We reflect on a week marked by two heavy anniversaries: 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks and one year since the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We talk about remembering evil honestly, viewing current events through a biblical lens, and recognizing the spiritual battle beneath what we see around us. From Charlie Kirk’s public faith and the response to his death to the lasting impact of 9/11, we challenge believers to stand firm in truth, reject fear and accusation, and remain faithful even when following Christ comes with a cost.

QUESTIONS

1. When tragedy or evil dominates the news, what shapes your response first: culture, emotion, or Scripture?
2. Where might God be asking you to stand firm in truth even when it comes with a cost?
3. How can you recognize evil clearly without partnering with hatred, fear, or accusation?
4. What does it look like for you to “never forget” and keep moving forward on mission with God?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Our struggle not being against flesh and blood in Ephesians 6:10–12
• Recognizing people by their fruit in Matthew 7:15–20
• The accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10–11
• Not giving the devil a foothold in Ephesians 4:26–27
• Forgiving others because God forgave us in Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13
• Shepherds guarding and leading the flock in Acts 20:28–31 and 1 Peter 5:1–4
• The Word of God as living and sharper than a two-edged sword in Hebrews 4:12
• Counting the cost of following Christ in 2 Timothy 3:12 and John 15:18–20

We talk about relational patterns that turn disagreements into permanent divisions, including unrealistic expectations, avoidance, passive-aggressive communication, gossip, pride, and unresolved offense. Through the conflicts of the apostle Paul with Peter, Barnabas, and Mark, we see that it is possible to confront wrongdoing, disagree strongly, and even go separate ways without destroying the relationship. Humility, honest communication, personal responsibility, and a commitment to peace can preserve trust and leave the door open for future reconciliation.

QUESTIONS

1. How do you typically respond when conflict or disappointment enters a relationship?
2. Where do you need to own your part in a conflict, even if the other person never does?
3. How can you speak with honor about someone even when the relationship has changed?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Working for peace in Matthew 5:9
• Confronting conflict with truth and humility in Galatians 2:11–14
• Receiving honest correction from a faithful friend in Proverbs 27:6
• Handling sharp disagreement without dishonor in Acts 15:36–40
• Speaking well of people after conflict in 1 Corinthians 9:6 and 2 Timothy 4:11
• Living at peace as much as it depends on you in Romans 12:18

As we prepare to become empty nesters, we process our thoughts and feelings about grief, changing roles, and the different ways we walk through transition. We share how to make room for the sadness without allowing it to determine your direction, fill the silence with God’s presence, and intentionally invest in your marriage and purpose. No matter what you are being asked to release, the way you let go will shape what comes next.

QUESTIONS

1. How are you responding to the natural changes taking place in this season of your life?
2. How can you make room for grief without allowing it to determine your direction?
3. What are the new quiet spaces revealing about your relationship with God, your spouse, or others?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Letting go of one season to follow God into the next in Matthew 16:24–26
• Grieving with others and honoring their emotions in Romans 12:15
• Husbands living with understanding toward their wives in 1 Peter 3:7
• Filling quiet seasons with God’s presence and wisdom in Psalm 46:10 and James 1:5
• Keeping your marriage intentionally strong in Genesis 2:18 and Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
• Releasing what you cannot keep to receive what God has next in John 12:24–26

Is tithing still biblical for Christians today, or was it only an Old Testament practice?

We look at the pattern of giving throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden and Abraham to Malachi, the teachings of Jesus, and the early church. We discuss why tithing is ultimately not just a money issue but a matter of trust, worship, and the position of our hearts. We also share what it means to give God our first and best, support the local church, and experience the freedom and blessing that come from following His design for our finances.

QUESTIONS

1. What does your approach to money reveal about where you place your trust?

2. Are you giving God your first and best or only what feels comfortable or manageable?

3. Where is God asking you to trust Him more fully with your finances?

READ MORE ABOUT

· Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18–20

· Jacob’s commitment to give God a tenth in Genesis 28:20–22

· Bringing the full tithe into God’s storehouse in Malachi 3:8–12

· Choosing between serving God and money in Matthew 6:19–24

· Jesus affirming tithing while emphasizing the heart in Matthew 23:23

· Giving regularly through the local church in 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 and 2 Corinthians 9:6–8

We expand on Sunday’s message and ask a challenging question: What are we bowing down to without even realizing it? Small compromises can grow into powerful idols that shape our hearts, our homes, and even future generations. From relationships and success to sports, politics, and cultural influences, we examine the modern idols competing for our worship—and what it looks like to tear them down and put God back on the throne of our hearts.

QUESTIONS

1. What is quietly competing with God for first place in your heart?

2. Where have you allowed a small compromise to grow into something more powerful?

3. What practical step can you take this week to tear down an idol and put God back at the center?

READ MORE ABOUT

· Gideon tearing down his family’s idols in Judges 6:25–32

· Putting no other gods before the Lord in Exodus 20:1–6

· The danger of idolatry and spiritual compromise in 1 Corinthians 10:14–22

· Guarding your heart from misplaced worship in Proverbs 4:23

· The trap of fearing and elevating people in Proverbs 29:25

· Finding true satisfaction in God alone in Psalm 37:4; James 1:17

We discuss the power of honor in a culture trained for dishonor. From marriage and parenting to every other relationship, honor changes the way we see and treat people made in the image of God. We must learn to reject sarcasm, accusation, gossip, and contempt and begin building relationships marked by truth, grace, humility, and respect. Dishonor blocks the work of God in our lives, but honor creates an environment where He can move.

QUESTIONS

1. Where are you most tempted to treat someone lightly instead of seeing them with the weight and dignity God gives them?
2. How can you speak truth in love without slipping into accusation, gossip, flattery, or blind loyalty?
3. What would it look like to build a culture of honor in your home, church, workplace, or friendships?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Jesus being dishonored in His hometown in Mark 6:1–6
• Outdoing one another in showing honor in Romans 12:9–10
• Speaking the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15
• Honoring God with your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
• Honoring parents and spiritual leaders in Exodus 20:12 and Hebrews 13:17
• Covering others with love and grace in 1 Peter 4:8

When Elle and Tyler (our daughter and son-in-law) received a heartbreaking infertility diagnosis, they were told there was zero chance of becoming pregnant naturally. We share how our family learned to hold both grief and faith and kept praying for miracles in the lives of others while waiting for God’s answer in our own. Miracles are not the endgame of the Christian life, they are signposts pointing us to Jesus, glimpses of Heaven touching earth, and reminders that God is still able, still kind, and still worthy of our trust.

QUESTIONS

1. What heart-cry do you need to bring before God in this season?
2. What does it look like to remain faithful while waiting for His answer?
3. How can you let God shape your heart in the waiting, not just change your circumstances?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Jesus healing as a sign of the Kingdom in Matthew 4:23–24
• The now-and-not-yet in Romans 8:18–25
• Asking God with faith and humility in Mark 9:23–24
• Hannah praying for a child at Shiloh in 1 Samuel 1:9–20
• Prayer, faith, and healing in James 5:13–16
• God doing immeasurably more than we ask or imagine in Ephesians 3:20

SUMMARY

God expanded our understanding of the Holy Spirit from something cautious and confusing into something biblical, beautiful, and deeply personal. With gratitude for our spiritual roots and honor for those who hold different views, we explore the questions, Scriptures, and encounters that shaped us along the way.

QUESTIONS

1. What messages did you receive about the Holy Spirit growing up, and how have they shaped your openness to Him today?
2. What does Scripture teach about the Holy Spirit’s role in the believer’s life, and how should that shape the way you follow Jesus?
3. What would it look like to pray with humility and openness, “God, if there’s more of You for me to experience, I’m open”?

READ MORE ABOUT

• Jesus promising the Holy Spirit as Helper in John 14:16–17, 23–26
• The Holy Spirit empowering believers in Acts 1:8
• God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in Acts 2:17–18
• Believers drinking of one Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:13
• Being continually filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18
• Biblical order and love in the use of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12–14