God Centered Life

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

When creating a superhero for your blockbuster script, Item #1 on your “to do” list is to give that hero a fatal flaw. It’s harder to relate to characters, heroes or otherwise, who have no weaknesses at all. Our study today helps us relate to a longstanding hero of the Old Testament, and in doing so, aims to encourage us. Judges 6:1-32 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...

So very simple, and yet so very hard! Want to be free from your past wounds? Forgive the one who wounded you. Easy, right? Not likely. But as we’ll explore in this study, doable and certainly worth the effort. Psalm 129 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in a world that energetically encourages us to “define,” whether it’s ourselves, our situation, or perhaps our destiny. Has that mindset crept into our view of God? Do we base our “understanding” of God on our past? Can a Biblical view of God help us overcome past wounds? Tough questions are addressed in this study. Psalm 129 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...

When was the last time you daydreamed about your church? Not a typical activity, right? But if we read in Scripture that God loves his church, calling it the bride of Christ, wouldn’t it make sense to picture its growth and effectiveness? This study will challenge us to “imagine.” Act 2:42 - 47 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What kind of anticipation, if any, do you feel when you wake up Sunday morning? Has church attendance fallen into a routine for you? Perhaps not as exciting as you’d like it to be? Let’s take a look at how we might reignite our church experience. Act 2:42 - 47 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Options. Having choices is a good thing, right? But will society's hunger for options completely kill off traditional views of marriage and family? And what would be the consequences of this shift? We’ll explore these very relevant questions in this study. Psalm 128 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dramatic and truly violent incident portrayed in our study may feel off against our perception of Christianity. But could this be an invitation to review the justice of God? Are we being invited to refresh our understanding of the wrath of God? We’ll explore yet another unusual story from the book of Judges. Judges 4:1 - 5:31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peace, tranquility, a sense of serene calm, and family. Perhaps for you “one of these things is not like the others.” Does the Bible have anything to say to us when our family is driving us batty? Let’s find out. Psalm 128 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve heard the phrase “Children are a blessing from God.” We’re not questioning that. But what happens when those children, blessing though they may be, come across as a challenge, part of the daily grind? We’ll look at this question amongst others in our study today. Psalm 127 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No one is exempt. We all have those days where the one place you want to be is somewhere other than where you are. What does the Bible offer us on days like this? Is there a solution to daily drudgery? We’ll look at those questions in this study. Psalm 127 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the relationship between community and joy? Is it harder to be joyful if we’re navigating life by ourselves? This is just one of the practical questions we’ll look at in our pursuit of joy in this study. Psalm 126 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever observed a serious mood washing over a conversation when religion or faith or God is mentioned? What if the exact opposite was true? Would it be surprising? Would it be more inviting? This study will explore the sometimes rare emotion of joy. Psalm 126 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices