What do you want? What do you want for your work? What do you want for the people you lead?What do you want for your life both now and in the future? These are incredibly important questions. Answering these questions will help you reveal the deepest parts of your heart, especially if you keep asking yourself, “why do I want this?” 

Elliot Cherry, a pastor in Nashville, gave a remarkable sermon on the Rich Young Ruler by pointing to a series of important questions that Jesus and the other people in the story asked in Matthew 19:16-30. “He's doing everything right. He was crushing it and he was miserable…“That should terrify you!”

God gives us His word and prayer so that we will draw close to Him. When we combine reading the Bible with our prayer time, we are communicating with God.

The beatitudes are a blessing bestowed on you from Jesus himself. They are not an ethic to keep, but a blessing to receive. The more we understand all Jesus is offering — how we're blessed, how we're chosen, how we’re meant for life with Jesus now — the more we understand His invitation to walk and work with Him. 

The terms of true peace have been announced and completely executed, yet we have conflict every day on matters that are settled. We also tend to avoid conflict where we have the opportunity to be a peace maker. Jesus — who was and is — the terms of peace personified, bestows a perfect peace on His followers and calls them to “go and do likewise.” Watch and see how practical becoming a peacemaker is to your daily life and work.

Conflict is all around us. We get entangled in conflict very easily. We forget that Peace has conquered conflict. When Peace sets you free, Peace calls you into the conflict as an agent of Peace so that you will free others with Peace for the sake of their souls.

There is nothing better for us than considering what has been done for us. Practicing thanksgiving leads to more blessings. A heart full of gratitude changes our mindset — our attitude — and leads to dramatically different selfless based actions that result in blessing others. Acting for the benefit of others helps us understand our value in the world and leads to even greater blessings of assurance, purpose, and meaning. 

You’ve heard it said can’t be grateful and anxious at the same time. It’s also true that a heart full of gratitude cancels fear, selfishness — even complacency. Watch as Howard explains an ancient practice that helps cultivate gratitude and leads to transformative change in attitude which cause us to act in practical selfless ways for others.

Why have so many people over the years considered it true joy to suffer in the name of Jesus — even to be persecuted? What motivated these heroes of faith and how should this inform our daily life and work? We've all heard that gratitude is good for us — better mood, better relationships, better outlook. But what if gratitude is more than a self-help technique?