There are a lot of ways we can choose to live our lives ... Lots of ways we can choose to do what’s right, to serve, to give; to keep ourselves healthy physically, emotionally, spiritually — to live a life that honours God. How do we know which guidelines are most important? Is there a way to sum it all up in a few simple, direct words?

There are times we can see exactly what we need — when all we need to do is find our way to the right person who can offer what we know is the right solution. But then there are times when we can’t see what we can’t see ... Times we need someone with fresh eyes to bring fresh perspective far beyond our own.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” ... We often remind ourselves that a person’s appearance doesn’t always tell us what’s inside ... That we need to open the cover and read a few pages to know what they’re really about. People, of course, are more complex than books ... Sometimes we can see someone’s actions — read every page, so to speak — but still not know what’s truly inside, where those actions really come from.

We give out of a variety of motivations. Organizations and individuals can serve people in need because it’s right ... because it’s expected ... because it feels good ... because it polishes our reputations. At some point, though, most of us run out of gas ... Our external motivation only takes us so far. What fuels the purest and most extravagant and unrelenting service?

We like the idea, even the reality, of our lives being improved, our circumstances made easier or better. We’re grateful for better health, for financial relief, for improved relationships. We appreciate when obstacles are removed. But at the same time, there’s something comfortable about keeping things the way they’ve always been ...

News of a long-awaited arrival ... Was Jesus really the promised Messiah? Was the promise fulfilled, freedom finally in reach? He wasn’t really what so many expected. If He was the promised one, it changed everything, even for us — if we choose to let it. If we’re willing to shift our focus, our priorities ... willing to make space.

The movie “The Princess Bride” said it well: “Life is pain ... and anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something.” Suffering, for any number of reasons, is part of the reality of this life. Much of the time, there’s no easy fix, no way around it — no way past it except through it. How do we navigate suffering in the context of a life in tune with God’s Spirit?

Most of us would say we hope our lives have good things to say ... That who we are, what we do, what people see in us leaves a positive mark on the world around us — on the people around us. What are some of the marks of a fruitful, winsome life — and how do we go about growing them?

We’re not all born to do the same thing. But there’s a fine line between being an individual and being an individualist ... Between bringing our unique contribution to the table, and keeping it all to ourselves. This reality reflects the way God has designed His church to function ... The Holy Spirit equips us, supernaturally, as individuals ... but then what?

Old habits are hard to break ... Most of us have behaviours or attitudes that have become part of us — habits that we know don’t make us better people. And as hard as we try, we can’t change. Do we just resign ourselves to the fact that this is just who we are? Is there a way to break those patterns?