Rekindling the Fire

Jim Leffel

2 Timothy 1:1-7

The apostle Paul encourages Timothy in his effort to lead the church in Ephesus by reminding him of the gift of Christ's forgiveness, and the God-given abilities to accomplish His purposes. By not neglecting these gifts and moving forward, Christians can cultivate genuine spiritual excitement and vitality. Includes information from "Spiritual Leadership" by Oswald Sanders.

Live with the End in Mind

Jim Leffel

Job 42:7-10

James encourages his readers to have patience and strengthen their hearts as they wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus. This view of history differs significantly from the view that man's journey in life and all history ends in ultimate meaninglessness. James provides three profiles of patience required for living with the end in mind: 1) the farmer who waits and strengthens his heart; 2) the prophet who speaks faithfully for the Lord; and 3) Job who showed endurance and saw the Lord's compassion and mercy.\r\n

Finishing Well

Don Dixon

Randy Jones

Job 42:7-10

A God-centered life presents optimism and meaning, and stands opposed to the pointless tendency of a self-centered life. By drawing near to God, Christians can be effective servants for Him, even through suffering and life changes. With Christ, believers can have hope for their futures and eternity.

Life Lessons From a Dying Guy

Beth Chilcoat

Bev DeLashmutt

John 17:17

David Chilcoat, a devoted Christian and the founder of the Columbus Young Life branch, experienced intense suffering as his body decayed slowly due to ALS, a devastating disease. After his diagnosis, he began journaling about his experience, and these entries are what his wife, Beth, and Bev DeLashmutt share in order to illustrate his faithfulness during such an intense trial. Through David's journal, we see an active example of enacting three important steps amidst suffering: asking, affirming, and waiting. As we explore and act on these three principles, we can begin to respond to suffering in a way that allows us to persevere through it instead of crumbling under it.

The Word in Attitudes and Actions

Jim Leffel

Romans 12:10

When we try to hear from God through His Word it's important that we are open to His input in our lives. Often people come to God with their minds already made up. We are called not just to be readers of the Word, but doers of the Word.

The Pain of God's Hiddenness

Gary DeLashmutt

Psalms 42:1-11

What is this pain of God's hiddenness? Is it God abandoning us to leave us on our own through troubling times? No! Those are the lies of Satan who actively tries to accuse us and put lies about God on our mind. In fact, this is a pain that every believer may go through in their life and often it is caused by our own choices. We have two ways we can respond to this. One is that we must talk to God very openly about this pain, and two is we must talk very aggressively to ourselves about how to interpret this pain. Even Jesus had to turn to God in the garden of Gethsemane about his pain. We are no different and God has promised us that when we turn to him in supplication that He will move towards us in love.

The Story of Joseph

Ryan Lowery

Genesis 39:1-45:11

Though Joseph was was a man of faith, his life was filled with confusion and pain. Often in the midst of suffering and trials it is difficult to see how God is working. Ultimately, God used Joseph's faithful suffering in order to bring about incredible good for him and his family. God also has a purpose for our lives, but in order to see this purpose realized we must be willing to trust Him through any circumstance.\r\n\r\n

The Unseen World

Jim Leffel

Daniel 10:2-21

Daniel's visions give profound insight into the spiritual world that are totally distinct from western skepticism or animistic superstition. The Bible describes angels as powerful, personal, spiritual beings with limited access to humans. There is a conflict in the spiritual world because of Satan's accusations against God's goodness. Because this conflict also extends to us, we should be on the alert as we place our confidence in God.

What Lies Ahead

Scott Risley

Philippians 3:12-21

Paul urges his readers to join the race, keep pressing on and focus on the prize. As we focus on Jesus, our perspective shifts from horizontal to eternal and we are able to make spiritual progress.