When was the last time you were at the circus? What did you see? Lions doing tricks? Elephants balancing? Bears on bikes? It’s pretty impressive what these amazing creatures have learned to do! James tells us that “all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed […]
Happy Mother’s Day! Our moms set one of our first examples in life of what love looks like. Out of the overflow of their hearts, they care for us! In this visible expression of love, we also learn an important lesson about faith. Our faith should overflow into action. Let’s look at how James defines […]
We all have favorite things…our favorite pizza, our favorite vacation spot, our favorite sports team. But we shouldn’t have favorite people. God calls us to love and care for everyone, not just those we like or those who look like us. James opens the next part of his letter with a clear call when he […]
Some people really like to talk. If you know any extreme extroverts, then you probably know a few people who have the gift of gab! Not that there’s anything wrong with being chatty, but when we come to James 1:19, there is a clear challenge for all of us, especially those who like to talk! […]
Life can be hard…and unless you’re crazy, no one looks forward to the hardships. Yet James opens up his letter with the words “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.” REALLY?!? Look at our hardships with joy? How is this even possible? Well thankfully James doesn’t stop there. Let’s explore how […]
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Today we celebrate the empty tomb and the hope we have in Jesus! The first Easter, however, was less celebratory than today…at least at first. The first Easter started off feeling hopeless, full of sadness. Yet it didn’t stay that way very long! Hope was restored at the […]
We’ve almost all heard the parable of the Prodigal Son. A son decides he wants his inheritance now and is not willing to wait. As soon as his father (graciously!) gives it to him, he runs off and wastes it all, only to return home to his forgiving father who is waiting with open arms. […]
When we work hard, we expect fair compensation. We don’t like to be taken advantage of or ignored. But what about when we’re over compensated? How do we feel when we receive more than we are due? God, in His amazing grace, gives us more than we deserve! As we explore the parable in Matthew […]
We’ve all heard the parable of the Good Samaritan. We’ve all learned the lesson that we need to show kindness. But is that the only thing Jesus was trying to teach in Luke 10? How did the first audience to this popular parable understand Jesus’ teaching? Who really is “our neighbor”?
Sometimes a story is just a story. At other times, a story is more. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a seemingly simple story about a farmer who plants seeds. On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward but it carries a lot of weight when we apply it to ourselves. How are we applying God’s Word […]