People who live the faithlife just don’t stop. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him  – Colossians 2:6   What causes us to stop? Obstacles, disorientation, and inconsistency. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll g …

We are changing our name to embody our mission and to better relate to our community. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.   – Acts 11:26b No matter our name, the DNA of our church has always been connecting faith and life: Development Functioning Growth Reproduction This is the go …

What do you do after Jesus is raised from the dead? You serve others in his name. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.    – Acts 4:32 Living the faithlife is not complicated: because we have hop …

We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.   It is the third day since all this took place.   A vision of angels said he was alive.   He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.   Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk …

How we got this one right: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! He is not here; he has risen!     – Luke 24:6a What being right means for us: It means we are forgiven in the midst of our failures. It means we have a future in the midst of our fears. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be m …

How they got this one wrong: They thought Jesus was a freedom fighter. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”   – Matthew 21:11 How people throughout history have gotten this one w …

How we get this one (somewhat) wrong: We ignore the warrior part. (The Shepherd Disclaimer) The shepherd or shepherdess had to be brave as much as they were skillful. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  – Psalm 23:3 How is the Lord our warrior? The Lord uses a rod and staff t …

How we get this one wrong: this is not about great sacrifice; it’s about great coercion. Context, Context, Context! Jesus does not commend her – we interpret that into the text. Jesus condemns the leaders of the temple. Jesus condemns the temple. Jesus overturns the tables of the money changers. As …

How we get this one wrong: Martha is not at fault for being a hard worker. What’s the problem with Martha? She’s distracted, which makes her worried and upset, which causes her to accuse her sister. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lo …

How we get this one wrong: the workers aren’t just priests and pastors.   I don’t have a random occupation, I have a specific calling. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”   – Matthew 9:37   My gifts and abilities are unique to my calling. God …