As the election candidates finalize their campaigns this week, we all are faced with decisions as to who to cast our vote for. It has been a brutal several months with a barrage of negative ads and heated rhetoric from both sides. Overall, it has been quite a fight for the next two years of governmental control. Fighting is nothing new for people though; we have been doing it since we were exiled from Eden. If we look at history, those who have won battles are seldom the win

The tragic Pittsburgh synagogue shooting this past weekend continues to make headlines, but one headline yesterday was more important than those surrounding the shooter, his motives, and the destruction he caused. That headline was that the first doctors and nurses to treat the gunman for his injuries were Jewish. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen is the president of Allegheny General Hospital and also a member of the synagogue that was targeted by the shooter. In a true testament to the pow

The horrific shooting in the Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday rocked the nation as yet again, evil inflicted pain, suffering, and death upon our world. Often our gut reaction is to look to each other and our leaders for answers and solutions in such times — and thus the fight against evil becomes political. In the Book of Mark, Jesus heals a boy who had been suffering at the hands of an evil spirit. His father pleads with Jesus to save his son, though not entirely sure that Jesu

Happy Elevated Friday! Today we highlight a story of civility and respect in, of all places, a political race. In Lamoille County, VT, Zac Mayo is the Republican and Lucy Rogers is the Democrat running for a state House seat. Both have been giving their all to the campaign, both visiting each of the 2000 houses in the district. In a time when political passions are running red hot around the country and fueling hate, division, and in some cases, violence, these two candidates

The evil acts committed yesterday in mailing explosives to several former high ranking government officials shows that evil is always present in this world. It is present because the enemy is always hard at work, tempting, promising, and deceiving anyone who would believe if they only indulge their desires, their lives will be better. However, this is a lie that even many believers in Jesus fall victim to. They may believe in Jesus, but they do not walk with Him. In Matthew,

The midterm elections are coming up and most people are finalizing their decisions on whom they will give their vote to. Voting for someone inherently includes making a decision on what you think of them as a person, their political beliefs, and their life experiences. How many of us are guilty of judging others — who aren’t running for public office — on the same qualities? When we begin to seek perfection in others in order for them to “earn our respect,” we will inevitably

There are many who are approaching the upcoming midterm elections as the day that everything will change — either towards their viewpoint or against it. But to view an election with this amount of hope and faith is to ignore the true source of hope and faith in our lives: Jesus. In Ezekiel, God says, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” The change that matte

As we all begin a new week, do not start yours with worry, doubt, and anxiety. If we come first to Jesus each day then He will join us throughout the day. For we all need something in the morning — for some it is caffeine, food, or connection to friends or loved ones with a text or call. But those things will not satisfy our spiritual need for guidance, comfort, and closeness with our Lord and Savior. In 1 Peter, it says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so th

Happy Elevated Friday! Today we highlight a story of a very wealthy man who has given up his entire fortune in favor of living a simple, happy life. 63-year-old Chow Yun-Fat, one of the most famous movie stars in Hong Kong, has accumulated an incredible net worth of $714 million in his career. However, Chow has always lived a simple and modest life. He has always purchased his clothes from thrift stores, eaten at “food stalls” (inexpensive Chinese restaurants), utilized publi

The news of Pastor Andrew Brunson's release and return from captivity in Turkey was great news this week. He no doubt suffered greatly for two years in a Turkish prison, but in interviews since has commented that while difficult some days, he never lost faith that God was with him. We all face trials in life, and some last for years or even decades. For many, it is the length of time to endure that is the most difficult aspect to grapple with. But God is faithful no matter wh