The world we live in has never been more polarized. People self-select into ideological groups more quickly and intensely than ever before. The differences in values, politics and worldviews have made it feel like there are certain people who we just can’t have anything to do with anymore – who we have to oppose. Is […]

Understanding why a person does the things they do can change everything. It can change how we perceive their actions and even their character. It allows us to understand their motivations and desires. We know about all the miracles Jesus performed, but why did he do them? What was the point? We can learn a […]

It takes an average of seven seconds to make a first impression. Seven seconds to decide if someone is intelligent, trustworthy, and a good person. And once we make that first impression, it tends to stick. Even when we have evidence that shows we are wrong. When we are all making judgments about other people, […]

Have you ever felt unqualified for something? Like you didn’t measure up? Life is full of things that require qualifications – jobs, schools, sports, even government welfare programs. They are designed to let the right people in and keep the wrong people out. But what about the church? There must be some qualifications to let […]

There are shapes and patterns repeated all throughout nature. Spirals, for example, are found in the smallest seashells and in the largest galaxies. There are also patterns found in the Bible, where the smallest and most human stories contain echoes of God’s cosmic plan. Discover what the small stories from the life of Jesus can […]

Jesus performed a lot of miracles in the gospels. And every miracle recorded was included for the purpose of showing people who Jesus was, how he lived, and what he taught. Matthew’s gospel contains a story of the healing of a very sick woman that, while it seems simple on the surface, has a complex […]

Religious tradition is powerful. In addition to giving us a framework for navigating right and wrong, it shows us how to manage sin. But if that’s true, why are there so many different religious traditions, including some that even seem to contradict each other? Does our tradition of sin management work? And does it line […]

Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? Why does the tooth fairy trade money for teeth? Why can’t we wear white after labor day? We all do things that are based on tradition we don’t necessarily understand. The power of tradition can be so strong that, even when it doesn’t make sense, we will still […]

What is the nature of forgiveness? We think of forgiveness from an emotional perspective. It’s a feeling. If someone does something to hurt me, it affects how I feel about them. So forgiveness is just changing that feeling from negative to positive. But if that’s true, what does it say about God? Is God’s forgiveness […]

How far would you go to help someone. You might give a homeless person five dollars, but would you give them fifty? You might donate a kidney to a family member, but would you donate it to a complete stranger? What if they were a problem person in your life? How far we are willing […]