It’s always ironic to me that after Thanksgiving—a holiday to pause, reflect, and give thanks—Black Friday follows immediately after. It’s a day of deals, frenzy, and the push to buy more and more. Buying things isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s striking how quickly the world tries to steer our hearts from gratitude toward discontentment, comparison, and a scarcity mindset.   But Jesus teaches us an upside-down way of living.  He taught lessons like: "the first shall be last,"

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ( Isaiah 9:6). As we enter the first week of Advent, we remember the hope we have in Jesus. For centuries, the Israelites heard prophecies of a coming Messiah—one who would deliver them. Hope Then The Old Testament is filled with a deep sense of expectancy and waiting. Through slavery in Egypt

What are you grateful for? Gratitude is more than just a list of words on paper. It is what keeps us grounded and connected to God in the midst of noise, chaos, busyness, and division. Instead of telling ourselves that we don’t have enough or will never measure up, gratitude keeps us centered on what matters—it keeps us centered on the God who loves us, who created us, and who breathed life into each and every one of us. As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving, gratit

If you have been a follower of Jesus for any length of time, you have probably read a book or heard a message on Christian disciplines. Christian disciplines are the activities we engage in on a daily basis in our relationship with God. They include activities like Bible study, prayer, and gathering with biblical community. If you talk to someone who has been a Christian for over a decade, I’m sure they would tell you that there are times when the Christian disciplines are ju

The YouVersion Bible App is celebrating over one billion installs across its Family of Apps this November. As we’ve prepared as an organization for this milestone, we constantly say, “This is more than a milestone. This is a moment to celebrate God’s Word.” Because that’s exactly what it is!  Over centuries, God’s Word has taken many different forms—from ancient scrolls to bound pages to an app on a screen. This milestone is evidence that God’s Word is alive and active and it

There is something wrong in our world. Some people might seem more caught up in that wrong than others. So, as we try to get our lives right, we want to know—what is our relationship to what’s going on out there? Do we protect ourselves by keeping it all at a safe distance? Do we engage it? Do we affirm it? What’s the right relationship to have with the mess in the world? That’s the question that leads to the series of parables in Luke 15. At the beginning of the chapter, Jes

Have you ever found yourself caught in a competition of who’s the busiest, the most stressed, or most overwhelmed?  Our culture often...

Where do we turn when life feels overwhelming? When we feel useless and like we are not accomplishing anything? When it seems like we are...