Walk Humbly | Micah 6:8 | Dr. Jim Baldwin

Christians do not get to be the morality police walking around “doing justice” and “framing what is loving” or “deserving of mercy.” A third element must be baked into the pie: Walking Humbly. Micah is referring to the long stretch of a life of faith. We are to be humble people. And this stance needs to be how we move through life.

Christians who take scripture and spirituality seriously must love kindness (also translated mercy). It’s an imperative from God that we lead with love, we incorporate kindness, we generate forgiveness. It is required by God.

-Rev. Barrett Owen

You can’t read the Old Testament without bumping into the word justice. It’s everywhere. But what is it? What does it mean to “do justice”? What kind of justice is scripture promoting, and why is it required by God?

-Rev. Barrett Owen

Pentecost is the ultimate testimony. It is all our testimonies. It is the time in history where God looses the Holy Spirit upon the world. Everything now is infused with God, and everything now has access to the Divine. It is the way in which we are tethered to the Divine Realm.

-Rev. Barrett Owen

June 1 | Acts 10:39-47 | Peter’s Testimony: Baptized by the Holy Spirit Peter’s inner and outer change lead him to new theological depths. The concept of baptism is changed for him and his awareness of what gift God gives humanity and how to receive it: Being baptized by the Holy Spirit. The same is still true for us.

May 25 | Acts 10:24-38 | Peter’s Outer Change Because of Peter’s inner change, his faith now takes him to new heights and new territories. Peter’s engagement with Cornelius cannot be overlooked. For the first time, Peter realizes God’s love extends beyond the Israelites and into any and all people. This outer change is because of an inner change in Peter’s testimony.

May 18 | Acts 10:1-16 | Peter’s Inner Change Peter’s dream is a game-changing moment for scripture. It moves the theological needle in a way that most other chapters aren’t able to because it holds such a powerful engagement between Peter and God. Not only does Peter engage God in a dream, but God’s profound declaration changes his inner world forevermore. It has the power to change ours too.

May 11 | Acts 9:7-20 | Paul’s Shock Point The spiritual depth in this section of scripture cannot be overlooked. Paul’s eyes are made new. He is “born again.” This encounter is a shock point in Paul’s spiritual life showing us that we all need to pay close attention to those “no going back” moments. They matter to our testimony and push our faith forward. Because of this moment, nothing for him stays the same for Paul, and these moments can change us too.

May 4 | Acts 9:1-9 | Paul’s Life Before Christ Before Christ, Paul struggled. As a matter of fact, he persecuted Christians and was seeking out a life to harm and hurt. Even though there’s not much to redeem in these six verses, they will help anchor us a we also look beyond this text to other moments of Paul’s faith experience. It should not be lost on us that if God can take Paul to further God’s mission in the world, then anything is possible for us too.

April 27 | John 20:19-31 | Sorrow Mingles with Love The story of Doubting Thomas is worth studying. It starts with sorrow. Thomas misses the big moment of when Jesus resurrects. His doubts are fueled by sorrow. Yet it is in his sorrow that he finds love. This pattern is still true today. It is in the midst of our sorrow that God’s love appears.