What is the actual goal of spiritual disciplines? Is it to check boxes, read our Bibles more, and pray longer prayers? Or is it something—and Someone—entirely different?

Welcome back to our "Holy Habits" devotional series. In this video, Pastor Mike offers a crucial reminder: spiritual practices are not an end in themselves. The goal is not to become a "really disciplined Christian." The goal is to become the kind of person who naturally does what Jesus would do—bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control.

In this devotion, we explore:

• How the children in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia are transformed by their time with Aslan.
• Edmund's journey from selfishness and resentment to humility and courage—changed not by trying harder, but by meeting grace.
• Lucy's quiet, steady faith that allows her to be a truth-teller and persevere in goodness, even when others waver.
• The crucial insight that our growth is not just for our own benefit—it prepares us to be sent back into a broken world to serve at a deeper level.

In a world aching for people marked by peace instead of anxiety, and generosity instead of self-protection, the invitation is the same for us as it was for the Pevensie children: time with Jesus changes everything.

What might happen if you simply spent more time with Him?

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How does spiritual transformation actually happen? Is it one dramatic moment, or is it something else entirely?

Welcome back to our "Holy Habits" devotional series. In this video, Pastor Mike continues our exploration of the spiritual practices that position us for God to do His transforming work. And to illustrate this, he turns to one of literature's most unlikely heroes: Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings.

In this devotion, we discover:

• The difference between behavior modification (trying harder) and true spiritual transformation (being changed by God).
• How Samwise, a simple gardener with no ambition for glory, becomes a person of noble character—not through one heroic act, but through thousands of small, faithful choices.
• The powerful moment when Sam realizes he can't carry Frodo's burden, but he can carry Frodo himself.
• A reminder from C.S. Lewis that every choice we make "turns the central part of you into a little different thing than it was before."

Transformation isn't about dramatic, overnight change. It's about the quiet accumulation of small steps in the right direction—choosing faithfulness, loyalty, and love, one decision at a time. This is what spiritual habits are for: they train us to make those small, right choices so that, over time, God shapes us into who He created us to be.

What small choice can you make today that will steer you toward God?

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In a world of chronic noise and endless distractions, how do we actually create space to hear from God?

Welcome back to our "Holy Habits" devotional series! This week, we're diving into the twin practices of silence and solitude. In this video, Pastor Mike shares powerful insights from his own recent retreat and from Scripture about why being still is essential for spiritual growth.

In this devotion, we explore:

• The famous exchange between John Ortberg and Dallas Willard: When asked what we must do to grow, Willard's response was simply, "Ruthlessly eliminate hurry." His follow-up? "There is nothing else."
• Why silence isn't just the absence of noise, but a tactic for positioning ourselves to face God, face ourselves, and let the "RPMs of our soul" settle.
• The example of Jesus, who regularly withdrew from the crowds to be with the Father—if the Son of God needed this, how much more do we?
• A powerful metaphor from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Eustace tries to remove his own dragon scales and fails, until Aslan does it for him. This is the heart of spiritual disciplines: we position ourselves so that God can do the work that only He can do.

If you've ever felt too busy, too distracted, or too exhausted to connect with God, this devotion offers a simple, practical invitation to start—perhaps by going to bed a little earlier so you can spend just five minutes in silence tomorrow morning.

Join us as we learn to slow down and listen.

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