Exodus 20:12 does indeed say that children should honor their fathers and mothers. So does that mean that my parents have a biblical right to make demands on me for the rest of their lives? Or was I correct, and once I took over the cellphone bill, I could do whatever I wanted?

Families, hard work, health, and even money are all good things. But when a good thing becomes the only thing in your life, it becomes sin. Suddenly, we are not working with our eyes towards Heaven. Now we are working with our eyes planted firmly on our own shoes. We start to believe – even if we don’t consciously think it – that this promotion, this relationship, this activity or hobby, is more important than Christ. This is what will make me happy and complete.

God is our loving Father in Heaven, but He is also powerful. When we approach Him in prayer, should we be on our knees, or can we pray while taking a walk? Do we have to use formal, flowery language? Or can we start a prayer with a quick "hey"? It's crucial to understand who God is; He is majestic and powerful and He is, in fact, on the other end of that call. But He also wants to hear from you, and isn't too worried about you doing it "wrong."

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16).

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalms 90:14).

Sometimes it’s hard to tell what sort of morning we are going to have until our feet hit the floor. Whether it’s a busy morning, or quiet and slow – start it with prayer. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl – start if with prayer. Whether you need a brisk exercise to get going, or a strong cup of coffee – start with prayer.

If the first thing you do in the morning is spend time talking with the Father, that will set the tone for the rest of your day. He wants to hear from us too! Even if it’s groggy, early morning thoughts, our Father is always glad to hear from us. Below are seven prayers to help you get started, and to jump-start a focused, joyful day.

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I stood to the side of the court, bare feet roasting in the sand, sweat dripping all down my face and my lungs screaming. “Why the heck do I do this,” I wondered for at least the fourth time. Every summer in college, some friends and I registered for a sand soccer tournament. I love soccer, but playing in the sand is much harder than grass, and it often wasn't much fun. But I still loved it and still signed up, mostly for everything surrounding it.

Spending time with my team before, watching the pros play in between our matches, and just having a weekend filled with soccer, good friends and the beach was worth the pain of the actual games.

There’s a lot of sports imagery in the Bible, and I think it’s because the authors understood that, like sports, living a life for Christ isn’t always fun. There are certainly fun parts, and the end result is the most incredible prize imaginable. But it’s often hard too, and it takes dedication.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

What is the most important part of our Christian faith? The one thing that we cannot compromise on – will not bend on – must agree on? The gospel, right? Our faith is built on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Afterall, as Paul says, if Jesus was not resurrected, then our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15). That is surely the most important thing for Christians. If we agree on that, we can live in harmony. Right?

But boy do we love to tack on extras. Have you ever heard someone say, “you can’t be a Christian and vote for that candidate”? We draw lines like these all the time. Would you be a part of a church that only played secular, rock sounding worship music? Or a church that encouraged you to wear a shirt and tie, or a dress and heels every Sunday? Can you have a peaceful discussion with other Christian parents whose children attend public school? What about brothers and sisters who support, or oppose, gun rights? Can you be a Democrat, or a Republican, and be a real Christian?

I could go on and on and on. Some of the things I listed above are personal challenges for me. And it’s not a bad thing to have opinions and convictions. But when those opinions supersede our love of Christ, and our willingness to love brothers and sisters who think and believe differently than us, it becomes a problem. To quote the ever-wise Jedi Master Yoda, “fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

The modern American church seems to be so tied up in fear, anger and hate these days. We’ve put so many other issues before the command to love and live peaceably with all. And because of it, everyone suffers.

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“She should go to a public college.” “No, she already went to a public high school. She needs to go to a Christian college now.” My youth pastor’s wife and pastor’s wife were “helping” me decide on a college, and both had strong feelings about my options. I was torn between a small, older Christian college that was offering me a sports scholarship, and a public University that was beautiful, new and welcoming. In addition to the academic benefits, amenities and cost of each, I had to decide if I wanted to go to a Christian college, or a public one. There were pros and cons to each. Should I spend this time taking Bible classes and surrounding myself with other believers at a Christian college? Would the sinful American college experience pull me away from my faith, or strengthen it?

In the end, I decided on the shiny new public University. I loved every second of it, and my faith grew and was tested and challenged in so many ways. Upon graduation, I felt that I had a stronger grip on my faith than I ever had before. I made so many incredible Christian friends, but I also had a few great non-Christian friends – some that I’m still very close to today.

To be sure, my non-Christian friends and I have very different opinions on some things. But I believe it’s essential for every Christian to have a good non-Christian friend or two. These people help challenge me, make me think deeper about my faith, and sometimes inadvertently shows me the ways that I am so blessed to have Christ as my guide in life.

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Incredible things happen in a person's heart when they give their life to Jesus. Not only are your sins forgiven, but the Holy Spirit gives each believer a spiritual gift - a unique way for them to serve and encourage the Body of Christ. There's a couple of lists of these gifts in the New Testament, but how do you figure out what your gift is?

Most everyone has a favorite Bible verse. The pages of Scripture are filled with words to encourage and challenge us in every phase of life. Maybe there are some verses that you keep coming back to, maybe you strongly associate a certain verse with a certain time of life. You may even have a favorite verse tattooed somewhere visible, so you can carry it with you always.

It would be impossible to list a Bible verse for every moment and phase of life. But in my short time on this earth so far, these eight verses have stuck out to me. At different points, and for different reasons, God has revealed Himself to me through these eight verses. I believe this is a great list of verses to come back to again and again, no matter what you are facing.

Your own list of favorite, encouraging, or challenging verses may look different – and that’s ok! God gives encouragement to different people based on what they need. But for me, the verses below have been invaluable for guiding me through life, and I hope they can encourage you as well.

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As sinful humans, we often have a flawed view of justice. When we read these two Bible stories, both of which give examples of God's loving grace, it's easy to think they are unfair. But God's grace isn't fair. It's a freely given gift that is offered to those of us who are woefully undeserving.

We all like to feel happy and joyful, but on rainy days and Mondays, that can sometimes feel difficult. How would your outlook change if you started to seek out beauty all around you, all the time? These four tips can help you in that journey, and encourage you to turn that joy into praise for the One who provides. 

All of us struggle with sin, no matter where you are in your Christian walk. And if we are honest, there are some sins that we brush aside, thinking they aren't that big of a deal. But God takes our sins, even those little ones, incredibly seriously.