence of our world is only hurting those it’s influencing. We must respond with C...  Read More

When times are the toughest, we need to know that we have others in our corner. People who are with us and for us. That's why the call to be encouragers is a needed one. Today, we live in as polari...  Read More

Ask someone their picture of the good life and you'll probably hear about long walks on the beach or fishing on the bay.  Perhaps you will hear about a comfortable retirement full of travel and grandk...  Read More

Listen to influencers and it seems there is one extreme or the other when it comes to work.  One side says to say in the grind.  Do all you can for as long as you can no matter what is expected.  The ...  Read More

Set an address in Google maps and you will get step by step directions to the desired location.  Then, as you pull up, Google announces, "You have arrived."  There is a sense of pride in the map's aut...  Read More

Moral gray areas have always existed for believers (see Rom. 14:1–23). New technology and modern social issues certainly provide unique manifestations of gray areas, but Christians have always needed ...  Read More

To live the good life that we all dream of, pray for, and work for, it requires a starting point.  That starting point is our faith in Christ, because it's our faith that transforms our lives starting...  Read More

From Faith Gateway Have you ever found yourself struggling to meet your spiritual new year's resolutions?  What if we told you that resolutions don’t work, but better habits do? I recently started lis...  Read More

How much faith is enough faith?  The answer to this question is counterintuitive.  Logically, to trust God for big things, we need to have big faith, but that's not exactly what Jesus taught.  Read it...  Read More

Have you ever taken the time to consider what faith means? If you had to write a definition of faith what would you include?...  Read More

From Christian Parents I will never forget holding my precious, beautiful daughter in my arms and tearfully confessing to my friend, “I think I’m a bad mom.” At that moment, I meant it with my entire ...  Read More

100 billion. That’s a big number. As teenagers, we rarely think of a number that huge. Trust me, a million is a lot for my mind to grasp.  Thankfully, we have a God who loves big numbers.One fact I le...  Read More

I wonder if when Jesus said not to let our hearts be troubled and not to be afraid, he also meant, “Hey, I know you will feel trouble and fear. Feel it and do not be it.” There is a difference between...  Read More

from re|engage It’s a phrase I’ve heard many times, often from people who have cheated on their spouse or committed some other sin that hurt their family. It can be a massive weight, suffocating you w...  Read More

Through this story, we also learn something powerful about God's love and the difference between acceptance and approval. ...  Read More

Memorizing Scripture is an excellent strategy for spiritual growth. It allows you to have gospel truths ready at all times, whether your day brings you temptation, heartache, or a friend in need of en...  Read More

From Desiring God In the beginning, God created rhythms. He spoke on day four,Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for se...  Read More

From time to time, I'm done preaching and I think, "Man, I wish that I had said this or said that."  While I prepare for weeks for each message, there are still truths left on the table.  I still have...  Read More

One of the most dangerous ways that a Christian can live is by becoming comfortable with things in their life that God is uncomfortable with.  In essence, in these areas of life, we are choosing our w...  Read More

From Desiring God Permission to slow down — perhaps that’s what you’re aching for again. Maybe you tasted it for a few weeks, or even months, when the pandemic hit, as event after event was cancelled....  Read More

One of the big takeaways from Sunday's message is that we should forget what God has forgiven. Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:13-14.   "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to hav...  Read More

If you’re anything like me, you often face a classic conundrum when it comes to how you’ll spend your time, asking: “Should I prioritize the important or the urgent?”And, ya know, if you’re like me, u...  Read More

Kick off the New Year with a new or renewed commitment to reading God's Word every day.  We have some great plans to help you get started.New Year New MerciesForward to a New YearNew Year New HopeChro...  Read More

Tuck the story of Christmas deep in your heart and lead your family to do the same by worshiping with us this December and by reading the story of Christmas in the Bible. ...  Read More

From Desiring God In Christ, God made our hearts to burn for him. Though our affections rise and fall, and our zeal boils hotter on some days than others, coldness is not the Christian’s heritage. We ...  Read More

Do you know the difference between compassion and Biblical compassion?  Random House defines compassion as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied...  Read More

It happens every day. A husband refuses to forgive his wife, because she just can’t see all the sins he ascribes to her. A wife won’t reconcile with her husband until he fully endorses her view of rea...  Read More

All living things grow. With human beings, we watch babies learns to crawl, to walk, to talk. We grow from total dependance on our parents to eventually being parents are ourselves. The maturing proce...  Read More

“Relationships make life rich!” That is true always but now more than ever, we need the richness that relationships bring....  Read More

From The Fierce Marriage The path toward repairing and rebuilding trust is neither easy to find nor quick to travel. Your heart hurts and your relationship seems like it will never be the same again. ...  Read More

From Lifeway People often use the word “encourage” without thinking about what it really means. “Be encouraged, it could be worse,” we are told. “Don’t be discouraged; hold your chin up,” we tell othe...  Read More

From Fierce Marriage Relationships are complicated, aren’t they?As a single girl navigating the murky waters of dating, I’ve found myself crying on my bed more than once over the years, asking, “Why i...  Read More

From Fierce Marriage When things are in alignment, everything runs smoothly. But when one piece of the puzzle is missing— or one moving part of an engine is out of place— the whole system becomes comp...  Read More

From XO Marriage Work is a necessary part of life, and it’s a huge blessing when we love our work and our workplace. Naturally, we spend a lot of time there, and how we conduct ourselves and the bound...  Read More