Deep Spirituality

When we believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God and live it out, we will live lives of impact. We're all looking for purpose, but the greatest impact we can make is giving the Gospel to people—the Gospel that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected so that we could have forgiveness for our sins and access to God's destiny for us. Check out this episode of One Quick Thought as w...

God wants to be real to us–he wants us to see him through our own eyes, not through the eyes of our parents, our friends, a person in a church, or the world around us. Today’s story is about a guy named Jacob who discovered God for himself by getting into a fight with him. Check out this Mini Quiet Time episode to learn from the story of Jacob that God becomes real to us when we stop running from...

One of the many great things about having a personal friendship with God is that he satisfies. We don’t have to keep chasing unreliable things like attention, approval, or achievement to make us happy—we have a source of security and love in our lives that won’t change, on our good days or our bad days. To learn more about how to build this kind of secure, satisfying friendship with God, listen to...

Endurance is one of the most important qualities Jesus had, and it's one we should all learn to develop if we want to change the world the way he did. Pain makes us break down, and the pain that is most difficult to handle is the pain that comes from sin. Talking about sin not only releases us from its mastery over our lives, but also helps us develop the endurance to resist it. Jesus endured...

The church we read about in the New Testament was not made strong by the celebrity of an individual superstar preacher. It was made strong by the powerful walk with God of each individual Christian, which collectively made the early church a transformative force in the world. This transformative church can live again, but it will require a paradigm shift in how we live and lead in our churches. Ch...

As we continue our series on building a church that changes the world, we have to decide whether we want a biblical or a traditional church. The church of the New Testament embodied five qualities that we can learn from if we want to build a biblical church: conviction, transparency, discipleship, purpose, and unity. Watch this episode of One Quick Thought to learn more about how Jesus changed the...

Have you ever watched a friend go through a storm, and felt powerless to help? Or maybe you tried to help and made it worse? God is the ultimate friend to us when we go through storms, and he can show us how to be a good friend to other people. Check out this Mini Quiet Time to learn how Jesus helped Peter through a tumultuous time, and how we can follow his example by being a calm and steady pres...

Jesus shows us how to walk with God. Even though he was equal to God, he chose to humble himself in prayer and rely on God's power. Our human pride makes us strive, push, and work to get things done, but we end up missing out on the humility that comes with walking with God. Humility is the core of Jesus's relationship with God, and it's what he taught the New Testament church to have....

Many people come to God expecting a quick miracle that will make everything better. What the Bible actually emphasizes is "building," which is a long-term view of life. Those whose lives collapse almost always have ignored building the emotional aspect of their spiritual lives—they were not willing to dig down deep. Building or rebuilding our emotional lives will allow us to grow our cha...

A lot of people are searching for hope right now, and we can find that hope if we look at Jesus. Jesus wanted the church to be built on hope. In this episode, we learn how to build a church on hope the way Jesus did—by cultivating purpose, humility, endurance, impact, and inspiration. Check out this episode of One Quick Thought to learn more about how Jesus changed the world. Show Notes: Luke 19:9...

When we feel discouraged about something we’re trying to do, it’s easy to get tired and lose heart. In our moments of frustration and failure, we need to turn to God and his Word to find the strength to keep going. Check out this Scripture Playlist for Bible verses that help us believe our efforts make a difference. Show Notes Colossians 4:2 CEV Galatians 6:9 NASB95 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 CEV 1 Corin...

In this excerpt from our audiobook, He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself , we look at a section in chapter 3, "When People Become God." When we experience the seemingly inevitable spiritual burnout cycle, we could easily blame God or the church, but doing so only deepens our focus on people. Returning to God is the only way we can s...

In 30 years, the church in the book of Acts changed the world. They did this by continually following the example of Jesus, who reached out to and did good for everyone around him, regardless of whether or not they chose to follow him. We are meant to do the same. In this episode, we learn how to live a life of constant renewal and love so we can change the world by inspiring those who don't y...

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but the good news is prayer is a powerful tool to help us deal with it. As humans, we have limits in our talents, wisdom, and strength, but God's power and care are limitless. Through prayer, we can give God our stressed, afraid, and burdened hearts and find relief.  Check out our newest Scripture Playlist to learn more about how to pray the stress away. S...

Join us in the second part of our series as we continue to discuss how Jesus meant for the church to be, and how the early church imitated Jesus. If we don't have a biblical view of Jesus, we can become consumed with our personal preferences and traditions, and resistant to change. Jesus didn't just want to inspire us, but to inspire us to inspire others. Check out our newest One Quick Tho...

We are excited to present to you an excerpt from the audio version of our upcoming book He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself. This preview is from the first chapter of the book, "When God Isn't Attractive: Turning Unhealthy Thoughts Into Healthy Ones." When God is unattractive to us, it is usually a result of our having unhealth...

The church of the Bible was dynamic, powerful, and life-changing. So why has church attendance today been declining? Watch our newest One Quick Thought to start learning about the church of the New Testament that changed the world, and how to build the kind of church Jesus wants all of us as Christians to build. Show Notes: His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God sh...

Check out our newest podcast episode where we talk with our editor in chief Russ Ewell about the release of our new book on April 24! He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself is a guide to seeing God in a healthy way, softening our hearts to be close to him, and inspiring the world around us to discover him too. In this episode we also talk about...

We are excited to tell you about a new project that has been born out of all the work we have done on Deep Spirituality. Our first book, He’s Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself, will be released on April 24. Listen to our editor in chief Russ Ewell talk with the team about some key highlights you can look forward to. Click here for more info and upd...

In continuing with our Finding Happiness series, we learn that it makes God happy to share his joy and love with us. When we get our happiness from him, we will want to share that happiness with others. Check out our newest episode of One Quick Thought to learn more about how to love and share your happiness with those around you. Show Notes: 1 John 4:8 NIV Luke 15:7 NLT Luke 15:24 TPT Psalm 40:8-...

It’s easy to wake up in the morning and quickly jump into our daily routine. But the morning is actually a precious time to connect with God. Starting the day by listening to and talking with God will not only bring our relationship with him closer but also open our eyes to see him moving all day long.  Check out our newest Scripture Playlist to help you slow down and start your morning right. Sho...

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your thoughts, feelings, circumstances, and just daily life? We are not meant to carry our fears, guilt, insecurities, or anxieties alone. When we try to, they often become too much to handle, and come out in ways we don’t expect them to. We need a God who can calm us down in those moments so we have the clarity to move forward even in the midst of anxiety. Listen t...

Life is better with a friend by our side! We need someone to laugh with us, cry with us, and just be with us. God is relational; he wants a friendship with us, not a religious performance. That means we can actually become great friends with God and never feel alone. Listen to this Scripture Playlist for Bible verses about how God is a friend to us and can help us build great friendships with peop...

Are you easily satisfied? Satisfied people are calm, happy, and easygoing. When we have the certainty that God loves us completely for who we are, we can be satisfied no matter what. Check out our new One Quick Thought to learn 5 ways true happiness brings satisfaction. Show Notes Psalm 63:1-5 NIV Psalm 43:4 GNT Psalm 119:47-48 CEV John 17:13 ERV Psalm 32:1 TLB Psalm 30:11 NCV

Today’s story is about a guy who had been sick for 38 years, lost in a sea of other sick, disabled, and otherwise overlooked people. It seems that he had given up long ago on any hope of connection or healing. But then, he was noticed by one person, and that one interaction changed his life forever. His story tells us what we can do when we feel invisible and alone, and how God can give us the con...