Showing results by author "Paul Granger" in All Categories

Do you struggle to honor the Sabbath? The fourth commandment tells us to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” (Exodus 20:8–11) yet it can be hard to know what that means and why it’s important. Sabbath: Beyond Rest is a 5-day devotional exploring how the Sabbath is not an inconvenient restriction, but invitation to “immeasurably more.” Each day we engage several passages exploring Sabbath rest and God’s wisdom in inviting us to something that: ...is bigger than you ...is longer than your timeline ...is beyond practical restoration ...is more eternal than you realize ...

Spending time in scripture can be difficult; this 5 day "journey" gives you an accessible way to step into the Word. "A Journey through Spiritual Gifts" is a 5-day devotional exploring “spiritual gifts.” You know the feeling: you see someone with an impressive gift (trick shots, an inspiring speech, musical skills), and think, “I wish I had a gift like that.” What if you discovered God has given you a gift even more impressive? If you’re willing to look and listen for God, we believe you’ll find He’s placed something incredible within you. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:7, “...

How do we love beyond our senses? Have you ever struggled to show love because of the way someone looked? Grown impatient with someone who was loud? Pulled away when someone had an odor? Avoided touching or eating with someone because of their circumstances? Consciously or not, we frequently withhold love from others when our senses are offended. Meanwhile, Jesus had all five senses and poured out love to all he encountered. He saw the filthy, naked man living amidst graves, heard Bartimaeus's disruptive cries, smelled the death stench of Lazarus's tomb, felt the open wounds of the man with...

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:43-45 If Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies, why do so few prayer books include prayers for our enemies? While this is understandably the hardest demographic to lift up in prayer, difficulty was never the determining factor on whether or not we should pray. If Jesus wants us to pray for our enemies, we should probably figure out how. This book provides 5 simple (...

What if the best way to be successful in podcasting is to be unsuccessful? That may seem counter-intuitive; the reality is our pursuit of success may be misaligned, leading us far from where we need to be. Through the course of this book -- developed in part through talks given at "Podcasting Made Simple" -- we explore how things that look "unsuccessful" may actually yield far more than traditional metrics. Get ready to examine “unsuccessfulness” through: Redefining “success” and learning that what looks “unsuccessful” may be the opposite ⬇️ Discerning how our “on-air ...

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 The woman at the well was confused when Jesus offered her miraculous living water; we would be too. We know how water works, and it cannot eliminate your thirst forever. What Jesus -- and God throughout scripture -- wants us to understand is that there is a life being offered to us that is immeasurably more than anything we could ask for or imagine; ...

Can our joy be complete without unity? According to the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:1-4, perhaps not. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (ESV) What we miss in our translations is that while verse 1 uses...

Let’s be honest: while we may say "God is Provider" on Sunday, we tend to live the rest of the week like He isn’t. We don’t want to admit it, but too often we believe the lie that “God won’t provide.” Instead of faith, we are guided by financial fear, take matters into our own hands, or develop an unhealthy pursuit of wealth. Yet if Scripture is true, we have to acknowledge this foundational reality: We don’t need money; we need God. In this book we wrestle with what it means for “God to be Provider”, why we struggle to accept a reality that is actually good news, and what...

“I have had enough, LORD. Take my life.” 1 Kings 19:4 These are not the words of a weak man, but of the great prophet Elijah, who after faithfully serving God and seeing Him work, found himself utterly depleted and hopeless. Can you resonate? Have you tried to serve God, only to find things getting worse? Have you tried to be faithful, only to find your actions misinterpreted? Have you given so much and felt more was taken in return? I have, and it is an utterly demoralizing place to be; yet we can find encouragement in Elijah's story, because the verse above was not the end. This short...

Tori was a tornado, full of energy and excitement. She loved to rush around and play, but sometimes it caused issues. When she accidently topples her friend's tower, she discovers that simply saying "sorry" doesn't always make things better.

This is not a podcast. Well, it is, but only as a by-product. It's actually an authentic, accessible space to process -- God, life, purpose -- that then reaches your ears. This Spirit-led space allows guests (and you) to learn the power of honest processing. Whether stories, hard questions, or organic conversations, we process how we can see God in the midst, and how we can learn to see Him more fully daily. www.wheredidyouseeGod.com Have a story? You can leave a brief message at (804) 372-3836 or schedule a time to talk at wheredidyouseegod.com/conversation-with-a-twist

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Psalm 13:1 David knew God was real and powerful. He had experienced God’s all-knowing wisdom through Samuel’s prophecy of kingship, and God’s incarnational strength with the defeat of Goliath. There was no question in David’s mind about what God knew and could do; his question was why God seemed absent and unmoving. If you’ve ever felt abandoned by God amidst long-suffering, this week-long devotional exploring Psalm 13 is for you. By spending time with David’s raw questions, ruminating ...

Families are a gift, prayers are powerful, and games are fun!Games You Can Pray will inspire and equip families, youth groups, and even adults to grow in unity by engaging in fun, creative prayer times together. With 75 Games and activities, you and your spiritual family can learn to hear God’s voice through fun-filled creative prayer, wherever you are! What first began in 2001 with a group of missionaries through the Welsh King's Kids was picked up nearly twenty years later by YWAM River City families in an effort to make prayer more accessible and engaging, particularly for groups with ...

Zoe did not know she was dead. As a young zombie, Zoe had learned that the purpose of life was to eat, die, and be eaten; deep down she knew there must be something more. When a stranger reveals that she is actually dead, she is thrust into a life-and-death journey amidst her family, the ravagers, and her understanding of reality itself. Lifeblood is an exploration of life and death, value and purpose, and isolation and community through the lens of zombies; whether a teen or an adult, more than a “zombie story” awaits you.

So you’re going on a mission trip… are you ready? Every year millions engage in short-term missions, and many end up saying “I wish I had known ____ before my mission trip!” We’ve been there. At YWAM River City, each of us has served in anywhere from two to over fifty countries, and we still have moments when we feel like missions rookies! A “Rookie’s” Guide to Missions is our gift to you. A collection of wisdom and stories from our decades of missionary work, our hope is to equip and encourage you BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER your trip… and in your day-to-day life! Inside ...

Do you feel like a foolish Christian?If you have ever believed you were hearing and responding to God, only to find that the path becomes confusing, the hardships increase, and those watching deem you a fool, you may very well be more aligned with God than you think: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25 "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the ...

I'm not going to promise this book will bring you joy.Some might say I should call this "30 days to Incredible Joy", but that may not be the end result; it wasn't for me. When God confronted me on my rejection of joy and invited me to spend a month exploring it, I somehow knew erupting into song and dance wasn't the goal; the pursuit was. God wanted me to reject joy no longer, even if my journey to experiencing joy was ongoing. Perhaps this devotional will lead you to song and dance; while I can't promise that, I do believe that committing a month to exploring joy won't be fruitless. For me...

Spending time in scripture can be difficult; this 5 day "journey" gives you an accessible way to step into the Word. "A Journey through 1 Peter 2" is a 5-day exploration through just the first 12 verses of 1 Peter 2. If that seems too short for a 5 day study, you’ll be surprised how much God can do with very little. If you’re willing to look and listen for God, we believe you’ll find Him in some way this week. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” You will have everything you need to ...

In January 2024 I felt a clear invitation from God to process with Him through writing, every week, and share what I wrote through YWAM Virginia. The idea was not to create more content, but to consistently seek Him through written word. What He knew that I did not was that 2024 would be a difficult year, and I would need those weekly spaces to keep my eyes on Him rather than the hardship. I often felt my weekly writings veered negative, and worried people may push back; instead, I would occasionally be affirmed by a reader who said the message was exactly what they needed at exactly the ...

This will not be your normal Revelation study. No matter your experience with Revelation -- whether you believe you know what all the numbers represent or you’ve never flipped the pages -- I believe God wants to speak to you today, and tomorrow, and the next day through this unique and oft-misunderstood (and misused) book. Afterall, this is the book that closes it all up; not just the collection of scriptures, but the story of God and his creation. In light of that, it might be worth exploring. The hope for this resource is that it makes that exploration accessible for you, whoever you ...