Fifty-nine percent of the time the word "give thanks" or "praise God" shows up, it's in that book. And so I asked myself, well, why would that be? Why in this part of the Bible would it say, "give thanks, give thanks, give [...]

A few years ago, my wife and I saw the amazing Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen. I'll show you the picture. There's me and Kim standing just outside of the theater and we were about to experience one of the better Broadway shows that we had seen [...]

A lot of us need a message that's for messed up people and maybe you do, too. Maybe you're listening to this message at home, feeling lonely, because you messed up your relationship. Maybe you know the feel of a prison mattress because you're [...]

Now if you were God, that kind of life would be easy. With your infinite power and control, you could snap your fingers and make that happen but do you know the problem? Do you know the major historical problem with giving someone a life that good? [...]

In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul says, "Do not be anxious about anything". In 1 Peter 5 the apostle Peter says, "Cast all your anxiety on God". Don't keep any of it in yourself or in your heart. So Jesus and his closest friends [...]

I'm almost 40 now and I've learned that no matter how much I plan, how often I pray, how hard I try, at the end of the day there is so little that I can control. Like my daughters. My two daughters are so out of control. I don't mean they're bad [...]

Has someone that you know that isn't a Christian, ever wondered why you do the things you do? Like, maybe you go to church when they sleep in, and they kind of feel bad for you. Or you give some of your money or volunteer your time to help a [...]

I'm standing in the old city of Jerusalem. It's a bright, beautiful day. It's also a busy day. It's a Jewish holiday. So if you hear cars and children and horns and motorcycles, don't panic, that's just life in the big city. I'm actually standing in [...]

Sometimes you don't really understand what Jesus taught, until you stand in the place that Jesus stood. And that's how I feel today. Now, I'm standing in front of a beautiful church, on the Mount of Beatitudes. This is the place where Christians [...]

I am standing here at Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, and the site of one of the incredible archeological finds of the past 20 years. Back in 2009, archeologists found, just 12 inches below the surface of the soil, this. A first century [...]

I'm so grateful for what happened here. And you should be too. I'm standing, right now, on a sunny, beautiful day in the city of Jerusalem, and just behind me is the Temple Mount. Before the Romans ripped down every stone, that is where the holy [...]

The other day, I had an unexpected conversation about gender with the three most important females in my life. It was just a regular night in the Novotny household. I grabbed our Time of Grace devotional book and my wife cuddled up with our two [...]

Guys, the calling that God gave you is in an incredible picture of a rib. Men, do me a favor for a second. Put your pens down and I want you to touch your ribs for a second. I want you to think about how it feels, how it's made, and what it does. [...]

Do you care about God and gender as much as I do? To be honest, I hadn't given it that much thought until just over 10 years ago when the gender of my child was revealed; my wife Kim and I had decided to make it a surprise. So on that incredible [...]

I'm standing here in beautiful Nazareth. It's an amazing day in Israel and this is an amazing place. Just behind me is a massive basilica called the Basilica of the Annunciation. And many people believe this is the place where the angel Gabriel [...]

Are you a sinner? Me too. Do you have any friends? Me too, I think. But if you're a sinner and you have friends, do you know who calls Himself your friend? Jesus. I'm standing here in the town of Capernaum where Jesus lived during His three year [...]

I'm standing here in front of the ancient synagogue of Magdala. It's the home of Mary Magdalene. A place in Galilee where Jesus certainly was preaching and teaching the Kingdom of God 2,000 years ago. And as I'm walking around these ancient stones, [...]

I'm standing here today, on the Mount of Olives and I'm thinking about people. Really different kinds of people. And behind me, you can see really powerful, passionate symbols of different religions and beliefs that exist here in this world. I mean, [...]

So here I am, sitting among the ruins of Caeserea. If you don't know the story, Caeserea is a famous city that Herod the Great, the king who tried to kill Jesus, built right on the Mediterranean Coast. And so many things in the book of Acts happened [...]

So when you feel like your faith isn't what it should be, when you feel like you don't have everything you want to, spiritually, you can turn to Jesus. and he proclaims, he preaches good news for people just like you. Wow! We are here! Jesus was [...]

And when Jesus thinks about you, he says the same thing, "I know him. I know her". Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' [...]

In fact, he prefers it that. That you offer him nothing. That you open up your hands and say you need his grace and mercy every day. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm [...]

Children of God is what we are, even though we don't deserve to be them. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw [...]

And that's why today I want to put a little bit of urgency in your heart. If you have a lot in common with me and you get nervous and you're not sure if the timing is right, today I want Jesus to slightly nudge you, maybe strongly kick you, so that [...]

But instead of you having to build something like this, instead of spending your whole life trying to build something so impressive you can get like from your life to the presence of God, Jesus says he just gives it. Wow! We are here! Jesus was [...]

So today, I want to challenge you. What could you do to put these words into practice? How could you write the words of God on the gates that you go in and out of each day? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this [...]

And we feel so small, like running up on our two little feet trying to tear down those walls and it feels like we can't and that things will never change. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to [...]

That it might not take decades and decades of study. We might be 12 inches, or 12 seconds, or 12 verses away from the beautiful thing that gets to our heart and reminds us of the beauty of the kingdom of God. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not [...]

Who's the person who thrives spiritually? Who's really blessed in the eyes of God. The one who meditates The one who doesn't just take step after step mindlessly, but instead thinks about each one very, very carefully. Wow! We are here! Jesus was [...]

But every time we open the pages of this book, and not just skim them but really chew on them, meditate upon them, we get one inch closer to the mind, the heart and the thoughts of God. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. [...]

And God might mess with your plans, too. For your family, your job, your health, your entire life. But he's made you a promise. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, [...]

I mean why do relationships or marriages get tense or ugly or fall apart? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw [...]

In a world where we worry, where we find it hard to sit still, where we panic about our medical results, or our kids and their choices, about our president, our nation, a thousand different things. God says to us, "Hey. Be still". Wow! We [...]

I bet if I asked you if you worry, the answer would be obvious. The better question would be: what are you worry about today? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, [...]

See, God never claims that his plans or purposes should make sense to you. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw [...]

Have you heard that old jab, you know, showing up in a garage won't make you a good mechanic? And showing up in a church doesn't make you a great Christian. I'm not sure if your brain is anything like mine but I find it natural; like shockingly easy [...]

Today, I want to take you back to that Thursday night before Friday's cross, the night before Jesus bled, and read to you just a big chunk of Scripture; what Jesus taught his disciples about what to expect in this world. So if you want to follow [...]

You don't have to raise hands or anything but I wonder how many of you kind of grew up with that view of God that was all about the rules; all about what you do and what you don't. If you're pretty familiar with the Ten Commandments, if you know all [...]

Can you imagine if our church had double the amount of love? I mean, I really love our church family; I think it's a fairly kind and accepting and honest and hospitable place. But if I could push that button and like every person who walks through [...]

There's a little sentence I want you to write down if you're taking notes in your program. I think most of our fear is summarized by these two words that begin so many of our thoughts; the words "what if". What if I don't get this? What if [...]