Prayer is simple. When you boil it down, it's really just the act of talking to God. But there have sure been a lot of rules set up by people about what's right and what's wrong. Do we need to "assume the prayer position" when it's time to talk to God? Should we be standing up or sitting down, or kneeling instead? Is it better to pray out loud or s

I'm sorry to hear that you aren't feeling respected by the people around you. Yes, people can be jerks—and that can be super frustrating. We are called to be peace-makers (Romans 12:17-18), but it's hard to do when one or more people in our lives just don't want to play nicely. What can a Christian do in this situation?Unfortunately, there's nothin

We've got good news and bad news about being human. The good news is that we're capable of doing pretty good stuff. We have the capacity to love, give, serve, sacrifice. The bad news is that all of those things don't come naturally. A person may think, "I go to church, listen to my parents, respect others, and get good grades. I'm a good person!" S

"Matthew, Dad won't let me get Snapchat!"My younger brother confronted me with this statement last week when I was at my parents' house."And he won't let me have Instagram either!"I was familiar with the sentiment my brother was expressing. He wasn't really telling me about his problems. Really, he was asking me if I would be willing to take up his

If you've ever been to any kind of Bible study or church function where prayer was involved, you have probably found yourself in that awkward situation of having to pray aloud. You sit there nervously, head bowed, listening to the people around you, knowing that it'll be your turn any second. What will you do? Stay quiet until it is so awkward that

How nice would it be to hear God speak in an audible voice every time? There are moments in the Bible when He spoke out loud to people, such as when His voice came across as thunder (1 Samuel 2:10; Job 37:2; Psalm 104:7; John 12:29). But as loud as God can be, He can also speak through stillness (1 Kings 19:12; Zechariah 4:6). That's quite a range

When it comes down to it, the question of attitude really boils down to making a choice about how you display your emotions on the outside. Both guys and girls have various issues with their emotions for many different reasons. Our hearts get broken, our pride get hurt, or our hormones get out of whack, and we do or say things that we wouldn't norm

Romans 6:23 tells us that the penalty for sin is eternal, spiritual death, but that God offers us freedom from that penalty through Jesus. Because of God's grace and mercy, those who accept God's gift of salvation have already been forgiven of all their sins—past, present, and future. When we place our faith in Jesus by believing that He died for o

Essential oils are extracts derived from various plants, usually through distillation via water/steam or other methods such as cold pressing, combined with a carrier oil that makes the extract safe to use directly on the skin. Pure extracts are very potent and can cause irritation, rashes, or other more serious ailments if not diluted with a carrie

My dad used to tell me, "Patience is a virtue," and in my 15-year old, I-don't-care state of mind, I never really thought about what that meant (other than that the appropriate response was to roll my eyes). What he meant was that having patience shows a higher standard of morals than losing my temper and getting frustrated about having to wait. As

Do you know someone who always knows the worst possible scenario? Do they focus on the flaws and shortcomings of themselves or others? Do they speak in absolutes, like, "I'm never gonna get a break," or "This always happens!"? Do they have a pessimistic attitude toward life? Do they sometimes use humor or sarcasm to cover up their negativity?Negati

Procrastination is "the act of willfully delaying the doing of something that should be done." Procrastination is putting off until tomorrow what could be done today. Mastering this problem is all about knowing our priorities and learning to have good time management. We are only on this earth for a short time, so we should be sure to make the best

Everyone struggles with anger at some level, at different points in their lives. Untended anger can destroy friendships and shatter families. Even though emotions can be a struggle, remember that God designed our brains to trigger emotions for a reason. Learning to handle those emotions in a godly way is the key to having healthy responses to emoti

I like to think of God as an artist. I mean, think about it: sunsets, fall colors, flowers, the human body. The whole of God's creation is just one big piece of art. As an artist myself (and much like most artists), I tend to criticize my works pretty harshly. In any stories, songs, or articles I write, I find flaws. But we will never find flaws in

Omnipotent is one mouthful of a word, but it is one of the words that describes the Creator of the Universe, so let's take note. Have you ever wondered how God's omnipotence may affect your life? If we recognize that God has ultimate power, then that should take a lot of pressure off, right? Why do we attempt to control our circumstances and proble

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." —Ephesians 4:30"Do not quench the Spirit." —1 Thessalonians 5:19The concepts of "grieving" or "quenching" the Holy Spirit are found in Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19, but those terms might not be familiar. Sometimes looking at another translation

Rock music has always held a controversial position in pop culture, mostly due to its anti-establishment, “drugs, sex, and rock and roll” reputation. Because of that reputation, it’s no surprise that the idea of Christian rock has often raised eyebrows.We’ve already explored a little bit about what makes music “Christian” or not. When we’re talking

The existence of dragons is a ubiquitous feature among many cultures, fictional stories, and mythical legends worldwide. Some of my favorites are Smaug from The Hobbit, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, and Mushu from Disney's Mulan. Dragons are super cool creatures! But were they ever really real? Does the Bible tell us anything about drago

CW: abuse, sexual abuse, trafficking, groomingSexual grooming is an intentional process that predators use to access children, teens, and vulnerable people groups in order to coerce them into what comes down to outright abuse—whether sexual, financial, or otherwise1. Grooming can occur online or in person, to any gender, and to any age. It can look

Answering this question is kind of like answering a riddle. And it's a riddle designed to disprove the all-powerful nature of God by proposing something that is a contradiction in itself. The setup might go something like this:Friend 1: God is all-powerful. He can do anything. Friend 2: So God make a rock so big He can’t lift it?Friend 1: No, God c