What does it mean that Jesus calls us "friends?" What does it mean that God, who is all-sufficient, chooses to be in relationship with others? Why wasn't Jesus a lone wolf?

Loneliness epidemic in large part because of transience and social climbing of our culture. In our willingness to move from one group to the other, we are not held accountable with our lives to others.

We are made more holy and like Christ in relationship and community with each other. Accountability is key to growing up into Christ

holy friendships?

College students and investing in transient populations

Some of the most significant years of a persons life between 18-22. Faith either grows exponentially or is deadened dramatically

Parable of the Talents

Incarnational Ministry (God WITH us)

Mr Rogers-"won't You be my neighbor?" “We are called to be tikkun olam,’ repairing the creation.” – Fred Rogers (Post September 11 speech)

Theology of "repairers of creation" (Hebrew Word here) within the arena of our neighborhoods...THIS is the ultimate vocation of humanity.

The message version of psalm 127. The warning against making work our idolatry and claiming work as a place where we can co-labor with God.

Make the connection with the idea of "working within the womb of God," or practical spiritual tools for helping people reclaim their daily grind as a way of receiving daily grace. What if we saw our work not as a daily grind, but as a daily grace?

Bob Goff book...."Build a Kingdom, not your own castles" and use an example from book in which he totally transforms the daily grind for a limo driver.

Methodist prayer...."New every morning is your love, Great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us a desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen."

How can you find refuge in God?

How is God our security, our strong shield and protector?

What are the other idols we tend to run to our exhaustion, fear, or insecurity?

Our ultimate refuge is in the house of God..."better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere" the Psalmist says.

Bob wrote a letter to his grandsons about legacy...pay attention, listen more than talk, God is there when no one else is.

-Psalms of Lament/Anger/Confusion/Frustration

-These are the songs on the Album of your life that you play in confusion, in pain, in anger, in longing, in emptiness, etc.

-The psalm meets us in the seeming silence and absence of God and stretches us to words, to prayer, to hope...

John 10:10-21

Ezekiel 34:11-24

-shepherding-

If God is a shepherd and we are supposed to be like God, what does that mean and look like

-Protection, being led, provision, comfort, "with-ness"

-what do the rod and the staff really mean?

-Help us understand the metaphor

-"if I don't know how to pray..." this is in the repetoire

-What does it mean for God to prepare for us in the presence of enemies

-Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

-Guy at the last gets the same pay as the guy at the first...everyone freaks about it being fair...

-God is in the business of grace, not being "fair"

We dont get what we deserve...we get far more than we could ever deserve....

every person matters

building His kingdom

any seed can grow into the kingdom

We take a chance everyone so the Kingdom can grow everywhere in anyone.