The Gathering

Today we are beginning a new series called We Just Click: God’s Design for Meaningful Relationships. This whole series could be summed up in a single verse, that comes at the beginning of the Bible. God says it at the end of creation “It’s not good that the human is alone.” – God (Gen. 2.18). In other words, we need others, we need relationships. So let's start by understanding why relationships a...

The resurrection is a declaration that hope is real and worth it. Jesus is doing something new in your life even, and especially, when you can’t see it. Hope is working its way through your life, but on its own schedule. Let’s look at what the resurrection story teaches us about the character of hope.

The peace and calm of Jesus didn’t make sense. On a base level, human beings are self-preservationists; most creatures naturally are. We avoid suffering or pain, and we don’t like feeling threatened. When our safety is threatened, our brains and bodies prepare to fight or run away, and nobody would have blamed Jesus, human as he was, for choosing either of those options. But, Jesus was also the So...

The gospel writers seem to wrestle with how to describe an emotional Jesus, especially in this story in the garden. It is told three different times by Matthew, Mark and Luke. When they describe how Jesus felt, they all use different words. They say he felt sorrowful, troubled, anxious, and anguish. This fear/anxiety is something that we all deal with, and so did Jesus. Learning to deal with this...

Disappointment happens when our expectations and reality do not align. So what can Jesus teach us about dealing with, preventing, and moving forward in moments where we are disappointed?

The Palm Sunday story marks the beginning of Jesus’ last week. And while the week would be an emotionally hard one for him and the disciples, today's scripture is a story of joy! While we often focus on everything that was hard about this time in Jesus’ life, it is worth noticing that in the middle of the darkest season, his followers were able to experience this moment of great joy.

Anger is often telling us about something going on beneath the surface. God gave us the emotion of anger for a reason. Anger is good, helpful, informative, and helps us to have deeper insight into what we’re feeling about given situations. As imperfect people we will never express violence in a just and honorable manner. It’s important we feel the anger as it comes, express the anger, and then wor...

The shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus Wept". As we begin our new series "Emotional Roller Coaster: The Ups and Downs of Jesus' Last Days" we will look at how human Jesus was and how he felt real emotions. What can we learn from these real-human emotions Jesus expressed?

Now that we have learned about what racism is, how it's a sin, and how we can unify, how do we pursue racial justice? Today we hear from Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker, as we continue our series The Beloved Community.

Implicit or unconscious bias is attitudes or perceptions we have about people without our conscious knowledge. It is when we make a snap judgment based on stereotypes, cultural attitudes, and assumptions. And because of racism, white people do this all the time when it comes to the ways that they view, treat, or talk to people of color.

Because racism is still active and growing in our society, we are not yet the Beloved Community that King and indeed God calls us to be. Racism threatens our faith in God. Why? Because racism is a sin. Sin gets in the way of our relationship with God. If we don’t address it, sin keeps us from God.

There are a lot of voices competing for our attention, for the chance to tell us who we are. Rather than listening to the foolish, the critic, or the narcissist, tune in to the voice of God. They have a lot to say about who you are, and what you were made for.

The Narcissist navigates the world through a transactional, non-empathetic, and arrogant lens. Jesus reminds us that we're called to be the opposite. To seek love, humility and empathy in our relationships.

The Bible is constantly warning us against listening to foolish voices. These are people who either don't know, or don't care. Rather than listening to foolish voices, seek out wisdom from someone you look up to. That noise can help shape you into the person you hope to become.

The voices we listen to, day in and day out, shape us. If we're surrounded by critics, agitators and cynical thinkers, we'll begin to see the world through that lens. The antidote to criticism, agitation and cynicism is encouragement. Focus on the encouragers, and tune out the rest.

As we look toward a new year, we can still learn a thing or two from the Christmas story. Unpacking the knowledge of the Wise Men, we find four ways to make this year our best yet.

Now that we're on the other side of Christmas, the world is quick to move on to the next big thing. It's easy to live in the future, while missing the joy that exists in our present. Throughout the Christmas season, choose to live in the now. Choose Joy.

This Christmas, we look to Jesus, our Light in the Darkness. When life feels dim, or when we're unclear on our way forward, the light of Jesus can illuminate a path of hope, joy, and peace. When you're able, be the light for those around you. And when you need it, seek it out through others.

The Christmas Story starts with women. From Mary, to Elizabeth, to the Holy Spirit herself, it's through women and mothers that God kicks off the greatest story of all time.

Parties are all about the people. This Christmas, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, consider who you might invite. After all, what's a birthday party if no one shows up?

As we prepare for Christmas, many of us declutter our homes to prepare for fresh decorations, marking us as someone who celebrates the season. The same can be said of our spiritual lives. We're called to live in a manner that sets us apart during the Christmas season, and beyond.

During the Christmas season, we're invited to take inventory of our lives. What habits are serving us? What tendencies draw us far from God? God wants to do something new in your life. But, first, you've got to make room.

When bad things happen, what does God do? God limits suffering. God shows up, and is present with us until the suffering ends, offering hope in the midst of hardship.

Often we think of “negative emotions,” like anger, doubt, disappointment, or sadness, as a lack of faith, and think we cannot express them to God. We explore the role that these emotions can have in strengthening our faith, and try to answer the overriding question - Is it ok to be angry with (or annoyed with, or disappointed in, or to doubt…) God?