Sure, sometimes the Christian life is all about perseverance! Sometimes the best we can do is to put one foot in front of another. Sometimes God calls us to the dark night of the soul. But these very things are the strengthening exercises we need to become the soldiers we are meant to be. No matter how dark our walk seems, if we never lose sight of our Savior then our ultimate destination is with Him — if we stand.

Question: What is your most important goal setting activity? Answer: Your friendship with God! In terms of pure goal setting, Christian goal setting shares the same techniques as secular goal setting. There is nothing wrong with that: Christians don’t operate their cars differently from non-Christians, they order off menus the same way, and they take the same medicines when they’re sick. Goal setting, like cars, restaurants and health, simply works along similar lines. But Christian goal setting is a great deal more than simply meeting objectives, because as Christians we set our goals within the context of 1) our relationship with the Risen Christ and 2) our God-given life purpose.…

I lead a small Bible study and prayer group at my church. Yesterday morning one of our members was having a true crisis and did not know where to turn or what to do. Our usual format is to come together to study a Gospel story and then in silence individually pray the story to God, allowing Him to enter into our imaginations. But I felt strongly as this sister in Christ shared the depth of her pain that we needed to do something different. I felt the Holy Spirit remind me about the Society of Friends (Quaker) meetings where the group goes into silent prayer before making a decision…