A Simple Word for Complex People

Did the Magi come to "pay homage," or was it more? And how about us?

Joseph had plans for his life. He invested significant resources in those plans. God, through Mary, disrupted those plans, using Joseph and his germinating family to show the world absurd love. Joseph embraced the disruption and trusted God. There's a lesson in that.

We are inheritors of the Zion promise -- the promise that God will establish an ideal society that will serve as a beacon of hope to the world. Can we submit to it?

Elections have become full-contact contests, and we're the ones who pay the price. Fearmonger have so many convinced that a loss means cataclysm. We know better. Here's your regular reminder.

We want certainty about heaven, don't we? We envision that there will be very familiar images, sounds, and smells, for instance. But, truthfully, we haven't a clue just how awesome it will be. We do, however, get a taste of it here on earth ... in the sweet communion of fellow believers. 

God has a vision for our lives. Parts of that vision may be unpleasant. But, God calls us to stay true to the vision, rather than romanticizing the vision to meet our own needs. 

We had a wonderful energy in our worship time this morning, and you may hear that in the recording. Paul embraced a new way of seeing his life as he looked back. Can we?

Perseverance in faith despite our challenges ... it's easier said than done. But, we God doesn't give up on us, so we need to stay in the game!

Scars tells stories. But what story are you hearing -- the story of the wounding, or the story of the healing?

When life crumbles around us, or sometimes when we just are inconvenienced one too many times, our polite language goes out the window and we start getting real. God can handle real. God created real. God conquered real. Can we give ourselves permission to pray the real prayers?