Words have power, and even a single word can change everything for both the speaker and the hearer. The word “please” opens doors that were previously closed. It can change a demand into an invitation to relationship and reciprocity.
The grave is empty. Love has won. Christ is risen! Jesus’ resurrection changes everything, and it can change everything for you.
In the last week of his life, Jesus faced betrayal, abandonment, arrest, torture, and death. He willingly endured it all because of his passionate love for all people.
What Jesus says and does in the final week of his life tell us what he values most. And his words and actions toward those he encounters consistently show us that when everyone around you says, “You’re out,” God says, “You’re in!”
After healing and teaching in Galilee, Jesus began his journey toward Jerusalem and the cross, but his journey wasn't just about the destination. It was about compassion for the people he met along the way.
A good story can change the way we see the world, and the parables of Jesus do just that. His teachings turn the world upside down so we can experience a life of freedom and possibility.
We all deeply desire to be seen, but we're often afraid that if people knew who we really are, they wouldn't accept us. Jesus sees us as we truly are, accepts us, and helps us to see ourselves as he sees us.
Jesus came to help and save the outsiders, outcasts, and outlaws. During the season of Lent, we’ll be reading the Gospel of Luke together, and we’ll see that whether you’ve been poor, rich, rejected, dejected, sick or humiliated, God wants to use you to lift up the lowly.
Each of us has to deal with difficult people, but they don't have to wreak havoc in our lives. And when we follow Jesus' teaching and example for dealing with difficult people, it can transform the world.
God Created us for intimacy, and some of us find intimacy in marriage. In marriage and other relationships, we often get it wrong, but God is a God of second chances. In marriage and in any other relationship, God offers the chance to start over.