Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by renewing your mind. Religion tells you the most important part of that verse is what comes before that – do not be conformed to this world. Then they encourage you to work and strive to force yourself into some religiously acceptable version of yourself. But the way you don’t conform is by renewing your min…

The 2 Paradigms in Bible emerge early with Cain and Able and continually reappear as Scripture unfolds. Like Cain and Able you were born into the Attention Paradigm of sin, seeking the attention of those around you. The distinct Relational Paradigm is modeled by people such as Abel, Noah, and Abraham. Listen as Elayne exposes the two divergent pers…

Your Identity is Who God Created You to Be, not the titles you have or the things you do. There are many facets to who you are including what you do and how you look, but those quantitative things are part of your physical self and you are body, soul, and spirit. Upon salvation God created in you a New Spirit that aligns with who He originally crea…

Part 3 of the 40 day journey to Develop Your Relationship with God focusing on the character of God and discovering God is Trustworthy. Developing trust is relative to your interpersonal relationship health. Unfortunately, many people have heard storied, made assumptions, and religious baggage that hinders their trust in God. Join Elayne today as s…

As you begin to develop your relationship with God you started with talking to Him, praying. Now you need to hear His reply. The primary way God speaks is through Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit leads you into His truth in Bible. God has never stopped speaking and wants to speak with you personally. Unlike all other relationships you cannot see or hear Go…

The first step in Developing Your Relationship With God is communicating. Communicating with God is generally referred to as praying but the word prayer has lots of sociological baggage, expectations, assumptions, ritual, and structure. Yes many religions have structured prayers spoken like a mantra, communicating with God is more relational.…

Bible uses 40 to signify significant events in individual’s lives or for a group of people, usually the nation of Israel. Join Elayne as she reviews several significant events that include forty and the lessons we can retrieve from them to live brightly and draw closer to God. Moments of potential transformation often include disruption in the norm…

As Newlyweds Adam and Madison begin to take their budget seriously, they agree, giving God ten percent is nothing compared to all He has given and provided for them. Join Elayne as they share the thought process behind their realization they want to tithe, and how they fit it into their very tight budget. The Final portion of Adam and Madison money…

Living without a budget created division and anxiety threatening destruction with the smallest emergency. Taking a chance to confront the depth of their debt, learning to budget, and committing to stay united Adam and Madison have taken control of their money by telling it where to go and what to do. Now just two years away from being completely de…

As we continue our visit with Adam and Madison we have learned adult money problems and debt can sneak up on you to overwhelming proportions. Part 2 for newlyweds Adam and Madison as panic mode set in and they discover they have no clue how to handle the financial crisis brewing. Laying everything out in the open is the first step but now that real…

Adulting includes managing money. Without guidance or training debt can lead to panic and stress. Part one of Adam and Madison money. Newlyweds starting life together after college; dating, graduating, marring, managing money, aka debt. Hear how newlyweds Adam and Madison ran straight into nearly one hundred thousand dollars in debt and realized wh…

Passover, Pascha, Easter, Holy Week, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, so many terms to cover one holiday or Holy Day. Join Elayne as she unpacks and clarifies the significance of this very important day of remembrance Four questions Jews ponder to remember and reflect on the Exodus On all nights we eat wheat (bread) why on this night do we only eat crac…

Taking Jesus to work can be a scary concept in corporate culture, but being intentional in bringing Him along can change the culture of your work space. Join Elayne today with guests who work in corporate America and have found some great tools for letting their light shine. Chad and Richelle Gibson share how they use the gifts of the Holy Spirit a…

Seeing someone do something does not always mean what you think. Similarly, if some people respond in a given manner doesn't mean all will. Learning to identify your own issues starts with confronting them in a novel way. It’s more about personal expectations than another’s character. Who has the problem? Instinctively the world revolves from your …

Two individuals with unique life experiences and dating tragedies working through expectations and failure to build something to last takes dedication, communication, and willpower. Today we hear one side of the process needed to confront past experiences, expectations, and errors to build something better and lasting with your life mate - aka spou…

Where men see respect women seek security. Elayne continues the second series of Dinner at the Crosses discussions with her husband, Nate, and Ross as they unravel the male female perspectives during dating and what it looks like for Christians to seek a mate. This is clean though some statements may not be suited for all ages.…

Living brightly even in dark moments, or times when you choose poorly does not eliminate the possibility that God may use you if you are willing to boldly speak about Him even when your life is a literal mess. Bold testimony's can spring from bold statements in the most unlikely of situations. Join Elayne in another series of Dinner at the Cross' d…

Three facets of stewardship are individual, communal, and by commission. Who are you stewarding? What does stewardship look like? How does the Holy Spirit assist in stewardship? One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions of stewardship is “The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”. Dictionary.com defines a steward as “a…

Figuring out who God created you to be is vital to establishing a firm foundation to stand on as the world comes to discourage or berate you. The hard realities of living a life that is a positive reflection of Christ has unique challenges for unmarried men in the current societal norms for relationships. Lust, illicit sex, and natural make drives …

We continue our after dinner discussion and discuss the challenges of freewill verses serving God knowing you fail daily. Living out obedience in the flesh verses surrendering to God. Is it all about you or have you shifted your focus to serving God? Enjoy this interesting and intriguing discussion at the dinner table of faith, revenge, failing God…

How do you define success? Is it about you and your needs or are you striving for something bigger than yourself? The first of three segments where we talk about success, church, and translations of Bible. These may be questions you’ve considered or points of contention between those around you. We have an open and sometimes passionate discussion a…

4 take aways from the story of Noah and the flood for 2022. This short story if packed with evergreen concepts to help you be the light of the world and stand apart from the darkness and chaos.על ידי Elayne Cross

This first portion of scripture starts well but quickly goes very bad, so why did God preserve it in His Word and what does it have for Christians in 2022? What is with this beautiful garden that quickly leaves Adam and Eve seeking more. So much to see and so little time to share so we will focus on the cherubim and the Tree of Life. Are cherubim m…

Learning about God, studying His Word, and developing your relationship with Him is never ending. Today we jump into that cycle with the last and the first Torah portion, or Parshah, that covers Deuteronomy 33, 34 and Genesis 1 through 2:3 encompassing Moses last day with Israel before they cross the Jordan and finally enter the Promised Land and t…

Looking into the final Feast that God commanded the children of Israel to remember every year and how it can help you know God more. The children are commanded to remember what God has done for them and promised through 7 feasts-holy days, 4 in the spring and 3 in the fall. This last feast requires 7 days living in a booth or tent. Learn how it con…

We do not choose our parents and the experiences life throws at us, but we must choose to grow in adulthood. Despite your upbringing and despite your experiences if you want to know peace you must experience unrest and learn to walk through that to become the person God created you to be. Join Elayne as she discusses 3 lessons she learned on her jo…

I sat down with Jack from the Critical Truth Project. Jack is from England and has lived in the US for several years. This is a fun and informative look at the differences and similarities between the United Sates and the United Kingdom. We talk a little politics, a little religion and even mention a jumper.…

We are born from the recombination of information from our parents’ genes, the Christian Church is born from Jesus – fully God and Fully man. His church has many members but are all part of one body and we must learn to celebrate and honor those parts in love. Full Show notes at https://elaynecross.com…

If we forget our history we are bound to repeat it. Join Elayne as she reviews the work of Nehemiah, Ezra, and Haggai in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem through the struggles and success and the political environment we find ourselves in today. The lessons learned by the Israelite in rebuilding the Temple, Trump was forced to face as well. It sh…

the meaning of words are being changed and new terms like Populist and Nationalist are used as derogatory name calling begging the question, Who is the real bad guy? Are these negative or just a way to sound superior to manipulate the masses? Our enemy can only gain ground if we give it to him so why are we? What do Christians need to do to push ba…

In The Pilgrims Progress John Bunyan mentions 4 reasons people backslide or fall away from their faith. Join Elayne as she examines these 4 examples in light of scripture and letting your light shine. The Pilgrim's Progress is over 300 years old and continues to inspire believers on their journey. Pick up a copy, there are many to choose from. http…

Elayne uses a river and its banks to describe to two extremes of environmental stewardship. On one side is the admirer and on the other is the active doer. But is that all it takes? Should we be in the water? What does it require to take your responsibility to tend this garden, the earth, seriously? Can the environment be your idol? For some it can…

7 Tools for Raising Great Children Future Leaders 1 Be the Best You, You Can Be 2 Be Fully Connected & Committed to Your Spouse 3 Build an Effective Environment (Keep Your Love On by Danny Silk) 4 Hold Family Meetings 5 You Are Raising Adults NOT Children (Loving Your Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk) 6 Remain a United Front 7 Keep Your Word - Praise …

God said it was not good for man to be alone. He never said it was not good for a woman to be alone but it was implied in the action of making her. God took a part of man and formed woman. Woman then elevated man in the world by being partner with him, a mother. A mother receives what is given to her, nurtures it, develops it, and birth’s it. She c…

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray he said “Pray in this way, Our Father who is in Heaven”. Why address God as Father? Does that mean anything to men? Join Elayne as she defines the role of men and fathers and their vital role in Living Brightly and preserving our freedoms.על ידי Elayne Cross

Liberty is messy because people make choices individually but ultimately we still need each other to flourish. While discussing the gift of Liberty and the United States, Elayne delves into recognizing God’s move in our freedom and our need for community. To keep the American light burning bright we must move again toward unity. Not sameness but as…

Chicken Little begins with an acorn falling and ends with many acorns saving Henny-Penny's life. Though this has been a unique year of win's for both sides - SCOTUS is fighting against evil that has tried to dismantle our Representative Republic by returning to the Constitution.על ידי Elayne Cross

Terror erupts when tragedy is eminent but we cannot prevent all tragedy. Evil is in the world and the world desperately needs followers of Christ to seek God’s Wisdom and formulate plans and preparedness to lower the anxiety and fear by being a Bright Light in the darkness. We all ponder how people cope without God – we can and must step into that …

What begins with Y – Yielding. Today Elayne completes BRIGHTLY by finalizing the fourth and final wall representing your interpersonal relationships with others. First we focused on a personal intimate relationship with God through BRIG. Now the final element completes your structure. We all are free to decide how we will live our lives. Today Elay…

God created in us a desire to control our life free from external control. Unfortunately, or fortunately, He also created us to live in communities or tribes. What does that mean? Elayne investigates how living from a spiritual perspective with God enables you to exercise your freedoms and love others in their freedom. This is the seventh in the Li…

Maybe you like to do things your way. Even if you do, it's virtually impossible to live successfully and abundantly alone. The sixth in a series on what it means to Live BRIGHTLY looks at the beauty and purpose of a tribe from the intimate husband-wife family to the nation or culture. When you use your unique gifts and talents to help me and allow …

Finishing the story off with life lessons and and more rambling.

In this episode I talk about me moving from New York to help out a “friend”. Things don’t always go as they seem, as I learned through this ordeal.

The fifth in the series defining what it means to Live BRIGHTLY. In the beginning God created man in His likeness and His image. What does this mean? It means that every person you encounter is made in God's likeness and His image. If you honor God you should also honor others. What does honor mean? Honor is an element of respect for others and not…

Human parents give us good gifts but they are limited by their own flesh. Your Heavenly Father expressed His greatest gift by sending His Son Jesus Christ but He didn't start or stop there. He gave us His word - Bible. He preserves Bible through changes in language and culture. You have individual gifts He has given you and waiting for you to seek …

This episode I just give you the update on my current situation in life. Things have definitely changed since we last talked. *Queue “We don’t talk anymore-Charlie Puth”

What does it mean to live BRIGHTLY? This is the third and an eight part series defining brightly One Letter At A Time. What begins with I? Identity. Understanding who God created you to be apart from the titles you possess and the things you do but, first and foremost as a child of God establishes a solid foundation to live life regardless of the c…

Second of eight in a series defining what it means to Live BRIGHTLY. Learning to let your light shine by Living Brightly requires you learn to REST. God knows how important rest is and made it very clear by not just telling us but by showing us. In six days He created all we see and don't see and on the seventh day? He Rested. Not because He needed…

We all believe something. Beliefs are expressed in the social causes you support, your political ideas, and your overall opinion of ...well... just about everything. What do you believe? Do you believe God? What happens when you don't define what you believe? You'll fall for ...well... just about anything tugging your heart. To let your light shine…

Talked about Mother’s Day and how it can effect those of use who are without. Also a little bit about what’s happening in my life.