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Human nature is confusing. Understanding how to relate to our Creator can be even more so. Thankfully, God is good and has good desires for our well-being. Why don't we always experience God's goodness? It's mostly because we don't understand how He thinks or what He expects. Many people envision a harsh God who ever seeks to enforce a long list of rules. Others wish for an approving God who swings wide the gates of heaven regardless of how we live. Neither image is accurate. Walking with God requires that we align with His ways, and to align with His ways, we need a basic understanding of how He thinks. The Age of Abiding presents that understanding. It also reveals just how much He desires to be near to you and me. Yes, the God who created our vast universe wants to be with us more than we can imagine. We just need to do it on His terms because, let's be honest, our wisdom hasn't worked out all that well. This book presents a basic understanding of human nature according to the events that unfolded in the garden of Eden. It then leads us to the person of Jesus Christ and a fuller realization of why He came to earth and what He accomplished on our behalf. Those who read this short work will be intrigued, challenged, and blessed to step into a whole new facet of life!

Peace. It is so sweet, so rich, so meaningful. We are not just talking about an absence of conflict, but a quality of life that stretches the limits of our comprehension. Such a depth of peace and rest is elusive in our world, but it is normal for the God who created us. For those who are at peace with God, simply experiencing His presence is enough to calm our anxious souls.Because peace and rest begin with God, it is no surprise that this world is so full of unrest. The mindsets, systems, and expectations that so naturally define our human existence, at nearly every turn, hinder the richness of peace that flows from the kingdom of heaven.What are some causes of unrest that abound in our world? How about the constant pressure to live up to social standards of performance and appearance? Or the multitude of reasons to fear for ourselves and our loved ones? Or the expectation for non-stop work and availability? Or how complicated we have made life to be with seemingly endless lists of rules? And this is only a sampling!Thankfully, God's expectations for us are not as overwhelming as we are often led to believe. There is a divine simplicity to the Christian life for those who learn to align with His good design. And more importantly, peace and rest are not just vague ideals that ever elude our grasp; they are qualities of life that can become ours as we adjust our ways to His.The Search for Rest is a fifty-day devotional designed to help us adjust to God's ways. Each daily reading includes an inspirational quote, Bible passages to read, an instructive lesson, questions for group use, and a practical "Peace Step" to help you apply the principles involved.Reading this book comes with no guarantee for total life transformation. But if you take its contents to heart, and if you make a genuine effort to follow through on what you learn, you will come away changed. Simply take things one day at a time, with one step after another, and the peace, freedom, and joy that you have always longed for will become more and more and more your reality.

What is a covenant? It is a sacred and binding relationship of the highest order. Two key covenant elements are faithfulness and lovingkindness--two virtues we all long for in any meaningful relationship. It is through covenant dynamics that we discover true intimacy.While contracts are often made to be broken, covenants are meant to endure. The heart of a covenant relationship is not about what we can get out of it, but rather how we can bless one another.There was a day when virtually every culture in our world operated with a covenant mindset, but that day has long passed--especially in the West. This unfortunate change has led to a loss of trust in virtually every area of society. The result is that we often find ourselves feeling alone, discouraged, and anxious.Even though much of Western culture had lost sight of a covenant worldview, the concept is still intensely relevant. The God who created us has always related to humanity in a covenant context. Form the first page of Genesis to the last page of revelation, the Bible was penned from a covenantal perspective. If we truly want to know and understand God, while experiencing His peace in the process, we will "Drink Truth" and fully embrace the covenant mindset of the Bible.

It is no secret that the moral fabric of Western culture has unraveled at breakneck speed during recent decades. And while we have made progress addressing some issues such as sexual harassment, many other cultural changes are leaving us anxious and concerned. Mass shootings. Drug addictions. Sexual confusion. Toxic politics. A lack of common decency. All are problems that lack easy solutions. And for those who are heavily vested in the future of our nation—those with children and grandchildren, for example—our situation is heart-wrenching.While there may be no easy solutions to our complex social malaise, we are by no means powerless. Through prayer, the all-wise and all-powerful Creator of our universe has given otherwise ordinary people an amazing opportunity to reverse the negative tide. What the people of God do in their prayer closets has the power to change the very course of history! We have a natural tendency to focus on government as the seat of change, but in a democratic republic such as ours, real change is more grassroots. Family, church, community, and education are four of the most pivotal building blocks of a healthy society, and the degradation we see on a national level has its roots in these four arenas. Thus, much of this devotional’s attention is given to praying not only for various levels of government, but also for the building blocks.Each daily reading is designed to inspire and equip the reader to pray, while at the same time, building a sense of Christian unity in the community. Included are inspirational quotes, a short message about prayer, a prayer focus for the day, a starting prayer, and a short list of prayer points that will help the reader transition into a blessed time of prayer. Using this devotional in a community sets the stage for the powerful works that the Lord desires to accomplish in our midst.Grassroots prayer is where the greatest potential for change lies! And regardless of whether we are young, old, or in between, we can each play a vital role in helping our great nation reach its full potential. We do this both for God’s glory and for the sake of the generations that will follow in our footsteps.

Knowing who you are is the secret to just about everything. So much of what we do and say revolves around how we see ourselves, and how we see ourselves depends on how we perceive the God. The connection might seem elusive at first, but living in victory over sin is intricately tied to our identity. When the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to "be like God," was that not about their identity? All of the sin, death, and destruction in our world are rooted in an identity issue.The gospel, we must understand, is an identity message. God does not just provide for us a future destiny, but also a current identity. Life in this world is never ideal, but only those who know of God's goodness and understand their significance in His eyes can break free from the commonality and corruption that plagues our planet.From Glory to Glory is a life-changing forty-day devotional journey that is broken into four primary phases. Each phase emphasizes a different aspect of our quest to find security in Christ and all that goes along with it.Phase One focuses on the contrast between fading and lasting glory. Our world is full of dysfunction because ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, humans have sought significance (glory) independent from an intimate connection with our Creator. Our ancient ancestors used fig leaves in a vain attempt to hide their shame, and we are no different. In contrast, our loving God has always desired to clothe us in a true and lasting glory that is characterized by substance rather than image.In Phase Two we discover why the source of our identity matters so much. A wide array of problems results from seeking validation apart from the God who created us in His image. All kinds of sins, dysfunctions, and broken relationships find their roots in humanity's natural quest for independent glory. Even violence finds its roots in a quest for independent glory.The third phase of our journey to personal security involves finding real significance by discovering how God views His beloved children. Not only did He create us in His image, Jesus also lowered and conformed Himself to our human image so that He might identify with us and to secure our redemption. All that Jesus did, however, was not from His own initiative, but because the heavenly Father loves us so deeply. Through the new covenant, we become full-fledged members of God's royal family. Having been chosen by God for reasons beyond our ability to grasp, we are blessed to become new creatures in Christ who have a unique ability to know the Lord intimately.Our final phase reveals that Jesus is our only true hope of glory. Because of His sacrificial death and resurrection, God can set up a new abode for His presence to dwell: human hearts. Such a close connection with our holy Lord creates a powerful dynamic through which we discover significance in both our identity and our purpose. Our amazing Lord elevates us to heavenly significance and gives us profoundly meaningful purpose in the process.It is imperative that we lay hold of our identity in Christ because genuinely walking with the Lord will put us out of step with the world around us-even those we are trying to help. If we do not know who we are, we will find ourselves living for the approval of others and neglecting God's good plans and purposes as a result!Even though the glory of God's children is hidden to most of this world, the reality of who we become in Christ seems almost too good to be true. It is true, though, and through the eye of faith, we can discover significance, wholeness, and freedom like never before as the Almighty Creator clothes us with His glory. No earthly significance can compare.

Have you ever said something that you immediately wished you could unsay? Have you ever done something that you knew you should not have done? Are there decisions, actions, or inactions from your past that continue to haunt your present? We have all done things that we wish we could undo, yet some of us are tormented by our past mistakes, while others have found a way towards redemption and peace. What marks the difference between these two groups?There are two primary keys to overcoming the lingering pain of regret. The first is to learn how to process past regrets in a way that gives us hope for tomorrow. This is something that, with divine help, we can all do. The second key is to avoid regretful decisions entirely. For this, we need spiritual wisdom from God."Say Goodbye to Regret" will help you not only discover the path towards freedom, but it will also unlock the secret to minimizing future heartache. You will learn how to leave regret behind and find healing, how to prevent regrets, and how to rely on God's divine wisdom to guide you along the way. Spiritual wisdom is the key to finding freedom from your regrets! Pursuing this wisdom is like following a life-giving river through the wilderness. The journey along the river can be both exciting and frightening at times. We cannot tell the river where to go; we can only follow where it leads. And where this divine river leads is always good.

Few Biblical concepts are as critical to grasp, and yet as widely misunderstood, as God's grace. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes made by the modern church involves limiting itself to a one-dimensional definition of grace.What is grace? “Grace,” we have been told, is “God’s unmerited favor.” This is certainly true but grace is also much, much more.The apostle Peter wrote about the "manifold" (i.e., multifaceted) grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).Not only are Christians favored by grace, God's grace also empowers us to live in victory over sin and to influence human lives in ways that transcend our natural abilities.Grace does not provide a license for sinful living. Instead, it does a progressive work in our hearts as we journey from the point where God accepts us as we are to the exciting place He wants to take us: a fully fruitful life.Through the progressive work of grace, we are accepted, transformed, and empowered to become agents of change for God’s eternal kingdom!