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“Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.”

It can be hard to find time to learn amid the busyness of work and family but if you have a few minutes here and there, that’s enough.  Pick up a good book, try a new cuisine or dig in to one of our Life Lessons.

Life Lessons are short, topical studies that let you dig a little deeper into a topic that interests you.  There are lessons on marriage, communication, fear, spirituality, secrets, beauty, stress and contentment.

Most lessons take about half an hour to complete. Simply read the material and answer the questions.  When you hit “Submit” your answers will be sent to a Study Coach who will respond with additional insights. If you wish to discuss things further with your coach, they’re always just an email away.

You can see a complete list of topics on our site.
Browse our selection of nearly 100 online interactive life lessons

Which one will you try first?

What is love? Is it definable? Is it a feeling? A passion? Is love always romantic?

Passions and feelings can be fickle; they can change. So, where do you look for a  love that lasts?

* in a bar
* in a friend
* in a marriage
* in a father or mother
* in a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Is it found…

* in status
* in things
* in money
* in a career
* in notoriety
* in possessions
* in power or position?

Where is this love?

If you’re looking for love in the people or things in the above lists, you’re looking in all the wrong places. You must first look inward. If you have no love within you, you will not be able to give love to another.

Do you yearn for that special love, the kind of love that believes in you, nurtures you, encourages you, supports you, comforts you, is always there for you? Do you wonder if this elusive, unchanging, lasting-forever-kind-of-love exists? It does exist.  This love comes in the person of Jesus Christ.

You love yourself and others, you find that perfect love, when you give your heart to Jesus. He loves you. Have you loved Him back? The disciple John wrote in one of his letters, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, NKJV)

You have been loved with an everlasting, all-sacrificing, all-forgiving, unconditional, perfect love. You are beloved. Cherished. To die for. Jesus says to you, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16a, NKJV)

You are the one He loves; He gave His life for you. “This is My body which is given for you.” (Luke 22:19 NKJV)

The apostle Paul wrote, “Long before [God] laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love,” (Eph. 1:4a, The Message). When you know this kind of precious love, you will begin to truly love yourself and others. Your love life will be in order.

So, what or whom do you love? If I asked you to answer, without thinking, what you love the most, what would be your immediate response? Your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your children, your car, your bank account, your physical appearance, your iPod, your cell phone?

Jesus asks you, “Do you love Me more than these others?” (John 21:15, TLB)

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.” (1 John 4:16-17a NLT)

May you know this perfect love.

Experience Pure Love and Forgiveness

What do you fear, and why?

Watch “What Do You Fear?”

Love is, apparently, like a drug.

That rush of good feelings you have in the first few months of being in love don’t just put you in a better mood; love may actually be a painkiller … The magnitude of pain relief when participants thought about their beloved was comparable to morphine and other clinical painkillers. (CNN)

The researchers used university students as their subjects, “all of whom were in the “early phases of passionate love,” having been in a relationship anywhere from a few months to a year.” However the researchers are quick to note that “this is not a study about chronic pain, merely pain applied for 30 seconds at a time in an artificial setting.”

It seems likely that just as the initial passion of a relationship will wane as the months go by, the potential of that initial quixotic love as a pain relief method will also gradually disappear. And it may be stereotypical of me to think so, but based on previous experience (it wasn’t that long ago that I was a student!) the phenomenon of passionate initial love crashing into tepid doldrums seems to be all the more prevalent and exaggerated among university students.

Have you ever used a relationship as a way to “ease your pain”? Perhaps this is why rebound relationships (short-lived but passionate relationships a person gets into right after a breakup) are so common, and why some people get addicted to the feeling of those initial moments in a relationship and find it difficult to “settle down.”

Whether you’re a student or not, relationships can be tricky! Check out our Sex & Love resource area for love tips … here are some of the most popular articles:
- Help! My Husband Doesn’t Want Sex
- How to Write a Love Letter
- Dynamic Sex: Unlocking the Secret to Love

If you’d prefer to speak with someone confidentially about relationship issues, contact a mentor today to begin the conversation via email. It’s free, and private.

“Alcoholism has an effect on everybody around the person suffering from it. This is especially true for a family.”

According to a 2002 survey conducted by the U. S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are 18 million American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent which works out to be approximately 6% of the population. In Canada, the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey reported 2.6% of the population with an alcohol addiction.

More pertinent your own family, “Alcoholism statistics tell us that about 43% of US adults or 76 million people have been exposed to alcohol dependence in the family. They grew up with or married a compulsive drinker or had a blood relative who was a problem drinker.”

Mike Woodard was one of the many people who grew up in homes with an alcoholic parent. Or in his case, both parents. In his article he explains how “My parents, both drunk, were having a fight. My father pushed my mother with enough force that she broke her pelvis and ended up in the hospital. This was one of many crazy memories of that I have of my family.” His experiences growing up led him to not only harbor resentment to his own father, but also to people outside of his family. As he says: “when there are significant unresolved issues in the family, it will affect all our other relationships.”

Mike was able to overcome his family relationship issues by taking to heart some advice he got from a friend while at university. “Somehow, dealing with the relationship with my dad set me free,” he says, “and taught me lessons the have made other important relationships better.”

Have you witnessed the fallout from alcohol abuse, either in your own family or with someone you know? Have you been able to escape the legacy of alcoholic parents, or are you currently struggling with such issues? If you feel like you need someone to talk to, please contact us to be matched with an email mentor.

It starts with a series of words and the simple question, “Positive or negative?”

What role do our deepest human cravings for intimacy, destiny, and meaning play in our search for God? Crave: The Documentary explores how regardless of race, background, or spirituality, we all have one thing in common: the cravings of our soul.

Filmed in Vancouver, BC, Crave features intimate interviews with people young and old from all different walks of life.  They are articulate and breathtakingly honest.  What they have to say about life’s biggest questions may surprise you. You may never look at people the same way again.

Explore destiny, intimacy and meaning further, try our free study series Soul Cravings, or contact us to talk about it.  There is also an abridged version of the book, Soul Cravings: Prequel available at our store.

Which question would you most like to find an answer to?

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. Is there a God?
3. Do blondes have more fun?
4. What is the best diet?
5. Is there anybody out there?
6. Who is the most famous person in the world?
7. What is love?
8. What is the secret to happiness?
9. Did Tony Soprano die?
10. How long will I live?

The BBC reports that the list is based on approximately 1.1 billion searches made since the site opened in 2000.

Were there any questions on the list that surprised you?

I was surprised to see that “Do blondes have more fun?” was number three on the list. I wasn’t aware that it was such a contentious issue! A brief search revealed a 2003 ABC News report on this momentous (*cough*) question. It mentions that “a user survey of both sexes late last year confirmed that 55 percent agree with the old adage that blondes have more fun.” Good to know …

Not all the questions are so trivial though. Many speak to our soul cravings, the innate desires that we all share. “What is love?” and “What is the secret to happiness?” fall into this category, as well as “What is the meaning of life?”. We all crave meaning in life, so it’s not surprising that meaning tops the list of supposed unanswerable questions.

But what makes a question truly unanswerable? When are answers unknowable? Is it when something cannot be proven with 100% certainty? Then most of what we believe is unknowable. Take number 5 for example: “Is there anybody out there?” Restated slightly, this question could be asked in this way: “Do other minds exist?” Now, everyone believes that other minds exist. In theory you could be “in the Matrix” but no one actually believes that or lives their life that way. Even though it’s ultimately unprovable, we are right to believe that other minds actually do exist and we are not alone.

Question number 2 is a contentious one for sure: “Is there a God?” Recent books like “The God Delusion” and “God is not Great” have brought the issue to the foreground in contemporary society, causing others to respond with works like “The Dawkins Delusion?” and “The Dawkins Letters“.

Do these disagreements mean the question of God is unanswerable? I don’t think so, because we all have an answer to the God question. Your answer may be “yes” or “no” or “I’m not sure” or “I don’t care” but everyone has an answer. The question is, which answer is correct? There are in fact reasons to believe God exists, what will your answer be?

Another question that is tough to answer is number 6: “Who is the most famous person in the world?” It may be contentious to say, but I think the answer is Jesus. The Bible which tells Jesus’ story has been translated into 5000 or more languages (more than any other book) and the Bible Society in the UK estimates six billion copies had been printed by 1992. He has arguably had more impact on world history than any other person.

What makes Jesus so compelling? Jesus was unique in many ways, but the easiest way to explain his compelling nature is his identity. He claimed something amazing: To be God in the flesh. But Jesus didn’t just make the claim to be God: He backed it up. He proved his claim with a flawless life, amazing miracles, and stunning preaching. The crowds who gathered to see him cried out “Nothing like this has ever been seen!” and even the guards who were told to seize him exclaimed “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”

One of his claims was to forgive other peoples’ sins. This would be the height of arrogance for most people, but if Jesus was who he said he was, it would not only be entirely appropriate, it would be very good news for us. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we do things that are wrong. There is no amount of good works that can cancel these things out; we can’t pull ourselves out of the quicksand by our own power. We need someone with a rope to pull us out. Jesus did that and more: He also took the punishment that we deserve on the cross, so that we can be forgiven. The only thing that can prevent us starting a renewed relationship with God through Jesus is our refusal. (Explore more about who Jesus is here.)

You can begin a personal relationship with Jesus right now by faith through prayer.

Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I want to make you the “most important thing” in my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

Watch The Other Six Days video. Explore what this video means to you through “The Other Six Days” interactive online study.

When both US president Barack Obama and Catholic Pope Benedict XVI advise you that your plans are a bad idea

Terry Jones would be well advised to listen to their advice. His tiny 30 member group, ironically named the “Dove World Outreach Church” in Gainesville, Florida, plans to burn copies of the Qur’an on the anniversary of September 11:

Jones has said he sees Koran-burning as a way of confronting Islamist terrorism. But his plans have been widely condemned by U.S. religious, political and military leaders, who say it is jeopardizing the security of U.S. military personnel abroad.

“I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan,” Obama said on “Good Morning America.” (Reuters Canada)

In addition to president Obama and the Pope, condemnations of the actions have rained down worldwide. Interpol warned of “tragic consequences” that “may well claim the lives of many innocent people.” The World Council of Churches, which represents 349 Christian denominations, stated that the call to burn Qur’ans “has been firmly rejected and condemned by the WCC and its member churches.” France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that France condemns “in the strongest terms the vicious and irresponsible statements of Pastor Terry Jones.” Former presidential and vice-presidential candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin also condemned the planned action.

His actions, if they do decide to carry through as planned, will endanger American troops abroad as well as Christians living in predominantly Muslim countries. It’s sad that this pastor cannot see the pervasive negative impact of his actions. On the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the last thing the world needs is more insensitivity … and literally fanning the flames of hatred.

As we remember the events of that infamous day, nine years ago, we would do well to reflect on our own reactions to it. The article “9/11 and You” was written by a man whose sister had a 9:00am appointment at the World Trade Center … on September 12. He struggled with anger regarding the attacks and how his sister would likely have been killed if her appointment was one day earlier, and explains what he learned from his meditations. It’s worthwhile reading for us all.

Other stories for reflection stemming from 9/11:
Remembering September 11th – On September 11, 2001 I said my first prayer. My son was a police officer with the New York Police Department.
The Call That Shook My World – The sense of loss that morning was overwhelming, both the shared loss and my personal loss.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “Pattern for Restoration” on September 12 at 9:00 pm EDT Please join us to discuss how you can change patterns in your life from destructive to restortive.

We’ve all asked “why?” at some point or another.  Chris Keith has been asking why for most of his life.

He was 12 years old when his grandparents decided he was old enough to know the truth.  His whole family – his parents and his older brother Mikey – did not die in a car accident as he has been told.  The were the victims of a murder-suicide at the hands of Chris’ Dad.   Chris learned that his father had shot him point blank in the head as well, that paramedics had declared him dead as well until somehow he moved a little and they realized he was still alive.

Chris is left with a lifetime of whys.  Why did his father do this? Why did his Mom take a violent drunk back into her life again and again? Why did Chris survive while his brother died? Why wasn’t it the other way around?

Learning to live with “why?”

Years of therapy, a strong faith and the love of his grandparents have helped Chris as he walks through his own story, but nothing is ever going to make what happened okay.  In a recent article for CNN Chris describes laying awake at night during his high school years, “just thinking”.

Philosophers, pastors and cynics have all tried to answer the question why, but few of them have had to live it as Chris has.  The search for meaning, the longing for life to have a purpose and a direction is common to all of us.  We want to belong, we want our lives to count.  We need it.  Our very souls crave it.

In his book Soul Cravings Erwin McManus discusses his own search for the answers to these very questions.   He writes, “Our souls crave to know the truth, and we need to pursue it at all cost. Whatever the implication, whatever it takes us, we must search for meaning, strive for understanding, struggle to make sense of life, never give up on the belief that the truth is out there.”

If you find yourself asking the same questions and want to learn more about the search for intimacy, destiny and meaning join us for a special chat series on Soul Cravings Monday nights at 9pm EST. The series starts on August 30th and runs every Monday until September 27.

How do you answer the whys in your own life?