Together #forSalem

We want our lives to have significance… to be significant. But most of our moments seem so insignificant. The Kingdom of God revolutionizes true significance and shows us that every moment is an opportunity to discover that there is more.

We all want more than this. In order to find it, we think we need to be more than… “them.” We carry the heavy and unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves to be more than. But what if what we are looking for is found in the opposite? What if we find more in being less?

There’s got to be more. There’s got to be more to life than simply trying to get ahead, get what we can, and fight for our happiness only to ultimately die and be forgotten. There’s got to be more to following Jesus than being good, having a spiritual high once a week, and waiting to go to heaven. And according to Jesus, there is more… more than we have yet imagined.

On the very first Easter weekend, the friends of Jesus experienced similar feelings: loss, confusion, sadness… their entire world flipping upside down. But, they discovered a resilient peace together. Good news: WE can have that same peace… Maybe for some of us, it starts by taking a fresh look at one incredible, historical.

Often, our lives are the result of just allowing life to happen to us. Sometimes we like where we end up and more often than not we don’t. But what if there’s a better way? What if we knew what our true purpose was and purposely lived out our lives to fulfill it? We can... the Good Life is lived on purpose for a purpose.

Jesus said that following him was the only route to experiencing “The Good Life.” But how does religion, and especially all of its rules, give us a good life? Maybe the rules are not what Jesus had in mind at all. Maybe he was talking about something so much better and real than simply practicing a religion.

Often we think obtaining the “Good Life” means improving our current life in some way. But what if the “Good Life” isn’t about improving but removing? Jesus offers to remove the one thing that keeps all of us from truly experiencing the “Good Life” we are searching for. 

We all want to have a “Good Life.” We aren’t even sure what “good” really means, but we wear ourselves out and make complicated systems and beliefs to achieve it. In reality, The Good Life is much simpler than we think.

It’s easy to love those who love you. But if we really want to change the world (and our lives) we need to learn to love those who choose to be actively against us. It’s illogical, but it’s the most powerful love the world has ever known. 

Family. We love them, but we don’t always like them. They are our favorite people but some of the hardest to get along with. Is there a way to enjoy a healthy family dynamic no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in? There is... but it’s illogical.

Everyone goes into marriage expecting happiness and contentment. Sadly the outcome is often quite different. But it doesn’t have to be. There is a simple practice we can do to improve and enjoy not only our marriage, but all of our other relationships as well.

We all agree we need love. We all agree the world needs love. But we all have our own definitions of what love really is. Not too surprisingly Jesus gave us a definition of real love. Though his definition seems illogical at first… it is actually the most powerful and effective form of love we can experience. 

Death. Impossible to avoid, escape, or prevent. Yet, we still try. Why? Maybe because something tells us this is not how things are supposed to be. Maybe we weren’t created for death? Jesus offers life that even death can’t end. Impossible, right? You’re invited to come and see.

When impossible situations come into our lives, our lack of control and power creates a fear that can be overwhelming. To make things worse, it often seems like God doesn’t care to do anything about what we are facing. Jesus, however, did the impossible to show us the depths of his power and care.

It often seems impossible that anything could bring peace to our world, our relationships, and especially the turmoil we secretly feel inside of us. But the impossible things Jesus did proved it is possible to experience true, lasting peace now and forever.

As we get older, we realize more and more the hopes, relationships, and lives we wanted are impossible. We decide it’s time to “live in the real world” and we stop dreaming and hoping. But what if the impossible was actually possible? There was once a man who did impossible things and made impossible promises. And he still offers to do the impossible for us today.

Every New Year’s Eve we hope the next year will be a reset and that this will finally be a “good year.” Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way. The good and the bad always come at us at the same time. Even though we can’t guarantee a ”good year,” Jesus offers us something better… a new beginning in the middle of our real life.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from our homes to yours. We are thankful for you friends, old and new. We hope this holiday season brings rest, hope, peace and joy as you celebrate together...

The world waits for a miracle... The heart longs for a little bit of hope... Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

It’s human nature to be afraid of the dark. It isolates us and hides reality. But in the presence of light, darkness is nothing. Christmas is the story of God shining his light in the darkness of the world to end our isolation and give our lives true purpose. 

There is a darkness in the world that we seem powerless to remove. Almost all belief systems offer a solution to this darkness. Christmas, however, is God’s unique and lasting answer to the darkness in the world and the darkness we find in ourselves.

Love incarnate, love divine...Star and angels gave the sign... Bow to babe on bended knee... The Savior of humanity... Unto us a Child is born...He shall reign forevermore

Darkness seems overwhelming until the tiniest light is lit. The darkness around us, and even in us, often feels overwhelming. But Christmas is the story of God’s light breaking through the darkness and bringing us more light than we could have ever imagined.

When the world is falling apart the way we usually respond (complaining, blaming, fighting) usually only creates more problems. Maybe it’s time to try something else. Something that has been available to us all along. Something that isn’t simply “the least we can do,” but actually the most powerful force for good in the world. It also just happens to be the most reliable path to happiness.

When the world is falling apart the way we usually respond (complaining, blaming, fighting) usually only creates more problems. Maybe it’s time to try something else. Something that has been available to us all along. Something that isn’t simply “the least we can do,” but actually the most powerful force for good in the world. It also just happens to be the most reliable path to happiness.