Trust is easy when the numbers work. It’s harder when they don’t.Most of us don’t struggle to trust God in theory. We struggle to trust him when it affects our money, our security, and our plans.Because at some point, generosity stops being a math question and becomes a trust question.Not: “Can I afford to give?”But: “Do I trust God enough to put him first?”

A lot of us are living with financial stress because we never made a plan for our money—we just kept hoping a little more would fix it.

Money isn’t bad. But there’s a difference between using money… and loving it.

You don’t have to say “I love you” to mean it.But a lot of us go through life assuming people just know.They know I care.They know I appreciate them.They know how I feel.And sometimes the people closest to us are starving for words we thought were obvious.Because love is more than a feeling you carry internally. Love moves toward people. Love gives itself away. Love gets espressed. Not perfectly. Not dramatically. But consistently.The message of Jesus is built on love. Not shallow love. Not sentimental love. Real love that shows up, sacrifices, forgives, stays, and gives itself for others.This might change how you talk to your spouse, your kids, your friends, your parents—even the people you assume already know.This week, don’t just feel love.Say it. Show it. Live like people need to hear it.

You don’t just need to feel grateful.You need to say it.Because sometimes the words we never say carry more weight than we realize.Most of us aren’t trying to be ungrateful. We’re just tired. Busy. Moving from one thing to the next. And somewhere along the way, gratitude becomes something we feel generally but express rarely.But “they know” is not the same thing as “I said thank you.”Unexpressed gratitude can start to feel like ingratitude—not because we don’t care, but because the people around us can’t feel what we never say.And gratitude doesn’t just encourage them. It changes us.It interrupts entitlement. It reminds us we didn’t get here alone. It helps us notice the people, gifts, grace, and goodness we’ve started to take for granted.This week, don’t just feel it. Say it.Seven days. Seven specific thank-yous.Use this sentence: “Thank you for ________. It mattered because ________.”

You don’t need someone to fix it.You need someone who won’t leave.Because when life gets heavy, most of us don’t need better advice—we need to know we’re not alone in it.But that’s harder than it sounds.We try to help from a distance. We rush to solutions. We quietly expect people to figure it out.And without realizing it, we miss what actually matters most.Real support sounds like: I’m with you.Not when it’s easy. Not when you have the answer. But right in the middle of it.This might change how you show up in your closest relationships—your spouse, your friends, your family—and what it looks like to actually support someone when they need it most.Try this this week: Choose one person and one situation… and simply show up and say, “I’m with you.”

Greg & Mitch discuss your questions after "The Essentials"!

You don’t need more advice.You probably don’t even need more accountability.What you might need… is someone to see something in you that you can’t see yet.Because most of us are walking through life shaped more by what’s been said about us than what’s been called out of us. And the truth is—your words are doing that for other people, whether you realize it or not.You can criticize what’s obvious… or you can call out what’s possible.That shift changes how you show up in your relationships—at home, at work, and in the everyday moments that actually matter.This might change how you speak to your spouse, your kids, your coworkers—even yourself.Try this for one week: Look at people and say, “I see in you…”—and mean it.

You don’t need more advice.You probably don’t even need more accountability.What you might need… is someone to notice what you’re doing right.Because most of us are walking through life carrying way more criticism than encouragement—and it’s shaping us more than we think.The truth is, your words carry weight. They can build someone up, or slowly tear them down. And most of us underestimate how much they stick.This might change how you talk to your spouse, your kids, your coworkers—even yourself.Try this for one week: pick three people, and tell them—clearly and specifically—“well done.”

Everything we believe rests on the resurrection of Jesus. He is God’s son who died on the cross for our redemption. In the resurrection, He demonstrated He is Lord of all.