Topic > Christian Living > Living with Other Believers >
Learning to share in our brokenness
Dealing with painful circumstances tends to draw us inward. Sometimes we even forget there are others around us struggling with brokenness and sorrow as well. Today on Discover the Word, the group challenges us to take God’s message of healing to those in need. We’re learning how to share “The Beauty of Broken” . . […]
Gather Together
Whether breaking bread around a table or coming together around the Word of God, it’s good to be with other believers. We find common ground, encouragement, and happy hearts. Fellowship is one of God’s greatest gifts to His children.
5 Ways To Deal With Stress
“Problems are a sign of life.” How true. As long as we’re alive, problems are inevitable, aren’t they? The only time we no longer have to face them is when we’re no longer alive.
All Alone
The familiar darkness of clinical depression rolled over Leigh as she sat on the edge of the bed holding a revolver—tormenting voices urging her to pull the trigger. As a Christian wife and mom, she knew this picture was all wrong, but the consuming illness had clouded her mind. Apart from her husband and doctor, no one knew of the daily struggle she faced. Leigh slowly put the gun down, walked out the room, and chose to begin reaching out and sharing her story with others.
No Lone Rangers
My country esteems “rugged individualism”—the idea that truly strong people do things on their own. The icon of this peculiar value was the Lone Ranger, a famous fictional cowboy of radio and the silver screen, and a solitary masked hero that protected others from harm. But it’s interesting to note that the Lone Ranger was hardly alone. He had a trusty horse named Silver and a constant companion named Tonto. Because of this, the supposedly “Lone” Ranger had more friends than many people do!
What We Talk About
In Britain we love to talk about the weather. We talk about it with people we know and with those we’ve just met. The subject is raised at the start of business meetings and over the dinner table. Sometimes touching on the weather is merely an icebreaker, a way to start or develop a conversation. Often, however, it’s merely a way of being somewhat friendly, but at the same time avoiding any real intimacy, depth of relationship, or feeling of commitment. So discussing whether it’s sunny or rainy keeps us at a distance but extends a form of friendliness.
Best Prom Ever
When Tom Carlisle told his parents he didn’t wantto attend his high school’s prom (formal dance), they understood. Tom is a young man with special needs, and he knew he wouldn’t be comfortable in that social setting.
Growing Up
Watching my young grandson and his friends play T-Ball is entertaining. In this version of baseball, young players often run to the wrong base or don’t know what to do with the ball if they happen to catch it. If we were watching a professional baseball game, these mistakes would not be so funny.
It’s all a matter of maturity.
It’s okay for young athletes to struggle—not knowing what to do or not getting everything exactly right. They are trying and learning. So we coach them and patiently guide them toward maturity. Then we celebrate their success as later they play with…
Loving Beyond Borders
I first experienced the beauty of the global body of Christ when I traveled from South Africa to Malaysia as a teacher. In that country, with its varying religions and cultural beliefs, I found a spiritual home away from home. From the moment I stepped into the little church down the road, I was warmly welcomed and treated like family. Thousands of kilometers away from where I grew up, I met people with the same spirit and the same love for Jesus.
Torn Apart in Aisle 9
My heart heavy, I was tempted to park my grocery cart and interrupt their conversation. Though I hadn’t heard the entirety of their acidic discussion, I caught enough to know the four shoppers were deeply dissatisfied with individuals at their local church. Ironically, not one of them looked any happier for their venting. I didn’t know them, those they were talking about, or even their church, but I grieved over this verbal ripping apart of the body of Christ in a public store aisle.
Why Love isn’t a Good Feeling
I’ll ’fess up. I plain didn’t like Terence (can’t tell you his real name, of course). I didn’t like the way he walked or talked. I couldn’t stand the way he moved around with a swagger, swinging his arms confidently and looking left and right as if he ran the whole church.
Loving God, Loving Others
While watching the orbit of Uranus, astronomers noticed that the planet didn’t seem to orbit as expected, almost as if there was another unknown planet nearby whose gravity was pulling Uranus toward it. Using mathematics, the scientists were able to compute both the position and the mass of this unknown object and then observed it for the first time in 1846: the previously unknown planet Neptune. Math allowed them to identify Neptune before they could even see it!
How do we best pray for others
Today, we’ll pose the question, “How do we pray for others when we don’t know what’s best for them?” In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul gives us a model on how to do that, so we can pray, even when we don’t know what to pray for. That’s today on “Discover the Word.”
True confidence comes in Christ alone
In the film, “The Sound of Music,” Maria von Trapp sings, “I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain.” But nature can’t help you when you need answers to prayer. The apostle Paul modeled true confidence. His trust was in Christ alone and the power of prayer to transform people into His image. Don’t miss this important conversation today on “Discover the Word”!
Praying with joy
In today’s busy world, does the thought of having to pray consistently for someone seem burdensome? Today on “Discover the Word,” we’ll discuss how Paul is our example when it comes to praying with joy. It’s all about relationship. Don’t miss the discussion, today on “Discover the Word”!
