Ever met someone who had all the answers? Even when you didn't want to know what they were? The person who knew exactly what you should do in a situation you had been struggling with for weeks-even though he or she had been listening to you for only thirty seconds? Jesus could have been like that, but He wasn't. Instead, He was often the one asking the questions-and treasuring the answers. Jesus' questions tell us so much about Him, and us, and how...

The church. The bride of Christ. The body of Christ on earth. A joy, delight, and a comfort to all Christians. And the source of some of our greatest hurt and struggle. We fight for the church, but we also fight inside the church, and the sight of a local congregation or denomination battling it out is one of the saddest and most shaming sights that we ever come across. So do we have the choice to opt out of the church altogether, to go it alone,...

What are you passionate about? Football? Your family? Your job? Your car? Your hobby? And how does that passion show itself? What about your spirituality, are you passionate about your faith? What does that mean? What are the passion killers in your walk with God? In a thoughtful and measured set of notes, Jeff Lucas explores the topic of spiritual passion. He shows how it does not necessarily have anything to do with emotion but everything to do...

What has God promised us freely in His Word? And what promises does it contain that are specific to their time and place, and cannot be taken out of context and scattered around like confetti? In this thoughtful and challenging introduction to the promises of God, Jeff Lucas looks at what Scripture does say, what it does not say, and what we need to do about it. The "promise boxes" of old seemed close to trying to do magic-but that shouldn't put...

How good are your people skills? Can you say the right thing at the right time? Do you know when to offer a helping hand or listening ear, and when to leave people in peace? And what about the more difficult situations in life when you need to challenge or rebuke-or bite your tongue, even though you are aching to speak out? Sometimes we can think that people skills are just for the résumé or the office, not for everyday life. But as Jeff Lucas...

Ask any Christian to name their favorite books in the Bible and you're unlikely to find the book of Jeremiah at the top of any list-or even on any list. Frankly, most of us tend to ignore this deeply sad book completely. Beginning as a young man, Jeremiah prophesied under five kings, and his prophecies were never listened to-or at least not obeyed. Yet Jeremiah has a lot to say to us today. As he tearfully tells us about what life without God looks...

In Jesus' day, a meal was loaded with significance. In these brief but powerful daily devotions, you'll get to eavesdrop on those meals, and as you do, you'll be reminded that you are invited to dine with Christ today. No fewer than ten meals are recorded in Luke's gospel alone, and it's been said that in Luke, Jesus is either going to a meal, sitting at a meal, or coming from a meal. No wonder that when Jesus' critics proclaimed, "The Son of Man...

Barnabas had a very distinctive feature-he was a great encourager, and so was dubbed "Son of Encouragement." In this book, we will look at this warm, wonderful man and consider, not only the power of encouragement, but also how this virtue is rooted in the character of God, which might come as a surprise to some. Wherever he went, and whoever he talked to, Barnabas left people feeling better as a result. How many of us can say the same about ourselves?...

Everyone has to live with second choices-events and circumstances that they would not choose, some trivial, some tragic. Daniel was a man whose life was filled with second choices, but he did more than just survive; he stayed faithful to God and thrived. So what is there to learn from his story in Scripture? Pastor and author Jeff Lucas challenges readers to ask, "How can we, like Daniel, be faithful in the 'Babylon' of second choices?" Down-to-earth...