Rabbi Gene Binder kicks off a new 10-week series in the book of Ephesians. This first message deals with the importance of establishing an identity that cannot be lost or taken away.

As we celebrate Commitment Sunday for Dream Boulder, we consider what it means for us to be used by God, and live the bigger story.

How could God dwell among us? What does it take to build a home for God in this world? There is much to glean from the Israelites as we take our next steps.

We all have a complicated relationship with money and therefore giving. It’s for this very reason that God uses our giving to shape the world and our own hearts. God’s instructions have a way of blessing us beyond what is expected.

Rabbi Gene looks at how God used 40 years in the desert to teach the Israelites how to follow him.

The modern tendency seems to be for people to increasingly prefer to hold to their own echo chambers and to only listen to the people who agree with their own opinions. However, as Gene points out, Ancient Wisdom invites us to listen to "both these and those" and to value the different perspectives and inputs of those we may not agree with.

Scriptures first statement on humanity is that we are made "b'tselem Elohim" (in the image of God). It's a very clear statement of intention and purpose. However, the working out of what that means is more complicated and difficult in practice. Learning how to appreciate, restore, and function with this understanding of one another is not only our journey as the people of God, but the only way to fulfill our original purpose. When we do this, things fall into their proper places.

Aaron takes a dive into shevirah, a word that can mean something broken or even shattered. Yet, though shattering is not pleasant, there is a beautiful perfection God brings out of imperfect situations, and there is definitely a beauty and a wonder that comes out of things that are broken and shattered.

In a postmodern world, ancient wisdom becomes more important, not less. In fact, in the process of trying to discover what is ultimately true and important for each of us, the ancient journey of Lech Lecha is the only viable path.  Paradoxically, the journey to find ourselves must pass through the place of losing our self-centeredness, for it is only when we lose our false self that we find our true self.

Community is not just a good idea, it's essential. However, far from just stating the benefits of community and why it is such a gift, Meggan dives deep into the way that we actually "unwrap" this precious gift. It's counter-cultural in our day to do the things that make community possible. It's a shift towards availability, vulnerability, and family in the face of a world that is increasingly busy, disconnected, and invested in consumerism. Yet, when we overcome this we experience the beauty of community and the good things that God made us for.