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Entering into moments of vulnerability consciously and intentionally is risky, but it stops shame in it’s tracks.

Sometimes, hard things happen, and they’re just hard, and no ah-ha moment comes later when you realize how every painful piece of the puzzle was indeed working together for your good.

"Now, how his lordship works out is then through the work of the church. But he is the Lord and is present with and through his church, as we are doing what we are called to do." ~ N.T. Wright

When my head and my heart forget what is true, I find myself sacrificing my life to the myriad gods of health, wealth, work, marriage and home...So how, in the face of both external and internal pressures toward alternate values and identities, can I maintain my identity in Christ?

It is so tempting to pray for circumstances to change, to get mad at God when they don’t, and to hold a grudge of resentment rather than “accept with serenity” the things that cannot be changed.

I wonder how the priests felt every day when they went into the temple and saw the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Did they look at it with dread? Or curiosity? Or maybe they longed to be in God's presence just for a moment even if it killed them...

God calls us to a beautiful, eternal family that knows no geographic, political, gender, generational, or racial barriers.

Our God taking destruction and disaster, creating restoration and reconciliation time and time again in both what we read in the Bible and within our own lives.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

Jesus sings us into a new mode of existence. Jesus sings the nations into submission. Jesus sings hearts into love. Jesus is Christmas in the room. The hope of Advent and the hope of Christmas is that Jesus Christ is in the room…

The Gospel not only reimagines race, it turns our conception of race in America on its head, completely upside down, and gives us a perspective and reality of a truly diverse people seen and celebrated for their distinctiveness while at the same time abolishing any and all disparity between them.

Jesus was not an inspiring person who called his followers to inspiring, yet ultimately impossible tasks. Instead, Jesus is the creator and king of all that there is, and with full authority over it all he sends his people to the work of drawing all men and women to himself, while he walks by our sides and never forsakes us.

I can try to control my child's outward behavior through the law, but I cannot actually change her heart. The visible, socially acceptable behaviors are a lot easier to focus on which, places a burden on parents to get it right. But, the more I ponder God's truth, there is a lot of comfort in knowing my child's salvation is not dependent on how wonderful of a parent I am.

Today's culture sends all kinds of messages about sexuality, and God's Word speaks to each and every one of them.

Our priority as a church is to be a faithful presence of Jesus in a broken world, that we would live, speak and serve as the very presence of Jesus, and this includes in the area of sexuality.

Our marriages are not our own, they are His. Our families are not our own, they are His. Our household is not our own. It is His.