James 1:16-25

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and..."

Looked in the mirror lately? A mirror helps us see what we need to correct; God's word is that mirror for our spiritual behavior.

When does the trip to the dentist bother you? We need to let the word of God speak to us and not worry about applying it to everyone else.

"And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else...."

Doesn't our faith have to impact the way we live our daily lives? Rubel Shelly reminds us that our faith must make a difference in our normal lives or it matters little.

What can empty our faith of its value? Tammy Marcelain shares insight on who we welcome and how we welcome them into our midst, and also reflects on what we do to push them away and hurt them with our words and actions.

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the..."

How do we keep from throwing bricks at each other through our screens, large and small? Ann Voskamp reminds us to listen with our heads and hearts and see social media and the Internet as a way to listen to hearts yearning to be loved.

What do you do when you can't do it alone. We need to be accountable and get the support of friends.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. "

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

"Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

"But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you..."

Inspirational illustration of James 1:21 -- Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Inspirational illustration of James 1:22 -- Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Inspirational illustration of James 1:19 -- My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

E-card of James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift comes from above.

"Dear Disciple, Read My harsh words to the Pharisees about their all-talk-legalism and not-much-help religion (Matthew 23:1-36). When you do, you will..."

Have we've been asking the wrong question for too long? Ann Voskamp writes to put all of the bad news of the last few weeks in perspective and suggests that we've been asking the wrong question, a misguided question, far too long?

Is anybody listening? We need to learn to listen better if we ever hope to connect with other people.

What is the key to surviving stress? There are lots of sources of stress and impatience in our lives, but circumstances must not determine our attitude.

Have you learned to let off a little steam before you blow up? We need to vent our anger appropriately with a Christian friend before we lose control and the whole things blows up on us and those around us.

Bet you couldn't get the wrinkles out of these pants! Some people give crazy gifts, but God gives great gifts, but do we stop and thank Him for them?

I knew the picture looked different zoomed out. Melissa Troyer reminds us of those mistakes made by our little ones when they are in their early exploration modes and how our job is not to load them down with rules but to show them where to reach.

"Dear Beloved, Learn to wait and think before you speak. Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to guide your conversation instead of being thrust into....."

What do you do when you mess up? I messed up by assigning the wrong author to the article, but I'm not going to rationalize my mistake away!

What can a giver hope to find in giving? The greatest joy a gift giver can give is when someone uses the gift he or she has been given.

What in the world is that sound? Phil Ware looks back on an old reel-to-reel recording and editing session and reflects how he could sure use that same kind of thing in his life!

Let's live out God's gift of grace by celebrating God's goodness, loving Jesus, and obeying what the Lord taught as we love, serve, and treat others as our Savior did! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online, virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to remind us and help us celebrate and live in appreciation to the grace of God.

When we assume, well, let's just say things don't end so well. Rubel Shelly reminds us to not assume and to be willing to ask questions and listen so we truly understand what is being said.

I may not say much, but I see everything. Ron Rose is back with his Beyond Black coffee collecting stories and meeting new people who introduce him to new things.

Can you stop the tides? Life is constantly changing and we can't stop it, but we can determine how we will react to it.

So is that really hypocrisy? Rubel Shelly talks about a gruesome murder attributed to satanist and reminds us that most satanists are like most folks who claim to be Christians, they don't really walk their talk, they just want to do what they want to do!

So has communication really taken place? Rubel Shelly reminds us of the importance and fragile danger of communication in organizations, businesses, families, and churches because communication doesn't happen until someone hears and understands, not just when someone says something.

I thought Bactine fixed anything! Sometimes in the heat of the moment, we address the wrong issue with the wrong cure.

Let's worship today, praising God and asking for the help of the Holy Spirit as we seek to respond to people as Jesus did! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in online, virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to help us understand how to give fitting replies to others in different conversation contexts.

Are you listening to what is actually being said? We get ourselves in so many problems because we do not genuinely listen to each other.

Why reject the goodness of God and all he has done to choose our own way? James Nored and Phil Ware continue helping us find our story in God's story, this time looking at the Fall.

"Dear Faithful Follower, About the same time Paul was trying to help the Galatian believers understand grace, My half-brother James was working with....."

When does a little filth become too much? Russ Lawson challenges us to look at the way filth and dirt get into our lives and contaminate them and challenges us to pursue holiness and purity.

How can we avoid the foolish man's crash? Phil Ware reminds us of the harsh truth about knowing more than we put into practice, we are certainly called to be much more than a biblical thumb drive.

Can others tell your faith through ypur speech? Russ Lawson reminds us that we can and should be considerate, comforting, and encouraging in the way we respond to others.

God's holiness and grace call us to live our lives to bless others with what we do and what we say. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to praise God for his holiness and grace and call each other to use our lives, our speech, and our actions to bless others.

Have you really thrown them away or just tried to clean them up? We need to not only be sorry for our sin, but we also need to get rid of the things in our lives that lead us to sin.

Can you find that light that chases away the shadows? Phil Ware continues his series on When Spirit Becomes Flesh and talks about Jesus as heaven's light.

Not an archaic form of subjugation but a divine and brilliant system for harmony, mutual enrichment, and voluntary submission! Lee Wilson goes back to the beginning of Scripture and as an experienced relationship coach, invites people to look at God's plan to make marriages thrive.

Why is it so hard not to interrupt? Rubel Shelly describes how hard it is to really listen and not cut off someone else's conversation.

Sometimes we wish we could put the genie back into the bottle! Tom Norvell reminds us about the nature of regrets and the wish we hadn't done what we've done, so he encourages us to live life differently.

Have you ever engaged your mouth before your brain was in gear? The answers from Family Fued remind us of how stupid the things we say can be if we don't think about them first!

What's the most you have ever paid for a meal? While the most expensive meal in history was billed as an overcharge on a credit card, it really is a meal provided by our sin.

In the world of chaotic change, is there anything predictable and dependable? Pat Mingarelli shares photos of geese on a frozen lake and reminds us of the constants of unchanging nature and the God who is faithful and dependable and unchanging and just.

What's shining in that darkness? Rubel Shelly talks about how important it is for us to be light for the dark places of our world.

Have you settled on simply staying put? We need to evaluate how we are growing and have a plan to continue to grow.

What do you have to hide? Phil Ware shares his father's values in a letter to his children Zachary and Megan

Don't focus on what you're going to say! I've come to believe that's the wrong focus. Instead of thinking of what we're going to say, we need to focus on listening. What will we hear? How will we get the other person to open up? Can we learn enough about them to help them draw closer to God

Why is there so much fussing and fighting over spiritual gifts? Phil Ware continues his series on the Holy Spirit called SpiritFire and focuses on the issue of spiritual gifts.

Why eat a strawberry when pursued by a cougar? God is in control and our job is to make the most of the life we are given.

Will you really make it home for Christmas? The message for singles this Christmas is that there IS a home for you, and there IS someone there for you.

What can we learn from a puppy in the snow? I'm convinced that God must know how to smile -- maybe even laugh right out loud. I think that's one of the reasons he gave us puppies.

Have you been slicked lately by the ads? Just like the fast food ads decieve us by making their product look too good to be true, so also satan deceives and tempts us.

Our lesson elaborates on this promise from God. We know that our Father does not withhold sharing his grace and every gift that is for our best good. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos encouraging us to recognize that God is our Father who does not withhold from us good things, especially the best things in this life and the life to c