Over three in ten 18-35 year olds said they often felt sad or depressed or lonely according to a recent study done through Barna. I can give you tons of mental health tips, but today let’s pray against anxiety and depression. See, it’s important to remember that we are spiritual beings. We are body and soul. I think it is amazing that we have an entire book full of prayers, songs, and yes, emotions. I’m talking about Psalms. “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my...

Did you know the Bible tells us to sing new songs? The Israelites celebrated the good things the Lord did for them through festivals, memorials and through songs. That’s why in Psalm 98:1 we read “sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things”. Or in Psalm 40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” Psalm 96:1-13 talks about singing a new song and declaring what God has done to the entire world. Just talking about this gets me excited! New songs was a...

I had someone ask me this question: Why is marriage easier as a Christian? Listen, loneliness is a struggle for those in relationships or those who are single. When you know Jesus, you know that loneliness is a longing for a relationship that only God can satisfy. That loneliness feeling won’t go away when you’re married or when you move closer to family…That loneliness feeling is a reminder that God is the only relationship that can give you wholeness. We are all created for a relationship...

How do you define success? Is it the car someone drives, is it how young someone looks? Is it how well their kids turned out? the Bible talks about success in terms that we would define it as. Success is a desired outcome. However, God is more concerned about our heart than physical success. Let’s look at David’s life. He had people fighting wars for him. He was favored in God’s eyes and he was a hero to his people. That’s when success turned into pride. The outcome was destruction on his...

I learned so much about marriage when I was single because of this one reason. I had married friends. Now, this isn’t the only reason a single person should have married friends. Not everyone is called to married. However, I am so so so thankful that I got to watch my married friends go through their first two years of marriage. I learned so much from watching what they learned and processed in the beginning. Again, this isn’t how everyone’s marriages are, however, a good amount start out...

How do you give grace to difficult people? That’s Real and I am Hannah Lynn. The Bible mentions Grace 131 times. Grace is an important place in the Gospel message. Romans 3:24 says,  “We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Grace is a good thing we don’t deserve.So how do you give grace to difficult people? Remember your story. God knows your entire story and still has extended his grace towards you. Take some time to ask the other person a...

I recently watched the Guardian and although the ending is tragic, something pulls at your heart. There’s something about stories about sacrifice. Randall, the main character, is a U.S. marine. When you watch the opening scene he is diving in to save a couple who’s in the middle of the ocean with only life jackets. Randall doesn’t just watch from the helicopter. He has to dive into the water, attach each person to a cable to be pulled up into the helicopter to their rescue. It isn’t until...

If the Bible is true then I have to change my whole life and the way I live. That was how I saw things when I was really exploring my faith for myself. The Bible is Truth. Just saying that feels jarring. This is only because our culture is so against truth and all for relativity. The Bible’s truth has a lot to do with how we live. And I am not just talking about moralism — I am talking about a life change that includes total surrender. That’s what the Bible talks about. In John 17:17 Jesus...

What is the canon of the scriptures? The canon is the list of books that belong in the Bible. The Bible was written over hundreds of years by multiple authors. The canon consists of the Old Testament, books before Jesus and the New Testament, books during and after Jesus’ lifetime. The Old Testament ends with the promise and hope of the Messiah coming, who we believe to be Jesus. And The New Testament is filled with Jesus pointing back to the Old Testament and referring to it as divinely...

I know the exact face my mom makes when my siblings and I are not getting along.  And when I have kids I will probably make the same face. She still does it when we are not getting along as adults. It’s a face of “really? I am tired. Please stop. You are making me sad” all in one. Can you picture it? God is the same way. I always say this and I will say it until I die — God is so relational. He loves it when His kids get along. He also says that the world will know us through our love for...

Did you know that there’s three forms of God’s Word? The Bible, the character of Christ and the audible voice of God. God has communicated to us through His audible words only a few times in the Old testament. For instance God literally spoke the world into existence His words (Gen 3). This is also how the Israelites received the ten commandments according to Ex. 20:1-3. God didn’t speak audibly often. Which leads us to the written form of God’s Word ——— the Bible. The Bible is the written...

The Doctrine of the Trinity is just an example of how our God is not easily explained and I am ok with that. We can try to illustrate this concept with analogies like water, steam and ice or a triangle… but all will fail. God is unexplainable, mysterious, and beyond my own understanding.  The Faith Essential to be learned here is:   God is three persons  Each person in the trinity is fully God  There is One God.   Read more faith essentials here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

One crucial belief in Christianity is that there is one, true God. This same idea can be found in the Jewish and Muslim religions. Other major world religions such as Hinduism, Universalism or Budism would not claim this belief. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." James 2:19 says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Knowing that God is one is only half of understanding...

Let’s start at the beginning. The beginning, as John 1 states, starts with God. Do you ever doubt the existence of God? I struggled with the existence of God at a point in my life. I remember staring at the mountains in Colorado and struggling to believe that a God created what I saw. I read through the book of Psalms that year and started to see what David saw. God is revealed through nature. Romans 1:19-20 says, “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them...

Our God is personal. Aren’t you glad that’s true? Mary Magdalene is the first person to see Jesus after the resurrection. What a contrast to the story of Rehab, a complete stranger who helped strangers. Esther whose husband know her identity or family background. Or look at Ruth’s story. Another stranger who had to seek out a family redeemer to be able to eat. And then there's Mary Magdalene who is one of three Marys in Jesus’ life and he calls her by name so personally that she knows right...

...And everyone did what was right in their own eyes. No, surprisingly, I am not talking about today. I am quoting a phrase that is said over and over again in Judges. Judges is a very dark and violent book. It is split up in four chapters. The first three are about the leaders and how evil they are and the last chapter shares about the evil everywhere. That’s where we learn about Deborah. The only woman Judge mentioned in the Bible. And surprisingly she is one of the only ones who is not...

Loyalty is rewarded. Next in the events of the Bible, I want to cover Ruth. The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges and is a continuation of the story of Rahab the prostitute. Ruth decided to take care of her mother in-law Naomi even after her father in law and husband died. She followed Naomi to Israel and found herself alone, broke and unable to get work because she was foreigner. At that time the Torah taught to let immigrants pick up left over grain from their...

When I learned the chronological history of the Bible I found it easier to remember the events through the lives of the women we find in the Bible. The first person to start with is Eve, obviously. The next woman I point to after Sarah, Abraham's wife, is Rahab. Rahab was living in a city that was the last city the Israelites needed to enter into the promise land again. She believed in God, saved two Israelite spies and asked to be spared when her city comes to destruction. Her story is told...

I haven’t been able to stop talking about Jesus since I came to a saving faith in the 90s. I am even more passionate about sharing the Gospel today. Especially since 1 Timothy 2:1-6 tells us that God’s goal is for all people be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. 1 Peter 3:15-16 tells us three ways to share our faith to those who either don’t believe or haven’t heard the message yet. Be prepared to have an answer when someone asks about the hope that is in you. Have a good conscious so...

Do you have an area of your life you need victory over?  In 1 Peter 4 with the theme of suffering for what is good as our background we find another option. Sever with sin and start serving… serve the body of Christ for the glory of God.  We can do this because Christ is the Original OG and paid the price for our sins, sacrificed and suffered for us.  “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As...

What should you look for in a friend? Let’s look at what Peter says. Over and over again in chapters 2-4… this phrase is repeated: It is better to suffer for what is good than to suffer for doing evil. Doing what is right is so hard. Doing what is right is actually going against what feels natural. So in a sense, you suffer when you do what is right by denying yourself and doing what is unnatural. In verse 4 of 1 peter chapter 4 we read that our friends who are not walking with Jesus will be...

Calling all the married ladies! This one is for you. Your husband has a hard calling. He is called to love you sacrificially like Christ died for the church. What do you do when he falls short of that calling? 1 Peter 3 talks directly to women who’s husbands either didn’t know Jesus or wasn’t following God’s Words. Peter uses Sarah and Abraham’s story as an example. Abraham is considered to be righteous, but he also made some poor decisions out of fear that negatively affected Sarah. Just...

During the month of February I want to take a look at 1 Peter. Peter is writing to a church that was separated because of persecution. He writes to this church about all of the relationships Christ followers experience and calls for a reset. Do you need reset after this heightened political season? I know I do. Let's take a look at what God's Word says about our relationship with authority. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since I am an accomplished plant mom, I am using a plant analogy to show you how planning with advisors will help your PALNTS — I means PLANS succeed this year. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers the succeed.”  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it ok to pray for God to grant you your heart’s desires and fulfill all your plans?David did. I looked back on my 2020 planner and so many events and goals just didn’t happen I am a little hesitant to move forward and make plans in this next year. I don’t think that’s what God wants for His kids. Psalm 20 is a song about God’s name YAHWEH. YAHWEH is translated THE LORD. David is talking about the LORD who will provide deliverance and victory physically and spiritually. I’ll read Psalm 20:4...