Prayer is one of those essential parts of the Christian faith that can be both simple and mysterious. At its basic level, prayer is talking to God. It's not an inner monologue, meditation, or passive reflection, but rather a direct communication with the Creator of the universe. Prayer is how we connect with our Heavenly Father, share what's on our

You’re not the only one who finds humor where other people might not agree. There are really two separate questions to ask here. One is, "What makes a joke truly “inappropriate”?" And, "Is it OK to embrace humor wherever we find it?" If it’s actually inappropriate, then by definition, yes, it’s wrong. The real trick is defining inappropriateness—an

Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle,Tokyo Ghoul, Death Note, Fruits Basket, Maid-Sama!, Black Butler, Yuri!!! on Ice, just to name a few, are all easily accessible "anime" titles. While the word "anime" has a lot of associations, it simply means "animation." That's it. By the American definition, "anime" is animation produced in Japan by Japanese s

The exact word “legalism” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. "Legalism" is a term Christians use to describe an adherence to a manmade system of rules and regulations one must follow to receive salvation, righteousness, or spiritual maturity. Legalism boils down to following a list of "to-dos" and avoiding a list of "don'ts" to earn God's favor.

"We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." —2 Corinthians 10:5Sometimes the hardest part of our spiritual journey is keeping our thoughts Christ-centered. With all the demonic, violent, and lustful content that constantly surrounds us, it's no wonder why thinking godly thoughts is such a battle. As someone who struggles to alway

Your digital device could be sending a tsunami of distractions at this very moment. News updates, social media feeds, texts, DMs... They all seem to be on one mission: Distraction. The average teen spends seven hours and twenty-two minutes on their phone.1 But are we using our phones as tools, or are WE being used as tools? Even though digital addi

Many of us find it quite difficult and frightening to step outside of our comfort zones. Comfort zones are...well, comfortable! They're safe and secure and require little risk. Sometimes it's OK to stay inside our comfort zone, so we can rest, heal, and enjoy the low-key parts of our lives. Other times, God may ask us to step away from what feels s

If we read the Bible at face value, without a mission to find problems with it, we will find it to be a relatively easy-to-understand book. Sure, there are difficult verses, but isn't that true with all literature? Would you fully understand the nuances of To Kill a Mockingbird the first time your English teacher put it in front of you? As you ma

Boxing, like many sports, raises questions of Christian ethics. Some view boxing as a form of extreme sports, while others consider it to be more like extreme fighting. Some professional boxers integrate their Christian faith into the sport, praying for safety and sportsmanship, and do their best to reflect Christ as they interact with others. Some

The question of what happens after death is one that humanity continues to wrestle with regardless of their religious affiliation (or lack thereof). Even among Christians, who have the Bible to guide us, many are still confused as to what exactly happens to a person after they die and the order of events that are mentioned in Scripture.Some believe

DISCLAIMER: If you're in an abusive or dangerous environment, we strongly encourage you to seek assistance from a trusted adult or the police as soon as you safely can.Is it possible to honor an abusive parent? Abuse comes in many forms. A child might be well-fed and clothed, yet his parent withholds love and acceptance from him. A child may not su

If you are asking this question, you may have an inkling that there are only two options after you have taken your last breath on this earth: heaven or hell. This is your eternal destiny, and you get to make that choice. God loves us so much that He has provided a way to bring us into His presence after death (John 3:16). In Acts 16:30, the apostle

The importance of this question cannot be overstated. The entirety of the Christian faith rests on the faithfulness of God, which is something proven time and time again through the fulfillment of God’s promises and prophecies through the ages. If Jesus is not the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, then everything we believe in as Christians

The sin of Adam and Eve was no surprise to God. He knew they would disobey and have some incredibly low moments. So why did God create human beings at all? Why would He give us the ability to choose sin in the first place? Every potential parent knows that raising a child is going to be hard. There will be times the child hurts them and is hurt by

Instances that may require you to stand up for yourself may include bullying, being asked to do something you know is wrong or sinful, setting boundaries with friends or family, and many more. Because every situation is going to be unique, I can't give a "blanket" answer for all situations. Thankfully, there are a couple of biblical principles abou

Spiritual gifts are like special talents given to believers by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building and developing God's Kingdom. Every believer has certain spiritual gifts chosen specifically by God to equip each person based on their individual faith journey (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). How can I figure out which spiritual gifts God has given

Dreams are our brains' way of working out problems and sorting information while we sleep. The secondary visual cortex, which interprets outside visual stimuli, and the brain's limbic system, which controls emotions, go into hyperdrive when we dream. That means our brains are very busy processing memories and thoughts while we sleep, trying to make

Many people and cultures around the world celebrate the day of Christmas in many different ways. Christians have a tradition of honoring the birth of Jesus. Over the years, various aspects have been added such as the pretty Christmas lights, holly wreaths, winter decorations, lighting of candles, and more. But how did these traditions begin? Some s

“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?” —Job 11:7-8The very short answer to this question is: in the context of a scientific definition (like how we can know what a star is), we cannot know what God is. The “depths of God,

Modern culture rarely uses the word divination. (Unless you're a Harry Potter fan.) Saying that “divination is a sin” is likely to mean nothing to the general population. That doesn’t mean modern people never practice divination—we just have different terms for it. Fortune telling, palm reading, astrology, Ouija boards, reading tea leaves or tarot