We are born self-centered. We grow up self-centered. And we navigate the waters of life as an adult self-centered.    Making matters worse is the instant-gratification society we are living in right now. It’s what Jonathan Stagno, my great friend and senior advisor to Love God Fear Nothing–calls a YOUniverse!    Today’s cultural force field acts as a filter through which...

What Am I Really Worth?    Men and women have been trying without success to figure out that question on their own since the beginning of time.    It has been, is now, and will always be FUTILE. But we keep trying, nonetheless. Today’s search typically looks for the answer in possessions and position and power. Others use their family, hobbies, or church service. There are myriad...

The distinctive mountains that reach for the sky outside my window remind me of God’s character–big, strong, immovable, and majestic.    I often thank him for those mountains and their stunning beauty. But today was different. They were GONE! Well, not gone…just hidden behind a fog-shrouded curtain.    God demonstrated his omnipresent power in that moment with this clear...

For most of my 40 years as a believer, I have looked at the word righteousness as a distant and unachievable notion reserved for “God’s Elite.” Me, righteous? C’mon now.    But the deeper my faith has grown and the closer I have drawn into Christ’s inner sanctuary, it has taken on an entirely new meaning in my life through God’s Word and Light. What follows below is a snapshot of that picture.    Living...

I LOVE RESTORATION SHOWS ON TELEVISION!    Here are just a few of my favorites: Treehouse Masters; American Restoration; Counting Cars; and Flipping Houses. That’s the short list. I’m all in if a story delivers on these three ACTS:    ACT I       Start with something run down or not as it should be.    ACT II     Develop some kind...

It’s now clear to me why God has me writing about the fruits of God’s Spirit this week. I need them this week! Yes, me.    Early in the week I experienced an unexpected rekindling of the most painful experience of my entire life. God urged me to write about, and then embrace, the fruits of his Spirit—specifically that his PEACE is not the absence of turmoil and pain, but the presence of...

Well…last night, really, when I wrote this blog.    It was an unexpected rekindling of the most painful experience of my entire life. That’s not an overstatement…the truth, by a mile.    Here’s the good news from a good God.    After collecting myself, I remembered that fruit-of-the-spirit peace is not dependent on “everything going right.” That it is remaining tranquil...

Today’s blog is written by Jonathan Stagno from Lake Forest, California. Jonathan’s heart is on fire for God who is using him mightily in the area of prayer and intercession. He is a senior advisor to the Love God Fear Nothing Ministry. I know you’ll be blessed by his writing. Follow Jonathan at https://twitter.com/JonathanStagno.  MARK AFFLECK     How To Love Your Enemies       By...

The tests and trials of life will prompt some kind of reaction from us…some kind of response…some kind of behavior. These challenges can be big or small. Long or short. Constant or intermittent.    A medical diagnosis. A financial blow. A spouse drifting away. You get the idea.  It’s life. And it plays out like this for all of us every day.    Even with that reality, we need...

Have you ever wondered why our closest relationships—with a spouse, family member, and close personal friends—are so complicated? So fragile? So vulnerable?    I have, and I suspect you have, too. And it gets me thinking, “How can that be? Where is God in all of this?    The answers to those questions come pretty quick. First, this isn’t heaven. We live on earth right now and it’s...