When we think of Easter, we think of bright colors. We think of flowers and trees blooming to life. We think of family coming together to celebrate hope.

But what if life feels dark because it truly is a dark season? What if your dreams or even your soul feels like it’s wilting? What if mourning feels more appropriate than celebrating?

This Easter, we’re examining a story in the life of some of Jesus’s closest friends that acknowledges the most painful realities of life. But we’ll see how hope can be found when we confront these realities with the one who is The Resurrection and The Life.

What’s your Happy Place? The cabin your family went to every summer? A trail that leads to a peak with a view that never ceases to take your breath away? The restaurant where you had your first date?

As we think about our Happy Place, we wish we could find a way to bring the joyful, peaceful feelings our memories evoke into reality. To embody, and in a sense, become what our Happy Place has the power to create in us.

This week, we’re looking at three places in the collective memory of God’s people – the Bible – to explore the kinds of places his hope-filled presence inhabits and how we can create those same spaces in our lives.

Let’s play a game of Would You Rather. 

Would you rather have a reputation for being gracious to people or a reputation for building systems that get things done?

Would you rather be known as a compassionate person or the most creative person in your field?

Would you rather your friends respect you for your patience or for your ability to build Fortune 50 companies?

This week, we examine a Psalm of David, a head of state, that invites us to prioritize who we hope to be over what we aim to do.

We all have our rituals. The sign we tap before leaving the locker room. That special exchange between us and our loved one before we leave the house. The song we pump before every big meeting. The restaurant we eat at every year on this day.

But these rituals aren’t an end in and of themselves. They always serve to connect us to something, usually someone, that we care about deeply.

This week, we examine an often overlooked part of the Bible filled with rituals that give us actions designed to connect our minds and hearts to God.

We guard the password on our phone and laptop to make sure our information stays protected. We guard our banking information because we know if it falls into the wrong hands we could be left penniless. We even guard our homes with deadbolts and security systems because we want to protect ourselves and those we love.
 
 But do we go to the same lengths to guard our hearts? To protect our hearts from words and information and interactions that will darken and distort them?
 
 This week, we’ll explore why the Bible tells us to guard and protect our hearts with greater intentionality and intensity than anything else.

Your favorite restaurant no longer offers your favorite item on the menu. Your favorite team just traded your favorite player. Your favorite band just canceled the tour date in your city. 

It seems like nothing in our world is certain. 

Except the relentless love of God.

In the final message in our Psalm 23 series, we’re sitting in the certainty of God’s faithful love.

Some like a packed house. Some like an intimate dinner. Some like it to be a surprise. Some like to know it’s happening ahead of time.

When it’s done in a way that meshes with your personality and preferences, everyone loves a good party.

This week, we’re taking a break from Psalm 23 to have a serious discussion about the importance of fun and celebration. Most importantly, we’re taking seriously how much God loves to plan and pull off a good party!

If you only focus on the crowds and lines, you’ll miss out on the joy of the theme park. If you only focus on the wait time, you’ll miss out on the upscale dining experience. If you only focus on the page count, you’ll miss out on the stories that have shaped our world.

This week, we come to a portion of Psalm 23 that invites us to question what we’re focusing on and how it may be keeping us from seeing and experiencing God’s provision.

We all know what happens when our favorite character roams through the forest and happens upon an adorable bear cub joyfully playing in a stream. The character slowly approaches, attempting to get an epic outdoor pic. That’s when Mama Bear emerges from thicket and chases away the foolish character in order to protect her cub.

This week, we continue our meditation on Psalm 23, reflecting on God’s promise to protect us. Even if that means protecting us from ourselves.

There’s nothing like the first time your parents go away for the weekend and leave you to take care of the house. Yes, the sense of freedom is exhilarating, but there’s nothing like the validation of being trusted with such a big responsibility. And one of the reasons they trust you with the responsibility is they’ve equipped you to handle yourself – and the house!

This week, we’re pausing our Psalm 23 series to look at an important passage from 2 Corinthians to reflect on one of the primary responsibilities of disciples of Jesus, and why we can be confident in our ability to accomplish it.