Simplicity

Simplicity, silence and solitude are the three Spiritual Practices that I need to grow in the most this year. I made it one of my New Year’s resolutions to do all 12 Christian Spiritual Practices with excellence this year. One lifestyle change I want to make to create a life of simplicity is to spend fewer hours on social media each week. I’ve decided to stick to only Instagram and Facebook in the future. I won’t be blogging anymore after this week, but I’ll leave the blog up for another 6 months or so, in case anyone wants to read through old blog posts. On Instagram my account name is: the_futuristas

I badly need to establish simplicity in my “online lifestyle”. I look forward to focusing on only two different accounts from now on: Instagram and Facebook. I don’t need to spend time and effort on updating a blog, Twitter, Snapchat or a Youtube channel every week. Life is about so much more than spending time online. I love social media, I just want to spend fewer hours online every week and more hours face to face (in real life) with all the people I love.

Simplicity, silence and solitude are the areas where I need to grow the most, but I aim to see growth in all 12 Christian Spiritual Practices during 2018. Here’s the whole list:

1. Simplicity

2. Silence

3. Solitude

4. Prayer

5. Confession

6. Meditation (on the Word)

7. Study (of the Word)

8. Fasting

9. Sabbath

10. Giving

11. Service

12. Worship

Criticizing

Words are powerful. They can beat us down and lift us up. They wound and they heal. And the right words at the right time can be exactly what we need to hear—or what we need to say. Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life Church preaches an excellent sermon about the topic of criticism.

When We Fail at Love

The word “sin” is one of the most common bad words in the Bible, but what does it really mean? In this video, we’ll explore the concept of “moral failure” that underlies this important biblical word. Get ready to discover a profound and realistic portrait of the human condition.

3 Tips for Marriage

Both romantic comedies and the last episode of every TV show seem to end with the same thing: the main characters get married and live happily ever after. Hollywood movies are fun to watch but they paint a very unrealistic picture of what marriage will be like. Our modern culture seem to think that a romantic relationship will satisfy our souls, in reality that is far from the truth.


Marriage was created by God as a tool that he uses to form and shape us toward holiness. Marriage is ultimately not about happiness, it's about selflessly serving another person. If we get good at serving each other in marriage happiness arrives as a very nice "side effect" of that lifestyle.


It's easy to love people that you only see once a week, it's much harder to love when you share your life with another human-being. This is why marriage and parenthood are two of the main tools that God uses to shape us toward holiness during our lifetime. Few things are more efficient at shaving off selfishness from our souls than becoming a wife and a mother. Marriage and parenthood reveals to the human-being that the universe doesn't revolve around her. We learn that this life is all about love, and that love is not self-seeking nor proud.

Jesus: Who is He?

Jesus, the whole world counts time from the year when he died and rose, 2018 years ago. He died on a cross and my home country Finland took that so seriously that they put the cross symbol on the national flag, a blue cross with a white background. The so-called Scandinavian crosses on the flags of the Nordic countries–Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden–also represent Christianity. Why have people cared so much about a man named Jesus all throughout history and why do people still care about him today? Episode 2 of Alpha explores who Jesus is.

Philippa Hanna's Story

Alex Wood

Forever

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen

Dysfunctional Comfort

Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina preaches an excellent message about our comfort zones in this video.

I must admit that I love being comfortable. Why in the world would I want to expose myself to the frightening, uncomfortable and seemingly unsafe life outside of my comfort zone? The answer to that question is: the results. As I look back at my life, I can clearly see that growth and transformation always took place in an uncomfortable place. We don’t grow much inside our comfort zone, do we?

Lisa's Story

Lisa Luby Ryan wanted the perfect life: children who adored her and a husband that would protect, guide and love her. But things didn't turn out that way.
She had been sexually abused at a young age, lived in a chaotic home and wasn't loved by her parents. Honesty, trust and a wholesome relationship between a man and a woman simply wasn't Lisa's reality. As she went through life, through relationships and men and a broken family of her own, she knew in her mind that "All I wanted was to be loved." But God asked her the question, "How can I heal you when you're not willing to heal yourself? Are you willing to confront your secrets and give it all up to me?"
Are you willing to give it all up? Are you willing to be healed? Lisa had to confess her past; a life of affairs, abortion, divorce, and neglect. She freed herself by facing the truth and God was faithful to restore the broken pieces.

It Is Well

Through it all, through it all 
My eyes are on You 
It is well with me.

What can break a marriage?

Every book I’ve read on marriage says the same thing about having close friends of the opposite sex: it’s not a good idea. When we are married and still have close friends of the opposite sex we end up building an emotional closeness in that relationship. Emotional intimacy should be reserved for our spouse alone. We can have close friends of the opposite sex, but it’s better to see them in a group setting. One on one meetings with friends of the opposite sex builds too much emotional intimacy. Recommendations like these can seem unnecessary or silly, but the experts know what they are talking about.

Audrey Meisner was close friends with a much younger man and for many years he remained just that, a friend. She never imagined that she would end up having and affair with him one day since he was much younger, and they were just friends.

Bob and Audrey Meisner also had another struggle that so many of us face, they were busy people, very busy. Where do you fit in time to connect and work on your marriage when your schedules are packed with the kids, work and ministry? Bob and Audrey tell their story about how in a busy season of their lives Audrey ended up having an affair that almost ended their marriage.

Bob had a bold and mature mentor who challenged him to forgive his wife, just like God forgave him on the day of salvation. Bob wanted to punch his mentor in the face for even suggesting forgiveness as an option, but over time he chose to do just that, even if the hurt was deep and it took time to heal from it.

Love That Lasts

The other day I was looking through the pictures from our Renewal of Vows ceremony last summer. It hit me that “renewing your love” is what marriage is all about. We live in a culture that thinks it’s possible to “fall out of love”, but in reality you don’t stop loving somebody overnight.

Nobody gets fit at the gym and then suddenly “falls out of shape” one day. We don’t get in bad shape from avoiding the gym for three weeks, but if we avoid the gym for three years we will end up in bad shape. Why does our modern culture believe that we can get married, focus on everything else but the marriage, and still be happy and in love with each other 5, 10 or 30 years later?

One of the things my husband and I do every year to work on our marriage and keep our love alive is read books together. Last year we read The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman and this year we are reading The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller. Another important thing we do is pray together every evening. We pray and ask God to strengthen and deepen our love for each other. We pray over whatever challenges we are facing each day and we intercede for others who are going through a tough time.

Family

The seasons of life

"For everything there is a season,a time for every activity under heaven.A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest."

Ecclesiastes 3 (NLT)

Fight Your Fear

God has a destiny for you, but fear could be getting in the way of it. See how fighting your fear may be the key to changing your future.

Peace Be Still

Be Still
&KNOW
that I am
GOD
PSALM 46:10

Desperate Prayers Yield Miracle

One couple finds a reason to be thankful after doctors discover a mass in their infant daughter's brain.

Defining Moments

OUR DAYS ON EARTH ARE LIKE A SHADOW.

-KING DAVID

God & Scripture

Is the Bible just a historical document or is it the written Word of God? Is it still relevant or even reliable? The Curiosity Collective brings together thought leaders, subject matter experts, pastors, and theologians to explore these challenging questions.

In Love with my Ex

Cheryl Scruggs divorced Jeff after 10 years of marital numbness and searched for a deeper, more meaningful relationship - one she thought she'd found in another man. When she discovered that her emotional void could only be filled by Jesus Christ, she wanted Jeff's forgiveness.

The freedom Cheryl thought she would experience after the divorce didn't exist, instead she was left with the pain of knowing that she had been the one to break up her family. 

In this interview with Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs they talk about how living the dream life in Los Angeles still left their marriage crumbling. Cheryl talks about what led her to have the affair. Jeff&Cheryl also walk us through how seven years after the divorce they started dating each other again. They eventually decided to remarry each other to their twin daughters delight. 

Today Jeff&Cheryl are still happily married and both of their daughters are married now. They have decided to share their story with hopes of helping others. Jeff and Cheryl share their story in more detail in their book "I Do Again: How We Found a Second Chance at Our Marriage--and You Can Too"