Life has many uncertainties- that’s its certainty. But Jesus is certain and because He is certain we can trust when He’s driving the bus. But, in order to trust Him we must surrender. The bus I decided to hop on, it’s driver and I couldn’t both sit in the driver seat. And just like with God, Him and “we” cannot sit in the driver seat of the route He has planned for our lives.

There were over 50,000 country music fans that enjoyed live performances from the biggest country music stars in the world as well emerging artists from the UK, Europe and North America at the 2017 Country 2 Country Music Festival in London.

I can relate to Sarah. She’s a go-getter. I’m a go-getter. Us go-getters make things happen. But despite us go-getters making things happen, there will be times in life that God will make us wait. There are times He will make us all wait for His promises. And there’s nothing worse than having to live with the consequences of not waiting on God.

God is our Shepherd, our help in time of need.

Continuing and ending with the series, "How’s Your Soul?," I want to talk about money. The Bible mentions money over 800 times and makes over 2,000 financial references. Money is important to God and it can be a wonderful thing for those who know how to use it to glorify Him and uplift others. Because money is important to God, writers of the Scriptures wrote about the topic a lot. And Jesus, talked about money more than He did love, heaven and hell combined.

Continuing with the series, "How’s Your Soul?," I want to talk about family. While families have their problems a family is only as strong and good as the people in it. In order to be a good child, parent, cousin, nephew, grandchild, or uncle you have to get your soul right. When our souls aren’t right it can affect how we treat those in our families.

Freedom is for everyone who wants it—the lost, the wounded, and those weary from striving. It’s for those who gave up trying years ago. It’s for those who are angry and hurt, brilliant and burnt by the Christian song and dance. You are the church, the people of God. You were meant to be free...

Simone Smith has a passion for spiritual progress and peace, and is clumsily but successfully breaking through the noise and nonsense of this world to promote and engage in the things that really matter. Simone isn't ashamed of her past and mistakes, which include an addiction to pornography. Here she unpacks her struggle with porn in hopes that it might help someone else who may be battling with it.

When Jesus is truly the center of a person's life then His fruits (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control- Galatians 5: 22-23) will be in their souls. What's in our souls will affect how we treat others. And, in how we treat our romantic partners.
 

Erica has released 2 solo albums as well as 7 albums with her sister as part of the dynamic duo “Mary Mary”. She is the host of the new nationally syndicated radio show "Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell.”

Making time for God in the busyness of this 2017 plugged in, tech, selfish, gotta get it all world can be a challenge, where Jesus is left in the dust and He’s not even a priority. We often have to fight for time with God.

2016 may not have been that bad for you personally! But if you care even a little about other people, you will still want an explanation for why the world is such a mess. But more importantly, if you are honest, you will admit you are not the person you want to be. We can all put on a good face. But take off the mask and most of us are hiding character traits and behavior that we are ashamed of and can’t seem to change. So we shouldn’t just ask, “what’s gone wrong with the world? We should ask, “What’s gone wrong with me?” 

This year I’m starting Seele’s Friday post with a series on “How’s Your Soul?” It’s more personal where I will cover Ego, Brokenness, Spiritual Life, Dating & Marriage, Porn, Family, People and Money. When “I” or “self” is supreme in our lives there is no room for God. The only way we can TRULY know God is with humility, and it’s through Him that we will begin to love others as we love ourselves.

John and Stasi Eldredge share God's intended purpose when he made women and men in Captivating and Wild at Heart. Every man was once a boy.  And every little boy has dreams, big dreams, dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress. Every little girl has dreams, too: of being rescued by her prince and swept up into a great adventure, knowing that she is the beauty.

*This post is taken from Sarah Young’s, Jesus Calling devotional.

This post is taken from Sarah Young’s, Jesus Calling devotional.

As we approach 2017, if we ask God for a sensitivity to see His work in our lives, we will experience some “seeing is believing” moments. We will see Him work in such a way in our lives and the lives of others, where He will remind us of the truth of His presence, His awesomeness and His love.

Katherine & Jay Wolf are survivors and storytellers, advocates and evangelists. In 2008, at the age of 26, Katherine nearly died from a catastrophic brainstem stroke. Her survival and recovery, not to mention that of her marriage and family, have been nothing short of miraculous. Katherine and Jay are in full-time ministry together through HOPE HEALS, leveraging their story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts.

Everyone has a role to build up the body of Christ, and we’ve all been called to ministry work, to be equipped by Scripture and our spiritual leaders. No one is gift-less, potential-less, or purposeless. We all have a ministry. 

Amy is the EMEA Director for the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA). Amy is passionate about always having an answer to many of the pressing cultural issues of the day. And she strives to bring her formidable theological knowledge to bear on a wide variety of subjects.