"The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." — Matthew 13:22, NIV

Matthew 13:22 speaks about what can prevent the Word of God from bearing fruit in our lives. It focuses on four key aspects: indifference, worry, deceit, and unfruitfulness…

Is astrology sinful? Like, if someone is just using their star sign like a personality test, how is that any different than Meyers-Briggs or the Enneagram?

The short answer to whether or not using astrology is sinful is yes. You might be thinking, “Seriously?! But horoscopes and zodiac signs seem harmless enough! They’re too vague to really be dangerous!” While some horoscopes certainly are silly, and it can be fun to find the different zodiac constellations in the night sky, there are other forces at play when someone actually relies on astrology…

What will you do with your life? That is the big question most of you will struggle to answer from now until you graduate high school. What’s more, other people will want to know the answer to this question too! You will be asked, “What are you going to do after high school?” at least a million times in your senior year alone. Many young people continue to struggle with how to answer that question well into their twenties. I did. And well beyond. That is the big question, “What will you do with your life?” or “What are you going to do when you grow up?”…

Ready for a big word? Hermeneutics. I know, I know – it sounds like a weird aerobic workout trend involving leg kicks and rubber bands. But it’s actually the one-word answer to your question. Hermeneutics refers to the process by which we interpret the Bible (or any text). Take the text you point to in your question: the first chapters of Genesis. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”

Let’s face it: we don’t like to admit that we are wrong. If you’re anything like me, you will do just about anything to justify your behavior in one way or another. This can affect a range of things and include excuses such as “I was totally right to yell at my brother, he was being a jerk” or “its okay to have a beer with friends once in a while, most teenagers drink a little bit anyway” or even “It’s really not that big of a deal if I look at porn once in awhile. It’s natural to have curiosity.” This is not an exhaustive list, but I think you get the picture. We love to justify our sin by normalizing it…

This is a question I struggled with myself a couple of years ago. I would read verses in Scripture that would talk about predestination or election and become confused by how this could be. I would think to myself: “I am a free person, and I make my own choices”. This idea went against what I thought or assumed the Bible taught about salvation. Not to mention I didn’t think it sounded fair. How can God choose to save some but not others?

Every day, we face decisions—whether it’s what to wear, where to go to college, how to find a job, or how to build relationships with others. I often hear Christians talk about listening to God’s voice when they make decisions. But, how can they be sure it is really God speaking?

“What is the difference between mercy, grace, and compassion?”

These three virtues are very similar and oftentimes go together, but they each have their own unique concepts. Let’s take a deeper dive into each of them. Mercy withholds punishment even when it is deserved. It’s saying, “You deserve ___ but I won’t give it to you.”  And who else has shown us this attribute any better than Jesus Himself…

“I’m trying to become more like Christ, but I feel like I’m losing my own identity. How can I be more like Jesus, but still be me?” Maybe you’ve felt this way before. It’s pretty obvious looking at creation that God loves variety. Even within mankind, there are as many differences as there are people. Even so-called identical twins have subtle genetic differences between them. So, if you feel like you are losing your personal identity as you follow Christ, perhaps you’re trying to be something that God never intended you to be…