Desert Vineyard Church

The 'big difference' the resurrection makes for all those knowing and following the risen Jesus is not just that the path becomes more spiritual the physical, but that our life is now Spirit-assisted and Spirit-directed.

Shattered. It is really the only one word description that fits what happened to the faith and hope of Jesus’ disciples in the aftermath of His crucifixion. It had all seemed to end in mind-numbing, soul-wrenching defeat. Evil won. Then it all changed. Not everything all at once, but everything altogether, it all changed because of one significant life-altering event. The resurrection. He was not...

Everybody has a “big hope” in life. It is a hope defined by dreams and desires, sometimes even by dreads and disasters. The life, ministry and person of Jesus were the source and object of so much hope in first century Israel. The big hope of these people, for their own lives and for their nation, was focused on Him. But the events of that week would not fulfill the hopes of those who heralded Him...

Paul says with regard to the uncertainty and confusion we face about the question of eternity that "if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (I Cor 15:19). If it is only for this life that we are reaching for more then we are aiming too low, we have set the circle of our lives too small. The ultimate end of Jesus' saving work for us is to connect us to "...

To live with integrity is to speak, act and decide from a place of integrated wholeness, moral soundness, strength of character and conistency of conduct. Integrity is not something that is just natural to us, it is something we reach for, repent toward, and grow into more and more through a process of maturity and transformation. Integrity enables us to be the same person in public as we are in p...

We were created to not "be alone" (Gn 2:18). That does't mean we can't enjoy solitude or social separation. But there is a fundamental interdependence and social-connectedness about our lives that must be expressed with other people - the circle of our society, community, church, friends and family - those "we do life with".

The Bible challenges us that the bigger life we seek isn't found by simply expanding the circle of possessions/playtime/pleasures that our lives contain. God's truth calls us to a path of more involvement, investment and participation in what is truly bigger, truly valuable.

We limit and lessen who we are and what our life can mean by the circle we draw, or let others draw, around our lives. The “more” that we are made for – the more that we ache for – cannot be satisfied by expanding the circle of things, experiences or even moments in our life. But drawing a larger circle of concern, identification and participation of our lives in the world will result in an expand...

Communication breaks down.

From the Bible's perspective the goal and the gateway of all of our relationships is love. Love is meant to connect us with another person in genuine relationship, to bind us to that connection through trial and hardship, and to lead us to a life-giving end.