We are living in a time where people want Christ with no sacrifice attached. They also want what they want. There is no call to holiness or repentance in many churches, so people simply believe they can live any lifestyle they want and still serve God.

It would be very easy to just fall back on the stereotypical answers. But I don’t want to do that, because getting men more involved goes beyond just having food and focusing on manly activities. That thinking is temporary, and while it may get men to show up to an event, it does not deepen their commitment or move them to get more involved.

The first thing we must recognize is what being distracted costs us, because it is far more than missing a deadline. Distractions have consequences that can affect every aspect of your life. Most importantly, it can affect every relationship in your life if you don’t address it properly.

Are there really Bible verses missing from the New International Version of the Bible?

Just like today, bread was a staple food in biblical times, and it's something that Jesus surely ate when He was alive. But why does He talk about breaking bread, and what does it means for Christians today?

Regardless of how the world feels about sin, the way God feels about it has not changed. It seems as if the church has slowly been adopting worldly attitudes toward sin. Instead of calling people to repentance, it is as if we give people justifications for continuing in sin. Yet, the way God sees sin is still the same. He hates it.

We hear the phrase "leave and cleave" in Sunday School talks about marriage, but what does it mean to do that?

While I am a believer in accountability, I also recognize that it has its own set of pitfalls. In fact, some people who fell into sin had people around them who were responsible for keeping them accountable, yet it didn’t work. So where are the holes in accountability and how do we plug them?

God works in the everyday moments of your life to move you along the desired path he has mapped out for you. Knowing this is critical to you walking in God’s will for the new year. As we turn to the start of a new year, I want to share two simple yet practical ways to walk in God’s will.

So often we focus on the factors beyond our control. We should focus on the factors we can control because that determines if you are successful or not. In measuring your success this year, these questions will focus on those things.

Regardless of who wins the election, God does not change. It does not matter who is in the White House, Jesus still sits on the throne. When we lose this perspective (as I was doing) then you make elections and candidates akin to idols, placing all your hope in their outcome.

For your life to reflect Christ, what you say is important. But what you do is even more important. Living like Christ is not a passive activity. It is a life of action.

Regardless of how wonderful a church is, that church may still experience conflict. Having conflict is not the biggest problem. How you deal with it is. As humans, we may have differing opinions about how things should be done, and this difference in opinion can lead to conflict. One of the saddest things I've seen is when churches cannot resolve their conflicts. When this happens, it can divide a church and end friendships and relationships within the church. 

One way to remedy conflict is through prayer, but how should you pray when there is a conflict in your church? It is important to recognize that while all conflicts are not created equal, if we come before God honestly in prayer, they can all be overcome. With that, allow me to share with you six prayers for when there is conflict in your church. These prayers center on getting the heart of the individual right. Once you accomplish that, then you establish the framework necessary to properly address church conflicts. 

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