Being a disciple means something is changing within us.  That we aren't staying the same.  That we're becoming more like the one that we're following.  And that we're sharing that with others.  I wonder, how are you becoming more like Jesus?  And who are you sharing that with?   Last weekend we examined Jeremiah 29:11.  God does have plans for us, but they often look different than the plans that ...  Read More

I've been reading about "hope" recently and how "hopelessness" increases when people feel that there is possibility for change.  No chance for something better.  Which brings to my mind why we need so much to be disciples of Jesus who are pointing people towards Jesus!  With Jesus, no matter what the circumstances we are living under, we have HOPE!  And we need to be able to share this HOPE with o...  Read More

This past weekend we examined 2 Chronicles 7:14.  Zooming out we discovered God calling us all to have humble hearts willing to do something.  And that we are called to turn from our old way of living and turn to God.  God, who is eager to forgive and bless.  I wonder, what are you doing?  What are you willing to do?  What's stoping you?  Have you ever asked that question before?  For some it's ou...  Read More

This past weekend we studied 2 Timothy 1:5.  We learned from this one verse how Paul was encouraging Timothy to lead the church in Ephesus to change the way they thought and acted.  He was encouraging them to live more like Jesus by honoring women.  The challenge was seen in the fact that Paul mentioned Timothy's mother and grandmother by name.  This would have been shocking to the culture and the...  Read More

This weekend we are going to pause from studying the Top 10 Bible verses that have been misunderstood and misused and instead honor mom!  Happy Mother's Day!   But before we look ahead, let's look back at last week.  Last week we specifically looked at Colossians 3:15 but to understand this verse properly we looked at Colossians 3:1-17.  Take time to read this again.  Remember the choice that we m...  Read More

This past Sunday we examined 1 Corinthians 6:9.  The way that this verse is often misunderstood is that we make it about one issue.  In particular we make it about homosexuality and only homosexuality.  And while Paul is clear that choosing to live this lifestyle is a sin, that's not Paul was writing about.  When we read the section that this verse was taken from (1 Corinthians 6:1-11) we discover...  Read More

This past Sunday we examined Matthew 18:20 and used this verse as a tool to teach us the importance of reading a verse in the greater context of the section.  That we can't take a verse by itself.  That reading the whole section helps to reveal to us God's intent.  So, to help us take a step back, we read Matthew 18:15-20 and discovered that Matthew 18:20 was in a whole section about ways to resto...  Read More

This past Sunday we examined Matthew 22:15-22 using a couple of helpful tools.  We leaned that we need to understand what's happening when these verses were written.  Who wrote the verses?  What do we know about the author?  Who were they writing to?  What was happening?  This is so helpful to understand as we study the Bible.  We also learned that we need to give grace to each other and ourselves...  Read More

We're beginning a new series this week.  We will be studying some verses or sections in the Bible that have often been misunderstood.  My "hope" for this series is that we will not only discover what the verses were intended to say but hopefully we will all learn more how to study the Bible better.  I hope you enjoy this 10-week series. It's really important to start by listening.  God desperately...  Read More

Today we begin to prepare for Easter.  I want to encourage you to walk through the week.  Don't run.  Sit with the feelings you have as you walk every day towards the empty tomb and read the scriptures.  Be honest with the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings you might have.  Every day is important.  Every thought is necessary.  Don't believe the lie that God isn't with you.  He is with us in the c...  Read More

This week we begin focusing on heads and our hearts on Easter and what God has done for us.  Prior to Jesus' death our sins separated us from God.  But because of Jesus we are made clean.  Made new.    This week we're going to be focusing on Matthew 21 when Jesus cleanses the temple before giving himself to God.  We hope you can take some time to study Matthew 21 and prepare your heart for God's p...  Read More

This week's blog will help as you prepare for our final week of the I AM series.  Many of us have at least heard some of the truths that Jesus has spoken over us but it seems like we still struggle to believe everything.  One struggle cascades into a multitude of failures.  My hope for this week is that as we look at the life of Peter that we can learn from him and hopefully not make the same mist...  Read More