Do you have a clear sense of purpose? Are you moving in the right direction? Or does life sometimes feel random—or even pointless?

Nothing fuels a man’s soul like knowing his purpose, and nothing drains him more than not knowing.

What is a man’s greatest need in this world? Women share this need too, but for men it tends to be all-consuming—#1. Yet many men are not able to name it, much less tell you how to satisfy it. And among those who can name it, too many are trying to satisfy their greatest need apart from Jesus, including Christians. They’re unaware of or deliberately ignoring God’s principles in their quest.

Would your family and friends say you lead a vibrant life in Christ? Or do you find yourself vacillating between the values of this world and the values of Jesus?

A lot of men you know—maybe you—feel stuck in spiritual mediocrity. They have become cultural Christians rather than biblical Christians. And they hate it! Obviously, no one wants to be lukewarm.

We all want the same things—something to give our lives to that will make a difference, someone to share our lives with, and a belief system that makes sense of why life is so hard. Christianity and secularism both offer solutions to these problems but with dramatically different results.

This week, join Pat Morley to explore why leading an unexamined life is so dangerous, how it happens, and what you can do about it.

We’re excited to kick off a new series on The Man in the Mirror book. In this message, Pat Morley is tackling the “rat race”—the endless pursuit of a moving target that so many men are caught up in. For many of us, that includes the man staring back when we look in the mirror!

But any good business plan begins with a description of the current environment, so we’ll start by identifying the five “rat traps” that ensnare men. Then we’ll take a look at another race—a better race: “the race marked out for us.”

Finally, we’ll explore practical ways we can add spiritual calories to our diet so that we can finish the race marked out for us strong.

Tomorrow we're wrapping up our series on how God speaks to men by exploring how He wants to speak through us.

We'll consider how we can apply everything we've learned so far in order to become His messengers, and why that matters for millions of men—men like Pat Morley, who became a follower of Jesus because a few men simply invited him to tag along and watch how they lived.

Join us in the morning to delve into what made that so irresistible, and what it might look like for you to practically live each day as an ambassador through whom God can speak. It’s going to be a great day!

There’s a certain reassurance in watching the steady rise and fall of the ocean’s tides, isn’t there? The rhythm reminds us that, no matter how unpredictable life feels, something greater is holding it all together.

In the same way, the sovereignty of God—His supreme authority and control over all things—offers us a profound comfort. Although the world may seem chaotic and broken, God’s hand is never far from the details of our lives or the story of humanity.

This week we hear from special guest Ronn Read on how understanding this deep truth transforms our trust, perspective, and hope in the face of uncertainty.

For our annual Christmas message, join Patrick Morley for a brainstorm about how Jesus might have described coming to earth as a baby, the details of how it happened, and how he made sure his story was preserved for us. Merry Christmas!

How Jesus Might Describe His Birth

Luke 2:1-16, 3:23-38; Matthew 1:1-218

QUESTIONS:

1. What is most interesting, perplexing, or troubling to you about the way in which Jesus came into the world?

2. Why was it important for Jesus to have Joseph as his human father?

3. What events have made Jesus more important, intriguing, or special to you during this past year?

4. As a group, close by praising and thanking Jesus for his love, grace, mercy, and provision to save the world and you.