Together #forSalem

It is possible to really see concrete proof that God sees you, knows you, cares for you, and is intimately involved in your life. This kind of life… this kind of faith and trust comes from practicing the Art of Following Jesus… And Jesus said there was one practice that grows our faith like nothing else.

We all have the ability to be the change we wish to see in the world. But this type of life doesn't just happen by accident. It’s the result of conscious and committed choices about how we live… but we don’t have to do it alone. The secret to becoming the change we wish to see is discovered when we practice the art of following Jesus.

For many people the idea of knowing God seems impossible. If he or it even exists, it’s “out there,” distant, intangible, too large and removed for us to really know what he/it is on any concrete level… At most God is something we can only catch glimpses of. But Jesus gave us a different picture. A picture of a heavenly Father who knows us and who we can know personally and intimately.

According to Jesus, your life has infinite importance. You aren’t here by mistake. You were made on purpose for a purpose. That purpose is only fully realized and experienced when we practice the art of following Jesus.

Can we actually listen to God? What does it mean to be guided by the Holy Spirit? Is it just a Christian version of following our hearts? How do we know we aren’t just hearing what we want to hear? If we really want to be able to listen to God we need to practice the art of following Jesus.

What does it actually mean to be a Christian… to follow Jesus? Just believe the right stuff, follow the right list of rules and you’re good to go? Honestly, that sounds terrible. There’s another way. It’s time we practice the art of following Jesus

Easter is so much more than just an annual religious holiday. It’s so much more than a nice story we hear once a year that inspires us to be nice people. The true story of Easter has transformed people’s lives for 2000 years. And it can still transform ours.

Most of us think we have a pretty good idea of who Jesus was and what he was all about. While at the same time, we can’t seem to agree on what he'd be for and what he'd be against in our current state of affairs. What would happen if we let Jesus speak for himself?

For the next two weeks as we lead into Easter let’s have Psalm 63:1 be our prayer. Search for him, and ask him to fill our lives. Maybe for the first time, or as a restart for a dry and dusty faith.

Okay, we just spent the last nine weeks studying the Holy Spirit. But how can we actually experience the Holy Spirit in our real, daily, regular lives? In this final episode of our series, we think the answer to that question is simpler and more powerful than we can imagine.

What’s the deal with spiritual gifts! What are they? How does it work? Like, does each Christian get their own Jesus-super-power? It might actually be better than that!

Jesus’ solution to the brokenness we experience daily both around us and in us is a community that is filled with the Holy Spirit. But what does that even mean? And how can it actually happen?

There is something beautiful and powerful that happens when we realize God created us as unique individuals. But the Holy Spirit wasn’t given just so individuals could experience God on their own. The Holy Spirit is creating a community whose unity is as unique as the individuals who form it.

Suffering is a primary part of what it means to be human. No matter what we do to avoid it, ignore it, or overcome it… suffering is always right beside us. So, where is God in our pain? And even more, what can we do about it?

When we don’t feel the Holy Spirit like we think we are supposed to it can create a lot of anxiety. Can we ever actually KNOW that the Holy Spirit is in us? Can we lose the Holy Spirit?

Religious people seem to love rules. Why is that? Jesus gives us something so much better than a new set of do’s and don’ts. He gives us the Holy Spirit of God.

There is something broken in humanity. From the beginning, Christians have seen the answer in the Trinity of God… and being born again by the Holy Spirit to be able to become who we were originally created to be.

We often go through life simply hoping our routines and comforts aren’t shaken too much. But this only creates, at best, a purposeless and mundane life. But Jesus promised something so much better. We can know the true purpose of our lives. It all starts with knowing the true purpose of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the most important and most misunderstood part of following Jesus. So who or what is the Holy Spirit? What difference can the Holy Spirit really make in our lives?

Happy New Year!

That spark of hope many of us feel at Christmas… isn’t just a warm feeling from too much eggnog, expert marketing, excitement for presents, or nostalgia of selective childhood memories. It is a glimpse of something real. it is a beacon to a real hope for our real lives right now. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from… You can experience this hope today.

When we look around the real world doesn't really give us more to hope for. But we don't have to give up, try to ignore what’s wrong, or distract ourselves with pointless diversions. There is real hope. We are all invited to play our role in a revolution of hope for the entire world.

Hope. It’s turned into an elusive feeling we cynically relegate it to an ethereal, magical feeling for kids at Christmas. But hope is real. And real hope is powerful. Real hope is tangible. Real hope is available to each of us personally. It’s a hope that was realized over 2000 yrs ago by a teenage peasant named Mary and it’s a hope each of us can personally experience this xmas and the rest of th...

The holidays are supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year.” But often they end up being the worst time of year. Do we have a choice? Is there a way to enjoy the holiday season no matter what is going on around us?

We are experts at finding ways to judge each other. And we get caught in an endless cycle of anger, passive aggressive avoidance, and even outright hostility. Jesus offers a better way. A way to avoid all of this pointless anger and judgment.