Gentle tenderness, urgent warning, passionate truth telling, confident certainty- these are the elements of an ancient love letter from a leader to a struggling community in turmoil. 1 John is a short, focused attempt to bring assurance and confidence to ancient believers in the midst of chaos, and whose message carries forward to current day believers.
The cross is critical to understanding our spiritual lives, but the empty tomb points the way forward, because if Jesus was raised from the dead ... everything changes! Understanding that reality is the key to living the "Christ-life", and the paradigm for every aspect of our lives. Join us for a fresh overview of the inescapable implications of the resurrection for the transformation of all things.
It is the problem we face every single day, isn't it? Staying the course. Maintaining our spiritual health. Not allowing ourselves to veer off the path or be distracted from what we’re supposed to do. Finding courage to face our challenges and trials. Despite the best of intentions, we find ourselves going up and down, back and forth. Yet, we follow someone who is unrelentingly determined in moving toward his goals and fulfilling his destiny. What would it be like to live like his disciples, unwavering? Find out in our Lenten series as we follow Jesus on his last journey to Jerusalem.
Everyone loves a good love story, and the book of Ruth is one of the most charming ones in the Bible. There is nothing else quite like it. But do not let the simplicity of the story fool you. Behind the ordinary ups and downs of the lives detailed in it is a Greater Love Story that involves us all. Join us for a two-week look at how love transforms the mundane and the ordinary into vehicles for revealing divine glory.
Everyone starts somewhere. Whether learning an instrument, starting a new job, or beginning a relationship, first steps matter. They set the course for many steps to follow. That is what makes Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, the earliest of his letters to a brand new church, so fascinating. The first shoots of faith of these early believers reveal much about following Jesus in the soil of everyday life. Come learn what it means to not just be alive, but to “Thrive.”
Christmas is a season of lights, rightfully giving this time of year a celebratory and distinctive feel. But is there more to light than we can “see”? The Christmas story is about "light" coming into a dark world- What does that mean? What difference does it make in our day-to-day lives? How can we live out the meaning of Christmas now? This Advent we are exploring how Christ lights up our lives.
We've all had them. Interactions around hot topics and sensitive issues that take a wrong turn. It's easy to get entangled or lost and come away discouraged when a relationship is negatively affected. God has wisdom for us on ways to navigate those conversations. Join us in our lead-up to Thanksgiving as we look at this timely topic.
Society is crumbling and chaos reigns- welcome to the world of the book of Judges! After hundreds of years of waiting and hoping, Israel finally enters the Promised Land... only to undergo repeated cycles of failure and spiritual indifference, where “each person did what was right in his own eyes.” How does God work in such times, not unlike our own? We will journey through Judges to see how God works redemptively, even in the worst of times.
All too often and all too easily, our focus drifts to ourselves, our friends and families, our church. It’s a kind of gravitational pull that makes us the center of the universe. But Jesus and the gospel call us to an outward focus, to reach and impact others. We need to look “Beyond” ourselves to serve and love those who don’t know Christ.
What the world wouldn't give for a little wisdom right now! We have no end of "experts" but very few "sages." Wisdom is the capacity that goes beyond formulas and equations to chart a course through the complexities of life ... so that we can live well. The classic book on wisdom in the Bible is Proverbs. We will take an in-depth look at the issues and challenges of flourishing in the Real World.
Everyone encounters them, but not everyone gets through them well. Storms can make us feel like our lives are somehow "off-course" but they may be the time of God's greatest work in our lives. We are going to look at some of the greatest storms recorded in the Bible for insights that may help us navigate those stormy times that come to us all.
