“Happy Dependence Day”
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Celebrate Dependence: A Better Foundation for Life
Americans love to celebrate independence. It’s deeply woven into our cultural identity—we value blazing our own trails, defending our freedoms, and providing for ourselves. These ideals can be good and noble. But in the Kingdom of God, the foundation is radically different.
The Kingdom isn’t built on self-sufficiency, but on total reliance—on the grace, will, and power of God. We don’t earn our place in it. We inherit it, through the costly gift of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This is why Scripture repeatedly invites us into dependence—not as weakness, but as wisdom.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
True wisdom means trusting God over ourselves. It means acknowledging His presence and power in every part of life.
Yes, we encourage people to work hard and provide for themselves—but even tha...
Spiritual Focus in a Rapid-Fire World
In playoff sports, when the clock winds down and the stakes rise, everything intensifies. The game seems to slow—yet every movement accelerates. Every pass, every play, every decision carries weight. The pressure is palpable, and nothing feels insignificant.
In a similar way, we are living in a high-stakes, high-intensity moment in God’s redemptive story.
Scripture reveals a sweep of progressive revelation from the promises of old, to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. This launched what the Bible calls the “Last Days”—a period that has now stretched over two millennia.
These are days of revelation and power. Days where the Spirit is active. Days in which the Church is called to demonstrate God’s love to the world. Days of preparation—for the end of life as we know it and the beginning of eternal life to come.
Could it be that we are now in the final stretch of these Last Days?
You don’t have to be prophet...
What is Your Struggle Saying To You?
Don’t Give Up: Let Hardship Speak Before You Respond
What makes you want to quit?
Is it a harsh word, a disapproving glance, a persistent struggle, or just plain exhaustion? Most of us can point to something—or someone—that drains our energy or chips away at our purpose.
You’re not alone. Every one of us encounters moments when continuing feels like too much.
In those moments, we often default to one of two responses: we collapse under the weight or try to push through with sheer force. But there’s a third way—one that invites us to pause and listen.
What if your hardship is speaking a message that needs interpretation?
Before you act—before you fight, flee, or fold—consider this: your struggle might be trying to tell you something. When we stop to interpret the meaning, we’re better able to respond with wisdom and faith.
Here are some questions to help you listen:
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Where is this hardship coming from?
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Is it simply the difficulty of the task itself?
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Is it internal—em
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Impassioned Desire vs. Confident Trust
Faith means a lot of different things to different people. I’ve often heard questions like, “Do you have much faith?” or “Do you have enough faith?” On the surface, these sound like objective questions—but in practice, they’re often asked in vague and fuzzy ways.
Usually, people are talking about whether someone has enough faith to believe that something they hope for will happen:
“Do you have faith that you’ll get married?”
“Do you have faith that you’ll land that job?”
“Do you have faith that you’ll become successful?”
But biblical faith isn’t rooted in our personal desires or wishes for the future. Biblical faith is anchored in God—in who He is, in what He’s said, and in what He’s done.
Paul wrote that faith “comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith is not something we drum up emotionally—it springs from the message of Christ. It's a response to God's revealed truth.
In 2 Corinthians 1:20, we’re reminded that a...
The Danger of Assumptions and Presumptions
We’ve all heard the saying: “Don’t make assumptions.” And for good reason. When we assume, we act as though we fully understand a situation—without actually taking the time to investigate or discern the truth. Assumptions are conclusions drawn without sufficient evidence, and they’re often wrong.
Wrong assumptions fuel prejudice, racism, and harmful stereotypes. They fracture marriages, disrupt neighborhoods, and create tension in workplaces. When we think we know something we haven’t taken the time to understand, we often alienate others and make poor decisions.
Even Jesus experienced rejection based on false assumptions. Many believed He was a threat simply because He didn’t meet their expectations of how the Messiah should act. They didn’t pause to truly understand His mission—or His heart.
But if assumptions are dangerous, presumptions can be even more damaging.
To presume means to take something for granted. It implies an even greater level of certainty—often without any more ...
Be Owned and Blessed, Not Burned Out
Owned—in the Best Way Possible
You’ve probably heard some good old-fashioned trash talk in sports: “I own you!” It’s meant to intimidate, to send the message that the other person has no chance unless you allow it. Being “owned” in that context is humiliating—it implies domination and defeat.
But being “owned” by God? That’s something entirely different—and deeply freeing.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” That price was the life of God’s Son, given as a ransom to free us from the bondage of sin. Through Jesus, we’ve been rescued from darkness and brought into a Kingdom of light, life, and righteousness.
But here’s the key: living in that freedom means embracing this new identity. You are no longer your own—you belong to Him.
God’s Treasured Possession
Three times in the book of Deuteronomy, God refers to His people as His “treasured possession.” In today’s world, being called a possession might sound negative—li...
It's Your Turn Now!
Have you ever had the privilege of learning from someone who truly inspired you? Maybe it was a coach, a teacher, a manager, or a mentor—someone who not only taught you a skill, but shaped how you see the world. And maybe you were even invited to actually work alongside them. What an incredible opportunity! You got to see them up close: how they prepared, how they practiced, how they carried themselves. Maybe you even had the chance to share life beyond the lessons—to become friends.
But then, came the moment: they turned to you and said, “Now it's your turn.”
For many of us, that moment is both thrilling and terrifying. We doubt ourselves. We wonder, Am I really ready for this? And yet, somehow, we step into it. Shaky at first, but we grow and begin to walk in the ways of our mentor. Eventually, we even find ourselves looking for someone we can pour into—just as someone once did for us.
This is exactly the kind of transition the disciples faced in their time with Jesus.
His minist...
Becoming a Spiritually Attentive Friend
Have you ever felt like people aren’t really listening when you speak? Maybe they’re nodding, but their eyes wander. Or they respond in a way that makes you wonder if they heard you at all. Chances are, their minds are elsewhere—thinking about their to-do list, waiting for their turn to talk, or simply distracted.
What’s especially frustrating is when someone answers based on what they think you were going to say, not what you actually said. It’s as if they checked out of the conversation early, filling in the blanks with their own assumptions or opinions. Sometimes people are more focused on delivering advice than understanding what’s truly being shared.
But Scripture reminds us:
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak." (James 1:19)
Listening Is a Gift—One We Can’t Get Back
Your full attention is one of the most valuable gifts you can offer another person. Time is limited, and when you choose to spend it truly listening, you're giving something that can never be reclai...
Pairing, Syncing, and Living Aligned with God
When we buy a new device that connects wirelessly—like a phone with earbuds or a smartwatch with a computer—the first thing we usually have to do is pair them. Pairing links the devices so they can recognize and communicate with each other. Sometimes it works right away; other times, it takes several tries. Each pairing experience has its own little learning curve.
Our relationship with our Father in heaven works in a similar way. To communicate with Him, we must first pair—and we do that through prayer. Prayer is the foundational connection point between us and God. Luke 5:16 tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Even Jesus, in all His power and purpose, prioritized staying connected to the Father. His ministry was rooted in that relationship.
But communication isn’t enough—we also need to be in sync.
When we sync devices, like our phone and computer, they share information. They’re aligned, working from the same data. In the same way, syncing our hearts...
How Clean Are You—Really?
Do you ever stop and ask yourself: Do I feel clean?
Not just outwardly—but deep down, in your soul?
For many of us, the feeling of spiritual cleanness is tied to behavior. When we’re “doing well”—praying, avoiding sin, helping others—we feel good, maybe even righteous. But that kind of cleanness is temporary. Sooner or later, we mess up. We get angry. We get selfish. We fall short. And just like that, the clean feeling fades.
Others take a more theological view. They know—on an intellectual level—that they’re clean because of what Jesus did on the cross. His death paid for their sin, so they’re positionally righteous before God. And that’s absolutely true. But knowing you’re clean in theory doesn’t always make you feel clean in practice.
Even in Jesus’ day, people wrestled with this. The Pharisees obsessed over staying outwardly pure. They avoided anything—or anyone—that might defile them. But Jesus called them out. He said, “It’s not what goes into you that makes you unclean—it’s w...
