Episodes

  • Burned Out for God: When the Church Machine Drains the Life Out of You

    Burned Out for God: When the Church Machine Drains the Life Out of You
    Feb 17 2026
    Grounded S02 E03There’s a kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from working too hard. It comes from working on the wrong things. Imagine you’re a marathon runner, but instead of running the race, you’re spending all your energy maintaining the track, organizing the water stations, managing the volunteers, and promoting the event. You’re exhausted, but you haven’t actually run a single mile.That’s what’s happening to millions of Christians in ministry today.They’re not tired from doing kingdom work. They’re tired from running the church machine.They’re not exhausted from making disciples. They’re exhausted from managing programs, budgets, buildings, and committees.They’re not burned out from encountering Jesus for too many hours each week. They aren’t weary from all the disciples they’ve been training. They’re burned out from maintaining an institution that increasingly feels disconnected from His core mission. This is the relentless slow erosion of our energy. And it’s one of the most dangerous crises facing the church today. Because when the people who are supposed to be leading us closer to Jesus are themselves running on empty, what hope is there for the rest of us? Today’s topic. Today, we’re going to talk about what it’s like to serve in ministry while feeling increasingly disconnected from the presence and power of Jesus. We’ll explore why so many faithful servants are burning out, and what it means for the future of the church.Quick Recap: In our first episode, we talked about the quiet exodus—the 40 million Americans who have left the church. In our second episode, we explored the paradox at the heart of that exodus—how you can be drawn to Jesus and repelled by Christianity. Today, we’re turning our attention to those who haven’t left. Those who are still showing up, still serving, still leading—but who are slowly dying inside.Maybe that’s you. Maybe you’re a pastor who started ministry with fire in your heart, but now you’re just trying to survive another Sunday. Maybe you’re a worship leader who used to feel God’s presence when you sang, but now it feels like you’re just performing. Maybe you’re a volunteer who used to love serving, but now it feels like an obligation. If that’s you, I want you to know that what you’re experiencing is a symptom of a much larger problem—a problem with the system itself, not with you. So let’s talk about it: Running the Church Machine We’ve All InheritedThe Experience BusinessImagine sitting down with a friend of yours named David. David planted a church 15 years ago with a vision to create a community where people could encounter Jesus, grow as disciples, and serve the world. He was passionate, energetic, and deeply committed to following Jesus. If you sit down with David recently he looks exhausted. Not the kind of tired you get from a long week—the kind of tired that comes from years of carrying a weight you were never meant to carry.He says, “I didn’t sign up for this.”“For what?” you ask.“For running a business. For managing staff conflicts. For fundraising. For building maintenance. For navigating denominational politics. For keeping the board happy. For competing with the megachurch down the street.”He pauses, then says, “I wanted to make disciples. But I spend 90% of my time managing an experience business.”David’s story isn’t unique. It’s the norm. Here’s what happens: You start with a vision to follow Jesus and help others do the same. But over time, the institution takes over. The programs multiply. The budget grows. The staff expands. The building needs maintenance. The staff need managing. The donors need stewarding.And before you know it, you’re not a pastor anymore—you’re a CEO.You’re not making disciples—you’re managing a machine. And the machine is hungry. It demands more time, more energy, more resources. It never says, “That’s enough.” It always says, “More.” So you give more. You work longer hours. You sacrifice time with your family. You neglect your own inner life. You push through the exhaustion, and slowly, imperceptibly, the fire that once burned in your heart begins to dim. But it’s not just pastors who are experiencing this. It’s also many who are trying to faithfully serve in the church system as staff or volunteer.Five Signs of Ministry BurnoutIf you’re serving in ministry—whether as a pastor, a staff member, or a volunteer—you probably recognize some of these symptoms:1. You’re emotionally exhausted.You used to feel energized by ministry. Now you feel drained. Even thinking about Sunday morning makes you tired. You’re going through the motions, but your heart isn’t in it anymore. You’re running on fumes.2. You’re bone dry inside.You used to encounter Jesus in worship, in prayer, in Scripture. Now it feels like He’s distant, silent, absent. You’re teaching others about Jesus, but you...
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    19 mins
  • Attracted to Jesus, Repelled by Christianity

    Attracted to Jesus, Repelled by Christianity
    Feb 10 2026
    There’s a question that puzzles millions of people today, and maybe you’re one of them: How can I love Jesus and cringe at Christianity?It feels like a contradiction, doesn’t it? How can you be drawn to the object of a religion and repelled by the religion itself?But here’s what I’ve discovered over 40 years of ministry: this isn’t a contradiction at all. In fact, it might be the most healthy thing you could feel depending upon your circumstances.Because Jesus and Christianity are not the same thing.In our last episode, we talked about the quiet exodus—the 40 million Americans alone who have left the church in the last 25 years. Today, we’re going to explore the paradox at the heart of that exodus: how you can be drawn to Jesus and still be repelled by Christianity.And more importantly, why that’s okay.Maybe you read the Gospels and you’re moved by Jesus’ compassion, His radical inclusion, His challenge to religious hypocrisy. But then you look at Christianity today—the culture wars, the scandals, the obsession with power and money—and you think, “This isn’t what Jesus taught.”And you’re right. It’s not.So today, we’re going to quickly explore three things:1. What Jesus modeled2. What Christianity has become3. Why the gap between them is so painful—and what it means.The Jesus of the BibleIf you want to know what Jesus is really like, you have six sources in the Bible: the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Plus the beginning of the Book of Acts and Some scenes within the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St. John. These are the earliest and most reliable accounts of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection.And when you read them for yourself, here’s what you observe:Jesus Modeled Compassion for Anyone SufferingWhen you reflect the heart of God you don’t become a harsh legalist. His heart draws you to the suffering of others and you do whatever you can to make things better for them. * It could be suffering from the result of our own sins and unwise actions as in the case of the woman taken in adultery. Her pain was her own doing, but Jesus had compassion anyway.* Jesus seemed to have deep awareness of mental suffering. He resonated with what it felt like to be afraid and worried and often said to his followers, “Do not worry…” and “Don’t be afraid little ones…”He was a powerful man, but he was full of compassion.Jesus Welcomed OutcastsChrist took delight in helping outsiders become insiders. Every society has outsiders. They feel the walls of rejection raised against them. Jesus created a door in those walls and helped them enter and function in society. Jesus challenged hypocrisy, especially within institutions. Jesus’ harshest words weren’t for drunkards and “sinners”—they were for religious leaders. He called them “whitewashed tombs,” “blind guides,” and “hypocrites.” He said they “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces” and “travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”Strong words. But Jesus wasn’t being mean—He was being truthful. He saw how the structures of religion can actually function as a barrier between people and God, and He refused to let that stand. Jesus prioritized people over rules.Understandably, every society needs a set of behavioral rules and guidelines in order to function. These rules improve the general tone of behavior and regulate what you can expect to encounter when you go out each day.But the rules should protect the weak and broken. When he was criticized for allowing his followers to gather wheat to eat on the Sabbath, He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus consistently prioritized the practical circumstantial needs of humans over any system of rules.Jesus taught radical love. “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. Give to everyone who asks. Forgive seventy times seven.” Jesus’ ethic of love was so radical, that even today it sounds impossible.Jesus confronted the entitlement of those in power.In every society, power corrupts those who hold it. This is true in government, education, finance and even in religion. Jesus stood up to the establishment, the Roman Empire, and rebuked the religious authorities of His day. He overturned bankers tables in the temple. He refused to bow to political or religious pressure. He spoke truth to power, even when it cost Him His life.Jesus offered grace and forgiveness.To the woman caught in adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” To the thief on the cross, He said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” To Peter, who denied Him three times, He offered full restoration. Jesus’ message was always grace first, then transformation will follow.This is the Jesus of the Gospels. This...
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    20 mins
  • Why People Are Leaving Christianity

    Why People Are Leaving Christianity
    Feb 3 2026
    Hi Friend! Welcome to the Grounded Podcast 2026! We’re naming this season, ReJesus Everything! We’re going to explore the current crisis going on within Christianity worldwide, the reasons for it, and work to recover the original foundation of the Christian movement—Jesus himself. I hope you’ll stay with us throughout this series and add your perspective in the chat and comment section. Let’s dive in!47,000 is a Big NumberLast Sunday 47,000 Americans walked out of church for the last time. They didn’t plan it. They didn’t make a big announcement. They just... didn’t go back. And here’s the thing—most of them still love Jesus.They’re not rejecting Him.They’re rejecting This system that has grown up around Him. If you’ve ever felt that tension—if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to love Jesus and still feel deeply unsettled by Christianity as you’ve experienced it—then this season of the Grounded podcast is for you.The DataAccording to research from The Great Dechurching by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, 40 million American adults—16% of the U.S. population—used to go to church but no longer do. This represents the last 25 years, roughly from 1998 to 2023.Let me put that in perspective. This is the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of the United States. More people have left the church in this period than all the new converts from the First Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, and Billy Graham’s crusades combined.And it’s not just happening in America. Across Europe, church attendance has also plummeted. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and even among Chinese house churches, the story is the same. Traditional Christianity is in decline across most of the world.But here’s what’s important to understand: this doesn’t seem to be primarily a story of people rejecting Jesus. It’s a story of people rejecting what their local form of Christianity has become.According to the Barna Group, 42% of all U.S. adults say they have deconstructed the faith of their youth. Why We’re Devoting This Season to The Topic of Reconstructing the Christian FaithThis isn’t a fringe movement of angry ex-Christians. This is happening in the pews, in Christian colleges, in pastors’ families, and in missionary communities around the world.The quiet exodus is real. It’s massive. And it’s accelerating.Sherry and I’ve spent more than four decades in full-time ministry—inside churches, seminaries, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations. We’ve seen Christianity at its best.We’ve also seen it drift—sometimes far—from the person it claims to follow.This is the first episode in a new season of the Grounded podcast. It’s is not about defending Christianity. And it’s not about abandoning faith.It’s about re-centering everything—belief, discipleship, spirituality, mission—directly on Jesus, not the religion built around Him. The living person Himself.Most conversations about this subject leave you with two choices:* Defend Christianity as it is* Leave everything entirelyBut I believe there is a third way: to reJesus everything. (More on that later.)The Global Exodus from Institutional Christianity. Okay, so let’s unpack this.Something historic is happening beneath the surface of Christianity that many Christians haven’t noticed. Large numbers of people raised in Christianity (we’re talking millions here) are no longer finding spiritual nourishment within its institutions. In the last five years alone (basically since Covid), approximately 15 million regular church attenders in the USA alone have stopped going to church.Many others are still attending occasionally, still listening to sermons online, still praying—but with a growing sense of distance and fatigue. They are fading out. This is not rebellion; it’s disillusionment.Losing Faith in the TrainIt’s like being in a once-busy train station late at night. The lights are still on. The signs still work. The announcements are blaring, but fewer and fewer people are boarding the train. There’s no big protest going on. It’s just that fewer and fewer people still believe that train will take them home.The good news is that despite popular narratives, most people in the current faith crisis are not rejecting Jesus. They are stumbling over the gap between the Jesus of the Gospels and the Christianity they experience in real life. When belief systems, practices, power structures, or cultural battles seem to contradict Jesus’ words and way, something inside us resists. That resistance may actually be a sign of spiritual integrity.The Anatomy of a Faith CrisisFaith crises rarely happen all at once. They begin with small questions, quiet disappointments, unresolved contradictions. Over time, the weight accumulates until the structure can no longer hold. What feels like sudden collapse is often a long, invisible unraveling.Think of a rope under tension. It doesn...
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    11 mins
  • Jesus Quest #4: Make a Genuine Sacrifice for Those with Less

    Jesus Quest #4: Make a Genuine Sacrifice for Those with Less
    Sep 15 2025
    Hi Disciple!Money. In 2 Corinthians 8-10 Paul spends three whole chapters just talking about giving money away. There's tipping, then there's truly sacrificing something you love to meet the true need of another person who is suffering and stuck.I was raised in an ascending lower middle class family. My dad's people were hard-working farmers and turpentine gatherers. Not much money in that. My dad's generation got more education and all of them left farming for factory and professional jobs. My dad became an accountant and rose to become the head of the entire international firm. That’s America. This journey took a lifetime.My generation across the extended family got the benefit of our parent’s steady rise. I think all of us got the education we wanted and with it all the opportunities we could pursue. Like all other families, we had times when money was short and we had to work harder to have the things we wanted.We always had food, shelter, and clothing, however. For this, I'm so grateful.For the past 35 years Sherry and I have lived in Southeast Asia and in the last 10 years we’ve been working closely with a ministry focused on trafficking which connects to the deepest kind of poverty. I sat at a table in a communist country with ministry friends talking to a young lady, modestly dressed, about her current work as a prostitute. She said she was from the mountains, doing this job to try and get the money to pay someone to take her to Malaysia so she could get a job in a factory. Poverty is complicated. I’m not sure there’s a clear formula for eradicating it. In general, good food and a chance to get an education seem to be a working prescription. This young lady’s entire life story could've been rewritten had she just been embraced by a local church that loved her and saw her potential and would help her find transformation through Jesus. There she could have put her chaotic childhood to good use as fuel for a determination to break the cycle in her own life and for her family members. She intended to send her factory wages home to them.The body of Christ is so powerful when it pulls together.At other times there’s a disaster and God’s people sacrifice and throw their tools and extra beddings and food in the backs of pickup trucks and fly out to give help in those crucial first hours after a tornado, flood or fire.We can feel God’s smile on us in those times.Paul’s Counsel to the CorinthiansIf you read 2 Corinthians 8-10 you'll find Paul telling the church that they need to put some system into their good intentions. Most people have good intentions. They sincerely want to be a blessing on the Earth.Paul reminds this gifted, wealthy church that good intentions are not enough. They need to make a plan as givers, set giving goals, and start pooling the money up, not waiting for a moment of inspiration.Sherry and I have been able to give every day of our lives to world evangelism and the training of a new generation of leaders because of a set of friends who emerged in the first ten years of our journey (you know who you are). These friends made a plan and told us, “You can count on us monthly for X amount. We won’t stop as long as we have jobs.” We’ve watched our friends return from the field year by year because they lacked a group of friends like ours. Systems matter. Systems make things happen.Maybe it’s an extra 5% set aside to create your giving pool. Maybe it’s that emergency $100 in your wallet. Some kind of plan so that when you see someone pumping gas into a milk jug to carry to their broke down car you can put some money in their hand and give them a ride back to their car.This Jesus Quest is about stepping up your level of sacrifice for those who are in trouble so you can be God’s hands extended to them.It’s a happy lesson, because it’s one of the big ways we can all fulfill our purpose as humans created to be the image of God.Hope you Enjoy this Quest and work on it daily!Every Blessing, ChuckPS: Your daily prompt questions are below the video for this week.Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it.Here are the prompts for your devotional time this week:## Jesus Quest Week 4: Making Genuine Sacrifice for the Poor### Day 1: Recognizing the Poor Among Us**Scripture Reference:** Deuteronomy 15:11> "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land."**Reflection:** This week Jesus Quest has us trying to decide how to rewrite the life story of other people by intervening in life conditions caused by poverty. For example, no little girl dreams of being a prostitute someday—that life generally comes to the poor. Some families suffer from generational poverty and they just can't reach high enough to unlock the door to a better life. God will bless us so we can be a blessing to them and boost them up through interventions so ...
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    8 mins
  • Jesus Quest #3: Fixing Your Damaged Relationships by Apologizing

    Jesus Quest #3: Fixing Your Damaged Relationships by Apologizing
    Sep 8 2025
    Humans Need Community Humans require community in order to survive. We are not like sharks or some other solitary animal which can do just fine on their own. From the dawn of time, we survive because we build communities that develop into civilization. With that arrangement, there will be security from predators, more than enough food, and extra hands to help everyone survive. The greatest threat to human survival is not a T-Rex, it turns out. We have survived every apex predator that has walked the Earth in our time on the planet. The greatest threat to humans is simply the breakdown in their feelings for one another. Friends become enemies, and the love we felt before can become channeled into a murderous rage. Fixing damaged relationships matters to God.Jesus said that we should not bother to continue with our religious practices of church going and Bible study, making prayers, or offering sacrifices to God, until we have fixed our damaged relationships. He said just leave the gift at the altar and go fix it, then come back and God will want to be with you. He will even leave his blessing on the works of your hands, but only if you fix things. Fixing things often requires an apology on your part.How to Destroy an ApologyThere are two ways to torpedo an apology even after you gathered up the courage to face the problem with someone you’ve hurt. “But”—you can spend 20 minutes, apologizing with absolute sincerity, then, as you wipe your tears and blow your nose this one little word can undo everything you have said. Do not end an apology with the word “but”. You're gonna be so tempted to offer some kind of justification for what you have done so it won't be quite as bad on you but resist the temptation. Just put a period at the end of that apology and say, "So I hope you can forgive me for doing that” and then look at them until they speak. Probably it will get really easy at that point and you may have saved your friendship, working relationship or even your marriage.“If” —this is not quite as bad as the last word, but it is a form of equivocation, sort of like a plea bargain with the judge, when you are trying to get the crime down to a misdemeanor. “I'm sorry if I might've done something that might have contributed…” :-) that's a really cowardly way to start things off.By adding the word “if” to the apology, we muddy the water. Did you do something wrong or not? If you did not, then don't apologize. If you did, then toughen up and give a legitimate apology, admitting what you did. Even if you don’t feel that you did the wrong (and who does?) if you have a messed up relationship there’s probably something you could legitimately apologize for just to get the conversation started. Apologize for any little thing you have contributed, and then say something like, “I value our friendship and I really don't want anything to mess that up.” Smile and wait for them to speak.The point is that as far as Jesus is concerned, it's not OK to scratch off relationship after relationship because something went wrong and you are not willing to go face that person and try to save your relationship.So, if we want to be a disciple of his, we have to live by a higher standard than that. Here’s this week’s Jesus Quest challenge.Grounded is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.And here are this week’s prayer prompts:## Jesus Quest Week 3: Fixing Damaged Relationships - Apologizing and Making Restitution### Day 1: Examining Your Heart and Taking Responsibility**Scripture Reference:** Matthew 7:3-5> "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."Reflection: Before we can effectively repair damaged relationships, Jesus calls us to honest self-examination. This week we are going to do some amazing repair work on our relational network, but it begins with taking responsibility for our own contributions to relational damage. The Holy Spirit will guide us in strengthening these relationships and mitigating any pain being felt by others.Prompts:1. How does Jesus' teaching about removing the plank from your own eye apply to your damaged relationships?2. Have you done anything that contributed to the problems in your damaged relationships?3. What patterns do you see in your relational conflicts that might indicate areas where you need to grow?4. Are you willing to take responsibility for your part in relational damage, even when the other person was also wrong?5. What fears or pride might be preventing you from taking the first step toward reconciliation?6. Who is the Holy Spirit telling you ...
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    11 mins
  • Jesus Quest #2: Forgive Everyone for Everything

    Jesus Quest #2: Forgive Everyone for Everything
    Sep 1 2025
    Hi! Hope you are having a great day today and also that last week’s focus on walking with Jesus as a true disciple has brought new growth into your life.Forgiveness WeekToday week 2 of our 7-week discipleship sprint begins! This week is about fixing our heart and cleaning out the hurts. In live we accumulate wounds. Some are suffered in our childhood. Others come through a failed romantic love. Probably the deepest and most abiding happen in our family. It could be from your extended family, or your mom and dad, your brothers, or even your children or grandchildren. There are betrayals in our career usually because money and position are involved. Then, there are those horrible hurts that occur in church. Usually we don't see these coming and they really hit us hard. Any of these that stick to us rob us of joy and interfere with the forgiveness Jesus wants to bring to us.So this week, we're gonna deal with all that stuff and get rid of it, OK? Here are your Prayer Prompts: Use one each day as your devotional time with the Lord. They are designed to unearth hidden hurts so you can follow the process of:1. Listing the person who did it2. Writing exactly what they did3. Describing how it affected you 4. Declaring them as released from all debt to youYou may think that you don’t need to do this because you did it once already, but let’s follow the program anyway and ask the Holy Spirit to do a deep healing this week in you. Long term marriage generally had lots of irritation under the skin as you repeat in your mind some well-worn criticisms of your partner. This is the week to let it all go and start living with more freedom. Prayer Prompts### Day 1: Wounds Received in Your Family**Scripture Reference:** Zechariah 13:6-7> "And they shall say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'"**Additional Reading:** Genesis 44-45 (Joseph's revelation of himself to his betraying brothers. You can tell he has long ago forgiven them and sees the sovereign purpose of God even in their treachery against him.)**Reflection:** Welcome to Forgiveness Week! Today we begin our journey into forgiveness by thinking about the wounds we have all suffered in our family and intimate friendship circle. Because family is supposed to be the safe place in our life, and the one place we would never expect to receive hurt, these wounds go the deepest. They also come the earliest in our life, and since we are still in formation, the impact of these wounds is generally felt for the rest of our lives.**Forgiveness Protocol:** This week we will begin a long time of soul cleansing. This will entail something of a ceremony of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the cancelling of a debt. In order to do this we must name the debtor, state exactly what they did to us, and explain how their actions affected us. That's the debt, our of our heart and now recorded officially on paper. The only remaining step is to go before the Lord and say, "I release you" to each debtor. They owe us nothing from this point on. We are free to move on in life with the matter at rest in the lap of the great Judge of the earth.Take a blank sheet of paper and make four columns for the following headings: Name, What they Did, How it Affected Me, I Forgive them. Day by day we will carefully examine the path of our lives to unearth buried hurts we have received and release these person and the wound they caused us.**Prompts:**1. Looking back at your early childhood, can you identify a hurt or rejection that still affects how you see yourself or trust others today?2. In your teen years or young adulthood, what wounds—whether from parents, siblings or extended relatives—still carry weight in your heart?3. Were you assaulted by a family member or close friend?4. Were you hurt by a system of favoritism within your family?5. Were you betrayed by anyone in your inner circle?6. Were you sexually wounded by someone you trusted?7. Were you physically or verbally abused by family members?8. Did someone in your family introduce you to dark or harmful things?Ask the Lord to help you surface wounds received in your family as a child, young person or even now. We praying for you this week to go through the deepest cleansing your heart has ever known.---### Day 2: Forgiving Wounds Received in Romantic Relationships**Scripture Reference:** 1 Peter 4:8> "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."**Reflection:** Romantic relationships, while often sources of joy and connection, can also lead to deep emotional, psychological, and spiritual wounds due to their intimate nature. Below is a detailed exploration of specific ways a person can be wounded in romantic relationships. As you survey your relational past, think on ways you might have been wounded and are just trying to ignore it instead of facing it and forgiving it.**Prompts:**1. How does Peter's teaching ...
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    6 mins
  • Oh No! Only 18 Weeks Left in the Year!

    Oh No! Only 18 Weeks Left in the Year!
    Aug 26 2025
    OK, I just lifted my head from my work today (writing a book and putting the finishing touches on our two upcoming schools in Thailand (Photojournalism and Content Creation for missions) and realized there were only 18 week’s left in the entire year. This happens every year.I putt along being busy, always busy, then on some day about 2/3 through the year, I realize how short the time is if I want to make this one a “significant” year. (Mid life does the same thing in a much more scary way, right?)Jesus QuestJQ is the most amazing thing I’ve been involved with all year. We’ve seen “old time Christians” revived in their faith and newbies grounded on their journey with Jesus.So, I’d like to propose a challenge for you. I’m going to do a seven week Jesus Quest sprint via email blast and I really hope you’ll join and make it a priority. It may very well be the most important thing you’ll do all year.How it’s DifferentJesus Quest is not a Bible study. It’s a guided group experience in Action Discipleship. That means we actually DO, not talk about, one practice of Jesus each week. It becomes our focus all week in our devotions and it is the ONE item on our daily to do list. Hope you’re ready! When will it Start?More Good News! No waiting! Let’s start now.Click the Video Below. Check the CHAT below all week for our ongoing reports on what Jesus is teaching all of us as we do his teachings. We’re going to actually be disciples of Jesus, not just students of the Bible! Jesus Quest Week One: Master Your ThingsHere are the Prayer prompts for this week: Spend 15 minutes each day before the Lord working your way through an honest conversation with the Holy Spirit to answer these questions. Then get up from your prayer time and take action. The point is to do the teachings and practices of Jesus, not just study them. If you will dedicate yourself to applying the ways of God to your own life, you will see tremendous progress in your life in just seven weeks.---## Jesus Quest Week 1: Mastering Your Things - Let Jesus Help You Master Things### Day 1: Mastering Things We Ingest - Food, Drink, Medicines, and Stimulants**Scripture Reference:** 1 Corinthians 6:19-20> "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."**Reflection:** Our bodies are a gift from God, and what we choose to ingest impacts our health and well-being. Jesus invites us to trust Him for health and healing rather than relying excessively on substances or fearing unhealthiness. When we view our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, our consumption choices become acts of worship and stewardship.**Prompts:**1. How does viewing your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit change your perspective on what you choose to ingest?2. Are there unhealthy habits or fears controlling your choices about what you eat, drink, or consume?3. What substances—food, drink, medicines, or stimulants—might be hindering your physical health or spiritual well-being?4. Are there habits of hoarding, overeating, or over-relying on medications that may indicate a need to trust God more for your health and safety?5. Do you over-medicate? What does that say about you?6. Do you celebrate and honor your experience of eating good meals, savoring your meals and focusing on the power of a shared meal to build relationships?---### Day 2: Trust in God's Provision - Houses, Clothing, and Resources**Scripture Reference:** Matthew 6:25-26, 31-33> "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ... So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."**Reflection:** God provides all of us daily with all that we need—our homes, clothing, and resources. Today is an opportunity to release what no longer serves us, freeing our hearts and minds for the new days to come. It is also a time to celebrate the lifetime provision promised from our Father. We can live in peace, confident that our needs will always be met.**Prompts:**1. Despite all the blessings in your life, is there any poverty mindset still living in you that contradicts Jesus' teaching about God's provision?2. Is your space cluttered by too many possessions? Do you have an obsessive need to continually buy more things?3. Do you have expensive possessions that make you feel a trace of arrogance or superiority over others?4. Do you ...
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    8 mins
  • Knowing Who You Really Are in Christ

    Knowing Who You Really Are in Christ
    May 13 2025
    Today, I want to talk about the importance of knowing who you really are.From the moment of birth we start trying to answer the questions: Who am I and why am I here? (e.g., Is there purpose in my life?) and I’m not sure most people ever fully answer it.The problem is what you use to identify yourself.Traditionally,1. Personal Characteristics and TraitsPersonality: “I’m introverted, creative, or compassionate.”Skills and Talents: Proficiency in areas like art, athletics, or intellectual pursuits can shape identity (e.g., "I am a writer" or "I am an athlete").Values and Beliefs: “I’m passionate about…”2. Cultural and Ethnic BackgroundEthnicity and Heritage: "I am Nigerian" or "I am Italian-American".Language: “I’m a native Spanish speaker…” The language(s) one speaks can be a strong marker of identity, connecting individuals to their community or diaspora.* Religion and Spirituality:Many people derive identity from their religious or spiritual beliefs (e.g., "I am a Christian," "I am a Buddhist").4. Family and Relationships:Lineage: Some find identity in their family history or legacy.Familial Roles: People often identify as a parent, sibling, or child, with family dynamics playing a significant role (e.g., "I am a mother").5. Occupation and Career: “I’m a sales rep for a northeastern paper company…”6. Social and Political Affiliations:Political Beliefs: People may identify with ideologies or movements, such as liberalism, conservatism, or environmentalism (e.g., "I am a feminist").Nationality: Citizenship or allegiance to a country often plays a role (e.g., "I am American").7. Hobbies and Interests:- Passions, such as gaming, music, or travel, can be central to identity (e.g., "I am a gamer" or "I am an adventurer").8. Nowadays we’re encouraged to identify ourselves by our traumas: “I’m a survivor of childhood abuse…” “I’m a breast cancer survivor,” OR by our victimhood in having a life condition we aren’t responsible for: “I’m bipolar, etc.”9. And the new idea that our entire identity is completely perceptual and fluid, such as Identifying as an animal or a mythical creature. (There’s a huge difference in saying, “I can identify with cats…” Vs “I identify as a cat.”The problem with all of this is that…It’s mostly external to us, just the random factors in our life (e.g., being born male).It may be dependent upon our performance and the acceptance of a social group to maintain this identity. (Nobody gets to be a pilot forever).As a Christian seeking a stable and meaningful identity you need to look no further than the first page of the Bible, the creation narrative.The Bible grounds human identity in a relationship with God, and our God-given role in this world.* Creatures made with special purpose by a loving God Psalm 139:13-14 “Fearfully and wonderfully made”* The Image of God on earth: - Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”This is God’s settled truth for every human being whether you love him, hate him or refuse to even accept His existence.But there’s more…Jesus takes our identity so much farther than the Genesis account alone.The Gospel declares that our identity can also become rooted in the Work of Christ—it’s our choice and depends upon our response to the finished work of Jesus for us.3. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage we have fallen into, a slavery to Sin and to Satan. If we will accept his gift and follow him as Lord, then we will feel the power of sin broken and the dominion of Satan voided.4. Purchased by blood. “I am redeemed, highly valued and deeply loved with unconditional love.”5. Re-created internally by Christ with the promise of being recreated physically after our death by resurrection into an eternal body.2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”6. Adopted into the family of God. Living forever as his child.7. Restored to dominion in life. With Satan’s rule over me ended I am again established with dominion and control over my own world.8. Authorized to use the name of Jesus to fight Satan and call down the resources I need.9. Provided with unbroken direct access to the Father. I am always connected to Him and welcomed to come before His throne.10. A member of the human family of God, surrounded by sweet people who are also walking in this light. I’m a part of the global body of Christ.11. A temple for the Holy Spirit, filled within by the mind and presence of God himself, led and empowered by the Spirit of God to do the works God has prepared for me.12. My life has a calling and a purpose as I work with my Father to invite humans to return to him and reclaim their high callingEphesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, ...
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    15 mins