Grace On Fire | Craft Your Life For A Higher Purpose

Anxiety sucks! I know because I’ve been there. So what are we to make of the claims in the bible about the peace of God? For many people, anxiety and depression seem to be a standard part of life. So how can we embrace God’s promise of divine peace? Well in today’s episode, I’m asking this question to help us move past the shallow responses to discover more profound truths implanted in God’s design of humanity. It turns out that modern science has a lot to say about overcoming anxiety, where merely reinforces what scripture has said all along. The post Anxiety – The Struggle To Embrace God’s Peace | GOF78 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Should we Evangelicals forgive Tullian Tchividjian? If you have any real understanding of how grace works, then the answer, of course, is “yes.” But when public figures break our trust by acting in ways contrary to their public persona, it is tough to find that requisite forgiveness we all are supposed to grant. I understand. So did Absalom — King David’s son who could never forgive his father’s disgraces. But Jesus calls us to do just that, to forgive those who hurt us. In a candid interview, Tullian opens up his heart revealing his ongoing struggles with guilt and shame tied to the impact it had on his children. He shares his desperate need for God’s grace and how the Father’s “One Way Love” is now more important to him than ever before. The post Tullian Tchividjian On Finding Grace After Your Life Has Been Destroyed | GOF77 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Do you love money? Sure, who doesn’t like having a little extra cash in their pocket! Unfortunately, man Christians struggle with faulty thinking that keeps them from pursuing creative lives in business and commerce. So how do you craft a healthy relationship with money without compromising your faith? To help me answer this question, I invited Cliff Ravenscraft to rethink money, wealth, and the pursuit of God’s call. The post Four Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back with Cliff Ravenscraft | GOF76 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

How do you find your life purpose? Every generation asks the same questions. Why am I here? What am I doing? Where am I going? But not every person discovers the answer for themselves. That’s because we live in a world of competing views, unrealistic expectations, and broken dreams. But Life Purpose doesn’t have to be difficult to discover. You just need a place to start. So where do you begin? The post How To Find Your Life Purpose | GOF75 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Warning! Positive emotions can be harmful to your judgment. Thoughtful people be advised. Do you think that is true? If you saw a disclaimer like this, would you automatically reject this warning or would you seek to learn more? Positive emotions, feeling good almost seems like a civil right these days. But there is more to life than just feeling good all the time. So is there a dark side to positive emotions? There is, particularly when those “feelings” can lead to poor decisions. The post How Positive Emotions Can Actually Work Against You | GOF74 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Are you being honest with yourself? This question goes to the heart of most our problems in life. We are not honest because we’re afraid of the consequences of our honesty. So we lie. Not a lot but a little. We self-rationalize, compromise, and trade off the things we want most in life for safety, security, and predictability. Unfortunately, when we do this? A little piece of our heart grows cold. The only solution is to do something no one else can do for you. Be ridiculously honest. Two forms of honesty are needed — positive and negative. So ask yourself this question, “Are you being completely honest with yourself?” The post How Being Ridiculously Honest With Yourself Leads to A Better Life | GOF73 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

What if gratitude could improve your mental health? Seems too simple? Could merely learning to say thank you change your life? Probably not. But recent psychological research has revealed that it may have a more positive benefit to your well being than you might think. This question and other first emerged thirty years ago in the field of Positive Psychology. Up to that point, research had focused on the familiar issues of mental illness: depression, anxiety, fear, etc. But what about positive mental health? Researchers sought to answer this question and came to some exciting conclusions. So what were the results? Apparently being kind to your neighbor has more benefit than mere social implications. It can actually improve your life. So how do you practice and develop a life of gratitude? The post Why Gratitude Is A Game-Changer For Your Mental Health | GOF72 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

The most significant mistake you can make in life is to define yourself by your job. But the vast majority of people I meet do precisely that, and it costs them so much happiness. Seem a little overstated? Perhaps, but consider this scenario for just a moment. When someone asks “who are you?” What’s the first thing out of your mouth? For most of us, the answer includes some reference to what “we do.” But I think this is a trap. What happens when the market changes, how will you respond? For some people, they can successfully reinvent themselves, but for others, it is a little more difficult. That’s why it’s important to consider this issue “BEFORE” something affects your work. Also, on GOF71, I ask this question: how do you pray when you don’t know what to do? The post Your Job Does Not Define You – So Who Are You? | GOF71 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Is there something holding you back but don’t know what it is? Chances are you may be encountering what experts call limiting beliefs. They hold us back from seeking healthy and meaningful relationships. Prevent us from pursuing the next step in our careers. And they sabotage our lives when gone unchecked. Unfortunately, detecting limiting beliefs is much harder than you think. Why? Very often limiting beliefs are “controlling beliefs” that shape and form how we see the world. They are ideas that tell us how to think, and sometimes they work against us. If you dig down into yourself far enough, you may just discover some hidden ideas that are reaping massive havoc on your life. So how do you overcome these thoughts? There are at least five foundational ideas that you must accept before any real progress in life can be made. The post Five Steps To Challenging Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back | GOF70 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Every person looks at the world through a particular set of glasses given to them by someone. That is why inherited racism is so revolting. Someone or some institution systematically passed down a story that has led to hatred and sometimes violence.  At every level it is repulsive. But there are deeper issues, racial narratives that are not nearly as extreme but just as damaging.  These are the narratives of confusion, subtle prejudice, and institutional injustice that must be exposed. So where do you begin? The post Overcoming Racism With The Gospel Story | GOF69 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

What is the most critical question to keep in mind when you read the bible? What is the message calling me to be? The post How To Read the Bible to Change Your Life | GOF68 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

The NFL anthem protest have sparked another social confrontation. This time the matter concerns free speech. So how do we apply God's grace to this issue? The post NFL Anthem Protest – How Should Evangelicals Respond? | GOF67 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Imposter Syndrome is no fun. The crippling effect of feeling like a fraud can keep any leader from being effective. That’s especially true for pastors. When I finally realized that the internal battles of insecurity, low self-worth, and unnecessarily high expectations were sabotaging my ministry. So on this episode, I'm sharing how I overcame that feeling by sitting down with my mentor and friend. Also on tap, I’m laying out my manifesto of faith as a Gospel-Centered Anglican in North America. The post Imposter Syndrome: Feeling Like A Fraud As A Pastor | GOF66 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

Hurricane Irma opened up a huge ministry door for my church. And I walked through it. Natural disasters and devastating storms do something to communities like nothing else in the world. They unite people together who ordinarily struggle to find common ground. This principle played itself in my church and opened incredible discussions. So on this episode, I share a positive outcome of the storm. Plus, I continue to discuss the role of transformation in everyday life. And as a special bonus, I’m sharing my BBQ secrets! The post The Best Thing Hurricane Irma Did For My Church and Ministry | GOF65 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

How do you get objective, unbiased information about yourself? You can't. Not even your spouse can provide you that kind of feedback. But there is a problem.  Without this sort of information, how can you make progress in life?  Success in life begins by recognizing the patterns, behaviors, and challenges that continue to keep you from moving forward in life.  I argue that to learn from the school of life, you need a system to follow.  In this episode, I share with you seven ways you can leverage a journal to move forward. The post How To Learn From The School of Life: Journaling Part 2 | GOF64 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

What are the first steps you need to take to begin a personal development plan? There are all kinds of “gurus” and “life coaches” available today prepared and ready to sell you comprehensive packages to get you started on a personal development path. While most of their stuff is really good, there are some basic steps you can take with a simple pen and pad of paper. Sound to good to be true? If so, then join us on this episode as Dr. Brian Russell and Dr. Jonathan G. Smith sit down to discuss the basics of personal development. The post Creating Your Personal Development Plan: Journaling Part 1 | GOF63 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

How do you identify the gods working in your life that are keeping you enslaved? Whether we want to admit to it or not, there are powerful forces in our lives that keep us from living the life that God intended. So on today’s episode, my guest host Dr. Brian Russell and I sit down to discuss the overarching story of the Bible and how it challenges the little “idols” that we continue to nurture and feed. The post New Season – How God Liberates You To Love Him | GOF62 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

This year is half way over. So is your opportunity to meet those New Year’s goals set back in January. Here is the good news. Now is the perfect time to make the most of the remaining year. The reason? Generally speaking, summer time is when business, academics, and family life slows down just enough to allow some space for personal reflection. So in this episode, I share with you some of my strategies on how I leverage the summers to plan for the next busy cycle! The post How To Leverage The Summer To Finish The Year Strong| GOF61 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

This week I offer some afterglow thoughts of the Anglican Connection Conference in Dallas Texas. To say that I’m still buzzing is an understatement. I was thrilled with the entire event. But what made this gathering particularly meaningful was just how my journey to this moment finally made sense to me. Whereas before I questioned whether or not I fit somewhere in the Anglican world, I can safely say, I'm so glad to be an Evangelical Anglican. The post Finally An Anglican Conference Worth Attending | GOF60 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.

A year has passed since the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. In many ways, I’m still discovering how profoundly the event has personally impacted the way I minister to people. So in this episode, I share four ways this sad event has transformed the way I love and relate to people. The post Reflecting on the Pulse Nightclub | GOF59 appeared first on Grace Nation: Think Differently.