In the opening words to John’s first letter, he invites us to know and experience God has he has. He invites us into fellowship (friendship!) with God Himself. This is an attractive offer… to have God has your friend. Yet, John would also have us understand that this fellowship has implications for us and the […]
Today on Easter, we launch out in a new series exploring the words and experiences of the Apostle John. On Easter morning, he was one of the first to see the empty tomb and ponder the implications. He saw the Risen Savior that very night. He spent the rest of his life living out those […]
If asked, almost everyone would probably list “social gatherings” as one of their top items they are looking forward to in a post-COVID world. As followers of Jesus, as the church, we place value in gathering together. We are eager to resume our normal patterns of fellowship. Yet before the floodgates of social events open […]
We love to eat! (or at least most of us do) So the idea to go without eating for any length of time is one that we very quickly dismiss. What could possibly the purpose of going without food? Yet as we turn our attention to scripture, there seems to be a call to this […]
Today we turn our attention to the Spiritual Discipline of serving. Jesus sets the model for this discipline as He knelt to wash His disciple’s feet, yet the call goes much farther than an annual activity done by the church body. The call of Jesus to serve one another pernitrates every day and every moment […]
Giving… it’s the we all dread to hear and are happy to skip. But it is a spiritual discipline and so we turn our attention to giving today. And as we do so, we discover that our gifts to God, both financial and other, shouldn’t feel like a burden or obligation. God calls us to […]
Most people expect to hear the word “prayer” when it comes to church and relating to God. Yet, if truth be told, we often have more questions about prayer than not. A majority of Christians would acknowledge that they pray somewhat regularly… but still have questions. The how of prayer… the why of prayer… and […]
“And remember to say thank you!” Every parent has said this to their kids about a billion times. We want our kids to be thankful. To always remember their manners. But what about us? Are we full of gratitude, specifically when it comes to God? Do we frequently stop to express our thanks for all […]
When we think about things to do in order to grow closer to God, we almost always start with “reading our bibles.” And there’s a reason for that – God reveals Himself to us through His word. But is opening the bible and reading a chapter or two really what God calls us to do? […]
Whether we have a garden or not, we’re all growing something outside our homes. It might be a bountiful vegetable garden. It might be some flowers providing color outside our windows. Or maybe it’s just a weed or two growing up in the cracks between the sidewalk. Either way, we all have something growing. The […]