God Centered Life

In modern times, we’ve become accustomed to being bombarded on a daily basis with scam attempts. Would it surprise you to know these date back to Bible times as well? We’ll expose one such scam artist with the objective of learning the difference between “Feeling Good” and “Feeling God.” Acts 8:9-25 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prudence, wisdom, discretion, patience… all laudable qualities. But is there a case to be made for “jumping in head-first?” Our study today compares the “plungers” to the “toe dippers” and looks to help us understand how God directs. Judges 7:9-25 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In your own quiet honesty, where would you place yourself on a scale from “Top of the World” to “Top of Crash and Burn?” In our study today, we’ll look at one life that could be described as “ending badly” but in reality, is pivotal to our faith today. Is our assessment of failure always reliable? This important question is addressed today. Acts 6:8 - 7:60 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...

Perhaps you’ve seen them. Just do a search for “Flowers Growing in Concrete.” Amazing, beautiful plants in what appears to be the worst possible conditions! Is it possible that your situation is so bad that growth is completely ruled out? In today's study will look at ways growth can happen in spite of harsh conditions. Acts 6:1-7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...

“God knows best.” Easy to say, but sometimes really hard to live with. If we’re sick, we want to get better. We “know” that’s what’s best for us. How do we deal with God appearing to have a “better best” for us? We’ll wrestle with this question today. Acts 5:12-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sickness comes in many shapes and sizes, perhaps first physically, but also emotionally, and even financially. So how does Scripture reach out to those who are sick? What are realistic expectations regarding healing? And is healing only limited to the miraculous? We’ll look at those questions today. Acts 5:12-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Tell me something about your church.” If someone walked up to you and asked that question, what would your first thought be? Would it be something positive? Or would it be that one thing that continually gets under your skin? How would Barnabas respond, and what are the implications for us today? We’ll look at these questions in this study. Acts 4:32-37 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...

Does a growing faith mean that we are quicker to “think outside the box?” If you were tasked with going to battle, “more soldiers” would be a logical response. So how do we grow our faith so that “less soldiers and God” becomes the primary response? We’ll follow along as Gideon is taught this lesson. Judges 6:33 - 7:8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shaken any buildings lately? Our study looks at a passage where prayer made the building shake. Is this particular type of prayer specific to that period of time? Or should we look at why our prayers today may not feel that powerful? The early church is again our focus. Acts 4:23-31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a question that may be in the back of our minds as we interact with society. How bold can I be regarding my faith before I become a target? And how do I respond when I cross that threshold and find myself under attack for what I believe? We’ll explore these questions in our study today. Acts 4:5-22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Never waste a good crisis.” Likely your prime energy is to avoid any form of crisis. Certainly, a wise goal. But the arrival of crisis is often out of our control. So how do we rise above fear? How do we advance the kingdom in times of trouble? Far from theoretical, this study will use the book of Acts to look at a recent, real crisis. Acts 3:1 - 4:4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...

To the casual observer, the one may look just like the other. The “Temple of Man” is big and grand, and in the book of Acts, the “Community of Jesus” was as well. But the differences are far more important than the similarities, and we’ll look at both in this study. Acts 2:42-47 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever participated in a warm, embracing, affirming conversation with a group of church members about the role of the Holy Spirit, or is the topic avoided? Our study will look at a passage that tells us a good bit about the Holy Spirit and His intended presence amongst us today. Acts 2:1-13 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wouldn’t it be great if we could pull a Gideon and use a fleece to get direct guidance from God on the more challenging questions we face? Or does the fleece actually reveal a weakness in Gideon, one that we should work to avoid? We’ll take a look at how to frame the fleece in this study. Judges 6:33 - 7:8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Christianity part of a well-rounded life, something that makes our time here richer? Or is there a more intrinsic reason, something that should be woven into our 24/7, giving us purpose? The question of “why” is front and center in this study. Acts 1:1-11 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if we changed the way we thought about the book of Acts? Perhaps you think of Acts as accounts of historical events from which we can learn and be inspired. In today's study, we’re going to be challenged to pull away from a “then” mindset, and adopt a “now” mindset, maybe even finding ourselves in the middle of the action. Acts 1:1-11 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

You’ve seen it. Crossing the finish line, the racer is looking around to see where the others are. Life can be like that. As we get closer to the end, we’re looking around to see how we’ve done in our version of “living well.” Is there a different way to look at finishing for those who long to serve God? We’ll explore the idea of finishing well in today's study. Psalm 134 Learn more about your ad...

I want to be just like…. (fill in the blank). Is being like those around me the same as unity? If we all dress alike, does that make us unified? And if appearance is not at the core of unity, what is? We’ll look at these questions today. Psalm 133 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What comes to mind when you hear the word “church”? Do you have positive thoughts? Do you look forward to getting together with other believers? Church is just one of the places where God's people should… be experiencing unity. And further, that unity should be joyful! We’ll explore these ideas in our study today. Psalm 133 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may have memories of Sunday School and singing the admonition to not “be a doubting Thomas.” Doubt is bad! Or is it? Could it be that doubt can be the beginning of a journey? Could it be that doubt is when we start asking the really important questions? We’ll explore the beneficial path to overcoming doubt in our study. Judges 6:1-32 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

Anticipation is a powerful force. This can be even more so when you anticipate something for years. But when what is anticipated doesn’t happen, how do we manage that disappointment? Even more so, what if what we’re lacking appears to have been promised by God? We’ll look at those questions today. Psalm 132 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a link between humility and maturity? Does one “grow up” to be great? Or, perhaps, is a humble spirit a bigger indication of maturity? What does an attitude of “others-ness” tell us about ourselves? These questions will be explored in today's study. Psalm 131 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Humility, and How I Achieved It” …a title that would only realistically be found in the humor section. So, how do we authentically aspire to do great things for the kingdom without believing our own press? How do we excel at humility? We’ll explore this topic today. Psalm 131 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve ever found yourself in front of a judge, being “let off with a warning” is a good thing. But what if, in addition to letting you go without consequences, the judge hands you a very generous gift? Turning to our study, do we undervalue the freedom from guilt offered to us? Let’s explore that question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve seen it, right? Someone trying to push a beach ball under the water? Regardless of how much effort is put into it, that beach ball will find its way back up. Could it be that we do the same thing with guilt? And is there such a thing as good guilt? We’ll wrestle with these questions in this study. Psalm 130 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices