Life does teach us some lessons, does it not? I’m sharing ten life lessons that God has taught me along the way. Life Lesson No. 3: Pay off your credit cards every month. Financial troubles affect every area of our lives, and most people’s financial troubles begin with that plastic card. The credit card companies make it easier and easier for us to get a card and then they do everything to encourage us to use it, and then just pay the minimum each month. That is a recipe for financial disaster. Could it be that you are in financial trouble now because you’ve got so much credit card debt? What ..read more

One of the benefits of adding years to your life is that you really do learn a few things along the way—life lessons, if you will. So, I want to pass along ten life lessons I’ve learned, and perhaps they may be helpful to you. Life Lesson No. 1: When you are not sure what to do, just take the next small step. You know, life is full of turning points, small and large—times when you have to make a decision and you’re not sure about it. I’m not talking about black and white decisions, things that are clearly right or wrong. But other decisions like: Should I look for a new job or not? Should I of ..read more

It’s very easy for any of us to fall into a trap of comparing ourselves to other people. We see it all around us, especially on our jobs. But the consequences can be devastating, and sinful as well. Usually when we compare ourselves to others, we come to one of three conclusions: First, we conclude that we’re better than they are. Or we decide that they’re better than we are. And that leads us into thinking we’d rather be them than us since they are better than we are. Think, first of all, about the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, as given in Luke 18:9-14: To some who were con ..read more

Presented by Lisa Bishop It’s easy to try to get our identity from all the wrong places rather than from the very of truth of God. And when it comes to identity, we can get hyper-focused on ourselves when we were created to fix our eyes on Jesus. During my quiet time I found myself meditating on a familiar passage in 1 Peter. As a bit of background, the apostle Peter is writing this letter to God’s elect. Strangers in the world (those who look out of place to the world because they do not follow its customs) who God chose before creation for “obedience to Jesus Christ.” In other words, Peter i ..read more

Presented by Lisa Bishop Has anyone ever said something hurtful about you that you had a hard time shaking loose? I want to talk about lies others have spoken about you or over you that have negatively impacted how you see yourself. When I was growing up there was a saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” You’ve probably heard it. I don’t know who made that little jingle up but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Often, healing from painful words that have been hurled at you can be a much harder process than mending from a physical injury. Because words ..read more

Presented by Lisa Bishop Are you living in fear today or are you living by faith? It can be so easy to let anxiety, worry, and fear overwhelm you when life is hard and your circumstances look bleak. Whether it’s a job loss or negative performance review, you’ve been blindsided by a breakup, your kids are wayward, or your marriage is on the brinks–there is no end to the list of concerns that can consume you on a daily basis and it can be easy to slip into worry and fear of the future. I read a quote the other day that stood out to me. It said, “The antidote of fear is the presence of God.” The ..read more

Presented by Lisa Bishop Are you living a transformed life in Jesus Christ? The other day I was at my mom’s house. We got into a bit of a disagreement about something. We didn’t see eye to eye. She asked if we could talk to which I obliged but I am sorry to say that I became a bit impatient in the conversation. I reacted from my flesh and not in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I’m guessing you can relate. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” The Holy Spirit kindly convicted me that I was not b ..read more

Presented by Lisa Bishop Have you ever felt unqualified? That sinking feeling like you just do not measure up? Recently a friend was sharing how she had been experiencing anxiety in her job. She went from being an individual contributor to being promoted to VP and leading a team of people. Even though God had clearly opened this career door and called her into this position, her new role had induced a case of imposter syndrome. If you have ever felt like you didn’t deserve a raise, that you are not smart or qualified enough to succeed at an assignment, or that you fooled everyone when you land ..read more

It is important for us as Christians to understand that we are each uniquely and specially made by God for good reasons. We are not mistakes; I am who I am by design of God, and you are who you are by that same eternal plan and design. God looked at his creation, we read in Genesis, and declared that it was good! Since we’re part of that creation, we can learn to accept who we are as created by God as good and right. Now let me add that learning to accept who we are doesn’t mean we give up on trying to improve. While it’s true God has given me a certain type of personality, it’s also true that ..read more

Do you find yourself frequently wishing you were someone else? Do you often feel that a different personality would be much better than the one you have? Well, if that’s true, then not only are you prevented from knowing and appreciating the uniqueness of who you are as created by God, but it keeps you from being able to appreciate others as well. I know that as I’ve begun to learn to accept that who I am is not a mistake, but rather a plan in God’s eternal purpose, I am able to look at other people with a much-changed attitude. Now those who are very different from me no longer present a thre ..read more