In the aftermath of hurtful words and destructive actions, many will say, "I was mad" or "They made me angry" as if to say that what they said or did was justified. There are numerous verses in the Bible about anger. It is a rarity to find any speaking positively specifically about the anger of people. It is no surprise then to find Jesus directing his followers away from anger and fractured relationships. Chances are really good that anger is negatively impacting our lives today. Let's explore what Jesus said and how it is we can move to a healthy place.

Thermometers and thermostats are not the same thing. One simply reflects the temperature. The other changes it. In Jesus' sermon on the mount, he left no doubt as to which one his disciples were supposed to be. In our verses for this weekend, he made it clear. Change your environment. Make it better. He did this by employing two very powerful metaphors, salt and light. These were two very precious commodities in Jesus's day which were present in thought every day of their lives. What was Jesus telling them that challenges us 2000 years later? Let's search it out together this weekend.

Near the beginning of Matthew's record of the ministry of Jesus, he writes down for us one of Jesus' most famous sermons, "The Sermon on the Mount." In it, Jesus covers a whole host of topics that are as pertinent today as they were the day Jesus spoke about them. He draws a sharp contrast between how most people do life and how those who are following him do life. Near the end he tells the people that there is a wide road and a narrow road. The sermon series describes life on the narrow road, the road less traveled. It's there where we will begin our ten week journey.

Many amazing and wonderful truths come to light as we begin to study God's Word. As human beings, we will never think our way to that which is ultimately true, because it rests in the mind and the Word of God and must be revealed to us. We find God telling us things that are quite counter-intuitive. Statements like, "to live we must die", "the greatest is the servant of all" and "love your enemy" cause us serious pause. This week we consider another head-scratching principle: By embracing God-established boundaries, we enter into a greater and greater freedom. How is that possible? How does that principle impact our current conversation about stress and worry?

The value of a day has been in steady decline as of late. It feels like it's just something to get through to get to tomorrow or the weekend or next week. Why can't "Thank God it's Friday!" be changed to "Thank God it's today!"? Jesus was speaking to people just like us. People looking to take care of their families, handle responsibilities and enjoy the very best of what makes life special. In the process however, they lost sight of the Author of life. In so doing, they entered into worry which sabotaged the wonder of today. Let's take some time this weekend to consider Jesus' invitation to raise our eyes and lower our worry.

The signs are there. Hollow eyes surrounded by dark circles. Sleepless nights. Short fuses. Grasping for temporary escapes that often times make things worse. Forced smiles and laughter that only mask the bubbling cauldron of fear, sadness, and helplessness that lies deep in our soul. A weight on our chest that is absolutely suffocating. Is this truly the life Jesus came to give us? A life fractured by stress? Given the choice, none of us would sign up for this worrisome and burdensome life, would we? Somehow, when we weren’t looking, the lie that busyness is a badge of honor and a goal worth pursuing at any cost sunk deep into our souls. Perhaps it’s time to direct our attention to our Creator. He’s the one who can lead us through the fog and take us into life and life to the fullest. Join us this week as we engage the subject of finding the promise of peace in an anxiety-filled world.

Beginning Christmas morning, every single day of Jesus' life was laser focused to this moment. He made bold claims. He brought revolutionary teaching. He sent demons scurrying. He rebuked the wind and waves. He defied the laws of nature. He commanded physical restoration for those suffering with all manner of infirmity. He even resuscitated those who had died. As it turns out, these were simply the warm-ups. His life ebbed away on the cross as he bore the wrath of God for the sins of the world. Buried, the stories would quickly fade, the cross would carry no significance. Then it happened. Death lost its grip on him. The tomb was forced open to reveal its temporary resident was gone. The time to recognize, celebrate and enter into the joy of his completed journey was available then and continues to be available to this very moment. Don't miss out on our collective celebration this weekend!

After three years of ministry, after repeated explanations to the disciples as to what was going to happen, Jesus arrives at Jerusalem. The empty tomb was a week away. Wow, what a week it was! When Jesus came to town, the people, let's just say, noticed. His entrance into Jerusalem was both like and unlike anything that had ever happened before. Hundreds of years earlier, the prophets had described this event. The people watched it unfold before their very eyes. Did they get it? Did they get him? Do we? Do our lives reveal that we have embraced all the implications of Jesus' donkey ride into Jerusalem? Come this week and find out!

A Jesus follower is most alive, most true to who they are when they are living in humble service to others.