How can we be aware of culture’s twisted versions of God’s truth without making an enemy of culture? It’s a reasonable question. And one that we felt called to address in our new book. The first part of the question can be answered somewhat simply. Just read your Bible so you know God’s truth and can identify when it’s being twisted. But the second part of the question can be a little more complicated… “without making an enemy of culture.” Continue reading on Val Marie Paper...

Work "It's how the gospel redeems us for life." -Tom Nelson Vocation Comes from the Latin root word: vocatio which means, "to be called upon." Our vocation is quite literally our calling. Calling Our calling will involve two things: a certain group of people and certain work. This makes the Greatest Commandment and The Great Commission both found in Matthew even more clear. Love God, love people: PEOPLE Go and make disciples: WORK Purpose Nothing other than to become more like Jesus. Literally nothing. Purpose The work a believer does. Whatever, wherever, whenever, however. If we can walk into work everyday (no matter what our job is or where it takes place) knowing in the depths of our soul that these 5 things are true, we'll probably find more fulfillment in our work, contentment with our job description, and deeper relationships with our people. For more, join now and watch Somer's full class: "Vocation: To Be Called Upon" available [...]

Dara LaPorta was reading a book that encouraged her to practice silence and solitude to hear from the Lord. As a fitness professional, she decided she would combine the challenge with her workout and go for a run. No podcast. No music. Just the open road...and Florida's heat. It started awful. It was hot, she was tired, and with every step, she felt as if her legs were tied down with 100 lb. weights. And even worse, the whole point of going for the run was to hear God speak, and all she could hear were her heavy strides hitting the pavement. Her inner athlete, though, refused to quit, and about halfway through her run, she started feeling good. She got into a rhythm, her pace picked up, and she was pumped that even if she didn't get to hear the Lord's voice, she was at least going to get a good workout. And right as her competitive nature was about to kick in, that's when she heard Him: "Do you trust Me enough to walk instead of run?" Part of her wanted to ignore it. Where was that voice when [...]