By Al Felder Christians sometimes look at the world around them and wonder how much further society can move away from God. Ideas once widely recognized as immoral are increasingly accepted, defended, and even celebrated. Biblical teaching about marriage, sexuality, modesty, the family, worship, honesty, and the difference between right and wrong is often treated as outdated or restrictive. Living faithfully in such a culture can feel increasingly difficult, especially when t

By Al Felder Kindness does not become a way of life by accident. Most people believe kindness is good. They want to be patient, merciful, thoughtful, responsible, and helpful, but good desires do not automatically become daily habits. If we don't practice kindness intentionally, selfishness will usually take over. Convenience will win, complaints will grow, harsh words will slip out, needs will be overlooked, and burdens will be shifted to someone else. Jesus said, “Therefore

By Al Felder Excuses can sound reasonable. They often come dressed in explanation, tiredness, busyness, disappointment, personality, past hurt, or even religious language. A person may say, “I know I should be more patient, but…” or “I know I should help, but…” or “I know I should apologize, but…” or “I know I should forgive, but…” The problem is not always that we do not understand what Jesus said. Sometimes the problem is that we have become skilled at explaining why we are