Joy happens in spite of suffering. It is an act of resistance against despair and a display of trust in God. See, joy is about connecting with something beyond ourselves. Like love, it points the focus away from selfish desires.

Don’t live in a bubble. Create spaces where you hear other sides. Learn to engage with the world and culture around you. Get uncomfortable; it's where real change happens.

What happens when we feel the Holy Spirit prodding us to go somewhere we’ve never been? Do something we’ve never done?

Here's the thing. When we learn to sit in discomfort, we start to change. We start to see God working. God can do some extraordinary things if we would just step out of our comfort zones.

As Christians comfort should be about making the hurting comfortable, not ourselves. Often when we are placed in situations that make us uncomfortable, we can be known to throw scripture or sayings we think are scripture, but aren't, at others.

Having a friend who believes that God does not exist is someone worth listening too and hearing out. Your atheist friend will have well thought out arguments that will challenge you. Sit with that challenge and explore why and what you believe.

You, my friend, are fully loved. It is that simple. There is nothing you have to do to earn this. But to understand that love you have to lay all of you out in the open for Jesus.

Look. We love you. No matter who you are. And that is the point. Whether you come from a religiously righteous background or if you have been an outsider like the tax collectors, Jesus loves you and so do we. That is why we founded an alternative church.

Since our internal words impact how we see and act in life, then why don’t we take our mental health as seriously as we take our physical health?

We often say, “Suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do.” But we aren’t giving people a choice about their behavior. We foster stigmas and clauses and cultures where people have to act one way on the outside while they are screaming for help on the inside.

Jesus threw his reputation to the wind and pursued those outside the popular religious circle, which withheld love and compassion from the outcast of society. Jesus got his reputation dirty and invited these people into his new circle. A circle that can encompass all.

Those with mental illness are in a war and they need an army on their side. The church needs to open its eyes to the reality of this war and they need to stand by the people who are hurting from it.

Did you know God wants you to love Him with your mind? It’s true. We emphasize loving God with our hearts and with passion (which are great and have their place), but we downplay the mental part of loving God.

You are a child of God, lavishly loved and an heir to the Kingdom. You have resurrection power in your veins. It’s time to live like it.  

When you build true community, it brings your darkest moments into the light. It gives you the freedom to share your soul with others. And, if you are in community with people who are pushing toward the same goals as you are, it’ll inspire you to own your mistakes and make better choices moving forward.

We prefer to cluster ourselves in safe, Christian environments. This attitude permeates Christian culture. We only listen to Christian music, read Christian books, watch Christian movies, so, of course, we only have Christian friends. But, this isn’t how the church grows. This isn’t how we can love the outsider.

Studies show your brain is most susceptible to take in information during the first five minutes of the day.  This means that 0.5 percent of your time will determine the other 99.5 percent of it.