Every day we’re invited into so many stories. Some are uplifting while others are heartbreaking. Some are infuriating, scary, and others make us laugh out loud. Whether the story is in the news, a movie, a book, or listening to a friend share a page from their life, the lens from which we view this world is story.

Tis the season! SEC football, mountain escapes, Trick ‘r Treating, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and all things Winter. Between now and the next issue of Living Real, there will be numerous occasions where we can show Jesus to a world desperate for truth, hope, love, peace, and joy. Tucked between the covers of this volume of Living Real Magazine are life-transforming stories, reflective devotionals, and deeper faith challenges, all steeped in the Word of God, and all designed to help us live out our real faith every day.

I took an afternoon stroll to the mailbox. While walking back to the house thumbing through the envelopes of junk mail and bills, I came across a plain white envelope addressed to me. The return address took me by surprise. Written beside the name of the sender was a prison number. Panic ensued as questions swirled in my mind. How did a prisoner...

Lazy days are upon us, my friends. Cookouts in the backyard, pool parties, and family vacations are on the horizon. At the close of Summer, memories made will be talked, reminisced, and laughed about for years to come.

School drop-off is routine for most parents. Whether drop-off is at the bus stop or in the car line, parents hand their treasured blessings off to adults that may or may not have their child’s best interest at heart. When the bell rings, do you know what your children are being exposed to? Sadly, most parents never give it a second thought.

The chill in the air reminds us we’re in a season of change. Moving from summer to fall and fall to winter are seasonal changes I get excited about. Swapping out sandals for boots, t-shirts for sweatshirts, and cold coffee for hot? Oh yeah.
As Christians, we also encounter spiritual seasons of change. Some are exciting; some are extremely difficult. Our salvation journey ebbs and flows, teaching us along the way how to lean on Jesus and trust Him more. Becoming Christ-like is not easy, and according to 1 Corinthians 2: 12-16, only the Spirit-minded person can understand and evaluate life through the eyes of Christ.

The implosion of America does not lie at the feet of the wicked, but at the heart of the Church. For decades we’ve ignored our Christian responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6) and have allowed the secularists to train them. The number of children who have never stepped foot in a church or even heard the name of Jesus, except in vain, is continuing to increase. Even those who’ve grown up in the church are leaving the faith at alarming rates. Why do you think this is happening?

Did you know there’s a Lion King inside God’s story of redemption in the Bible? Actually, the story involves two lions. These lions are at odds with one another. One is the essence of good and the other of evil.

While rays of sunlight dance like diamonds on lakes, rivers, and oceans, there is a dark cloud looming overhead. Our spiritual enemy is working furiously to lure our most precious of blessings, our children, away from God’s truth, love, mercy, and grace.

Looking into the eyes of that precious little boy with the beautiful curls wrecked me. For the first time, I saw the actual horrors of the Holocaust not only as an historic travesty committed against the innocent by evil men, but as another grotesque attempt by the evil one to steal, kill, and destroy the redeeming work of Jesus.