Third in a third-part series about building an authentic relationship with Christ. “Paper or plastic?” You hear that question from the cashier when she asks you to choose bags for your groceries. The same question can also refer to your relationship with Jesus Christ … is it paper or plastic? A paper relationship with Christ…
Scripture compares a healthy Christian life to running a race – one with twists in the course and hurdles along the way. Adversity, conflict, challenges, setbacks, the unexpected: life’s hurdles are many. A hurdle can slow a runner. Athletes approach hurdles one of two ways. Some runners slow down, cross across the hurdle, and then resume…
Scripture compares a healthy Christian life to running a race – one with twists in the course and hurdles along the way. In order to face adversity and finish the race strong, you need to be an efficient hurdler. Hurdling is an exciting and challenging race, especially for the runner who understands the nature of…
Kevin, a business consultant, returned to his boyhood farm home to visit his father. Over coffee, he explained his strategic planning work. “These principles really help leaders lead effectively,” Kevin told his dad with excitement. “But my clients are so slow to move on them.” His face clouded over momentarily. “They’re like the horses on…
Jason, Michael, and Ben decided to play “Follow the Leader” on the playground. When it was Jason’s turn to lead, he invited additional friends to join in. But he didn’t use the same route around the swing set and under the slide that his two buddies had followed. Instead, he tried his own ideas. He…
In a national survey by the Barna Group, just 5% of Christians report they are held accountable by their churches to integrate biblical principles into their lives. Of those surveyed, just one in five (19%) say their churches foster one-on-one accountability relationships. That means less than 1% of American Christians are in an accountability partnership…
Glue, Footings, and Windows At first glance, a member of the royal family and a low-born commoner seem an unlikely pair to build an unshakeable relationship. But Jonathan and David together paint an inspiring model of an accountability partnership built on love, trust, and transparency. Jonathan was the oldest son of King Saul, already…
This devotional is part 1 of 4 in a series based on The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8), which compares various conditions of the human heart to a farmer’s field. Jesus uses the Parable of the Sower to depict our hearts as a farmer’s field. Just as the Sower sowed…
This devotional is part 2 of 4 in a series based on The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8) in which Jesus compares various conditions of the human heart to a farmer’s field. In the Parable of the Sower, four kinds of soil make up the field of our hearts. God’s…
This devotional is part 3 of 4 in a series based on The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8,) in which Jesus compares various conditions of the human heart to a farmer’s field. In the Parable of the Sower Jesus compares a farmer’s field to our hearts, describing how the seed…