Thomas VanderPloeg

The Bible talks about the kingdom as something which exists within our world today; but that doesn’t mean the world shares equal priority with the kingdom.

We might like to think of the kingdom of heaven as huge and powerful; but Jesus points to a kingdom that shows up in the smallest places.

Jesus tells stories which portrays the kingdom of heaven existing in messy places; how do we find the kingdom in the middle of the mess?

Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as something which starts in our world right now and is available to everyone; how do you see the kingdom in your own backyard?

Becoming better disciples of Jesus does not just happen automatically; we intentionally pursue faith practices while aligning ourselves with the Holy Spirit and one another.

Service is a response to Gods love for us in Jesus Christ that teaches us to live like Jesus through specific, tangible actions that contribute to the dignity and well-being of the people we serve.

The faith practice of remembering centers our attention on what God has done in our lives, deepening our assurance that God is with us here and now, and expanding our hope and anticipation for what God will yet do.

The faith practice of wonder helps us glimpse with surprise just how creative, faithful, good, big, and present God is.

The faith practice of prayer is a way in which we actively submit ourselves and our world to Gods ongoing transformational work in Christ by expressing ourselves to God and listening for God to engage with us.

Through the faith practice of celebrating we delight in circumstances, relationships, and occasions that help us remember and anticipate God’s abundant goodness, creativity, faithfulness, beauty, and love.

As a faith practice, listening involves training ourselves to recognize Gods voice (John 10:1-6) in the midst of all the other voices calling for our attention. It involves learning to be fully present in the moment, setting aside distractions that keep us from attending to and responding to Gods presence around us.

Justice and mercy are the tangible expressions of loving our neighbors as God has loved us. They are the ways that we live like Jesus here and now, affirming the goodness of Gods image in others and anticipating the overflowing shalom peace and flourishing that characterizes Gods coming kingdom.

The practice of engaging Scripture immerses us in the true story of God’s faithful love so that we become more like Jesus as we grow in recognizing God, ourselves, and the world around us.

Hospitality is the act of making space for guests, visitors, or strangers, and extending to them the privileges of family; biblical hospitality focuses on how we will live as God’s people in relationship with people who are different from us.

Generosity is freely sharing with others the many gifts God has given us. A spirit of generosity arises from gratitude. As we imitate Gods own generous nature, our generosity overflows to bless the people around us.

Gratitude is our response of thankfulness for God’s goodness, love, provision, and grace. It is the undercurrent of all other faith practices—the well out of which they flow.

Sabbath, God's gift to us, is a time set apart to rest from work, worship God, tend to our soul, and bless others.

holy habits that help us love God and our neighbor, listen to the Holy Spirit, and become more like Jesus

Sometimes it may seem like the goal of Christian life is to escape from all that is evil and unhappy in this world; but the apostle Paul frames the “escape room” of this world a little differently in his letter to the Philippians.

By rewinding all the way back to the beginning of John’s gospel, we discover that John himself rewinds us all the way back to the beginning of Genesis; what is it that John wants us to see by turning his gospel all the way back to the beginning?

The resurrection of Lazarus points forward to other resurrections that are on the way; all reminders of the restoration of shalom.

Maundy Thursday and the scent of grace

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the apostle John focuses on the tension which is building up among the people who take note of Jesus.

Jesus uses the example of washing his disciples’ feet not only as an illustration of what he did for us on the cross, but also as a picture of how we are to live in response to God.

By looking back at the cross, we see Jesus reveal who God is; by seeing and knowing who God is, we see Jesus reveal something about who we are