When God makes us into a new creation, he gives us a new purpose of being his witnesses and his ambassadors to the world. So how do we do that on a practical and tangible basis? Paul instructed the church of Philippi to "work hard to show the evidence of your salvation" (Phil 2:12). This means that we have a part in changing our behaviours and our lives to reveal Jesus to the world.
Changing our habits and our behaviours is hard, but not impossible.
Everyone of us has something that we determine to be our purpose in life. Maybe it is your family, your work, your hobbies, or something else. But how could our lives be different this year if we decided to find our purpose through our relationship with Jesus instead?
When the Holy Spirit works in our lives to make us a new creation, it leads to a new purpose. Paul describes the big picture of that purpose in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, but it's still up to us to discern and discover our own personal purpose that will fit within the bigger purpose.
At the start of a new year, we often make decisions about what we want to change in our lives. But we all know that change is hard. Whenever we try to change, we're living in the tension between the momentum of our current lives to stay the same, and the pull toward what we want to do or become. Change is managing this tension.
We're starting this series by talking about what pulls us toward making a change in our faith. Maybe it's time to start or re-start a journey of faith?
We all need grace. Every one of us has done something to make us 'un-right' with God. But no matter how much we try to balance the equation ourselves, we can't get there. God's grace is unearnable.
But because of God's grace and what Jesus has done, salvation solves the equation not by balancing it, but by tipping the whole thing overwhelmingly in God's direction.
There is an unsettling solution for just about everything, and we can sum it up in one word—grace. It’s the undeserved, unearned, unearnable favour that Jesus came to offer us. So why wouldn’t we want Christianity to be true? And where should you start if grace was never part of the equation for you?
Burnout seems to almost be an epidemic these days. And a surprising number of people who perhaps haven’t fully burned out still test positive for the signs of burnout. We’ll look at what causes burnout, how to know you’re in it and how to get back. Plus we’ll touch on suicide and why the voices you may be hearing are lying.
Bottom Line: Live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. - Carey Nieuwhof.
So many people get surprised by something that generation after generation of successful people encounter: success is emptier than they ever dreamed. Even when all your dreams come true, you may feel grateful. But feeling grateful doesn’t leave you full? Why does success feel so empty? We’ll look at why that is, and what to do about it.
Bottom Line: If you want to beat emptiness, find a mission that’s bigger than you. - Carey Nieuwhof.
We’ve never been more connected as a culture, and we’ve never felt more alone. Many experts are beginning to call loneliness a cultural epidemic. Why is it that we can have 500 friends on social media and feel so utterly alone? A devious disconnect is underway in our culture, and it’s not just a tech problem...it’s a human problem.
Two things have led to our disconnection: the demise of genuine conversation, and the demise of confession.
Love has a speed, and it's slower than you are.
We’ve never been more connected as a culture, and we’ve never felt more alone. Many experts are beginning to call loneliness a cultural epidemic. Why is it that we can have 500 friends on social media and feel so utterly alone? A devious disconnect is underway in our culture, and it’s not just a tech problem...it’s a human problem.
Two things have led to our disconnection: the demise of genuine conversation, and the demise of confession.
Love has a speed, and it's slower than you are.
You never thought you’d be a cynic, did you? Nobody wants to be cynical, but so many people end up there. Why? Cynicism starts not because you don’t care, but because you do. Surprisingly, most cynics are former optimists. We’ll look at how cynicism starts, how to recognize it and how to stop it.
To kick cynicism in the teeth, stay curious. And trust again, hope again, believe again.
