“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NLT I don’t know another way to say this, so I’m going to just shoot straight. Sometimes I feel like screaming. I have had one of those weeks—feeling overwhelmed and overscheduled. So, I went…

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do me a favor: Agree with each other,…

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT) On a recent grocery shopping trip, I walked by a shelf off to the side lined with boxes and cans. Each was imperfect—their packaging was either dented or torn. Above the shelf was…

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) Most of us desire deep and honest friendships in our lives. Friends who will love us even when we are at our worst, friendships that are more than smiley faces and greeting cards. But what we need…

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT Most of us have a love/hate…

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is…

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT) The past few lessons we talked about how we view and struggle with our image in the mirror. We have these notions ingrained in our minds,…