Double Take

Many of us spend our lives regretting things we’ve done in our past. Regret has a way of turning yesterday into a place of residence. It keeps replaying old scenes, old failures, old words spoken in anger, old opportunities missed. We often begin to believe that life would be different if only one chapter had been written another way. But regret is a poor architect. It can examine the ruins, but i...

Does focusing on our sin actually make us holier? It’s a question many Christians never stop to ask. We assume the answer is yes. After all, if sin is the problem, shouldn’t paying more attention to it be part of the solution? But what if that’s not how we receive our new identity?

We don’t all have the gift of evangelism. But we do love Jesus and we want to spread the truth of God’s grace in whatever way comes naturally. Which causes us to wonder about something. Do they want to hear the good news or the bad news?

When I was a little girl, it seemed every time I was happy or hopeful, something – or someone – always ruined it. I think it began with my mother. She didn’t intend for that to happen, but it did. She had her own struggles growing up, and they deeply affected me. I learned not to get too happy because I expected the other shoe to drop. This was my attempt to protect myself – from hurt, and especia...

There are many things to be afraid of. Fear is a very important emotion; it is our survival mechanism. I need to know when to get into the storm shelter, I need to know that when I’m driving too fast or reckless I could do a lot of harm to myself or to others. I need to know when I’m in dangerous or violent circumstances. We should be afraid of power without restraint. The list of things we should...

Our last week of grace stories from these new friends: Guillaume Roy - Quebec Canada Cory McCammon - Indiana Avery Prevette – IT - Ohio Stefan Lauer, originally from Germany John Gildein – Valparaiso, Indiana Ron Sutton - Juvenile Case Manager - Fredericksburg, Texas

More wonderful people with encouragement for you from the conference: Scott Wolfe - Executive Director of InYou Ministries - Roebuck South Carolina Zach Rasmusson - ZR Ministries - North Port Florida Kyle Jenkins - Dallas Texas Todd Laczynski - Indiana Maddy Lawson - New Haven Ministries - Sioux Falls South Dakota

We are members of Network 220 (named after Galatians 2:20) which is an international network of more than 110 churches, counseling, and training ministries throughout the US and beyond. Every year we look forward to this conference and hearing the grace stories of those in attendance. You are going to love them, too! This week we introduce you to:  Jess Hays - author, speaker, & podcaster – Da...

Can the culture of the institutional church affect marriages? We take a look at “biblical” manhood and womanhood. We talk about what communication, what forgiveness is, and what it’s not. What about destructive or abusive marriages? What does it look like for a marriage living from the real Source?

After we had each written a book, we swore we’d never write another one. It’s time-consuming, overwhelming, and agonizing! But after counseling many couples, and creating marriage studies and events, we realized we hadn’t come across a book on marriage that was based on the New Covenant of Grace. So…we wrote one! Maybe it will be helpful to some of you.

When God speaks to us, in whatever way we hear Him, how do we not assign a time to it? What do we do when we misinterpret what we hear from God?

What do we do when someone says I have a word from God for you? How many times have you heard  God told me to tell you,  and then find it wasn’t necessarily for you?

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but it doesn’t make sense to me that Jesus would say  I must go away so the Comforter will come , but then He does not talk to us. I believe that God is in perpetual communication with us. And the reason I believe that is because He lives in us. I also believe that listening is a developed skill. How do we learn to listen and respond to Him?

How are we as believers told we ought to use our God-given gifts and talents? Who is our audience? God or fellow Christians? Do we feel pushed to fit a particular religious role? How do we find our purpose?

Every one of us is born with a deep need for purpose. At the most basic level, our birth fulfills the continuation of our kind. But as we grow and begin collecting experiences, something deeper begins to stir—we want those experiences to mean something.

You may be asking – what is the point of all this cow tipping we’ve been doing? Is it just to pick on the small “c” church? We must admit there has been a bit of truth to that. We are pretty sure we aren’t the only ones who have been discouraged – or worse – by all the twisted meanings and added-on traditions. But right there, you have our reasons. Believers have been damaged by man-made rules. Wh...

More “unmixing” of the Covenants. Just like oil and water, they do not mix.

The mixing of Law with Grace is in our opinion the most damaging theology for believers. In Grace there is no Law. To add it is like adding a drop of poison to a cup of water.  Law isn’t just the Old Testament Mosaic Law – it is anything we do to try to please God or look good on the outside. It’s  doing  to  be  rather than  being  which results in  doing . How do we unwittingly try to make the t...

More Bessies to tip over today! Perfect will vs permissive will, God wants our holiness not our happiness, and more.

Welcome back to language class. How many of these phrases have you heard before? And have you ever wondered about any of them? Being "in the word," staying on fire for Jesus, and more! (audio only)

Do you speak Church? Call it Church Speak or Church-ese, but we bet you are fluent in this language. This is our next series of sacred cows to topple.

Can we add just a few more to our list? The Sinners’ Prayer. Baptism. Rededication. Revivals.

Have you ever wondered about any of these sacred cows? The Great Commission. Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Altars in church. Communion customs.

There are beliefs and customs within organized religion which must not be tampered with or criticized. They are to be given respect and reverence, and not to be examined too closely. The “rules” about these things are either clearly spoken or silently implied. To do otherwise is sacred cow tipping. (If you’re not from around here, that’s sneaking up on a sleeping cow and pushing it over for fun.) ...

You’re driving, minding your own business. Then you notice the car in front of you is straddling both lanes. You can’t get around them because they are taking up all the available space. Don’t they know how to drive? How did they even get a license? You wish they would just pick a lane already!  How many believers have gotten their “license” but still can’t make a decision as to whether they are a...