[display_podcast] Christianity Is Not a Lifestyle Choice Many people view Christianity as one lifestyle choice among many.  Many view it as a new set of behaviors, as a list of things to do and things not to do.  Many view Christianity as merely a new lifestyle. While being a Christian does entail having a new lifestyle, it most fundamentally isn’t about gaining a new set of behaviors.  The Christian message, what the Bible calls the gospel, is meant to change something much deeper than our behaviors.  Through the gospel, [...]

[display_podcast] Paul’s point in the second half of Ephesians is that if we’ve been made new, we’ll live new lives.  Because we’ve been called by the Lord, we must “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).  “Walking” refers to how we live.  Paul uses this word picture throughout the last part of the letter.  We must “walk” in unity (4:1-16), “walk” in holiness” (4:17-32), “walk” in love (5:1-6), “walk” in light (5:7-14), and “walk” in wisdom (5:15-6:9).  A new walk is [...]

[display_podcast] Taking the Long View and Expecting Growth The most effective teachers take the long view with their students.  They know that their students won’t change overnight.  They know that they’ll require months of patient instruction.  They know that their students won’t be transformed after one class.  They’re committed to the process of slow and steady instruction because they know that growth happens over time. Effective teachers take the long view, but effective teachers also place reasonable expectations on their students.  They know growth will happen slowly, but they expect [...]

[display_podcast] A Cultural Value Rooted in Scripture Many of our cultural values find their basis in the Bible.  One example is the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum.  This phrase has been on our nation’s seal since Congress approved it in 1782.  It’s printed on most of our currency.  It’s a phrase that’s been used for thousands of years.  What does it mean?  It means, “Out of many, one.”  It refers to how the original thirteen colonies became one nation during the American Revolution.  Our country is now made up [...]

[display_podcast] Cut Off Toxic Family Members? I read an article this week titled, “Why It’s Okay to Cut Toxic Family Members Out of Your Life.”  It said that we should “never compromise our mental, emotional or physical health for the sake of tolerating a toxic family member.”  The article defined a toxic family member as those who’re judgmental, who feed off of drama, who gaslight you (meaning that they deny saying something that they actually said – also known as lying), who only talks to you when they need [...]

[display_podcast] The Crucial Role of Mom One of the most basic facts of our existence is that we wouldn’t be here today without our mothers.  We should therefore be grateful to God for them, because without them we literally wouldn’t be here.  Did you know that there are two billion moms in the world?  The average speed that moms change a diaper is two minutes and five seconds.  For dads, it’s one minute and thirty six seconds.  For moms, that adds up to three 40-hour work weeks each year!  [...]