The earliest days of the Christian movement were ones filled with awe and wonder. Churches have been trying to return to this "feel" for centuries. Sometimes we get it dialed in and other times we are just a little lost. Sometimes the difference comes down to allowing God to do the work of awe and wonder more than us.

The earliest days of the Christian movement were ones filled with awe and wonder. Churches have been trying to return to this "feel" for centuries. Sometimes we get it dialed in and other times we are just a little lost. Sometimes the difference comes down to allowing God to do the work of awe and wonder more than us.

The beginnings of the church are not something clouded in secrecy and closed doors. The movement of God is public and open. God is openly at work in the lives of human beings. As a mission movement, Christians would do well to heed the lessons from this pivotal moment in the church's story. Faith is not a private matter.

We all obey others for a variety of reasons. Seldom do those reasons have to do with love. We are too often governed by power, guilt, shame, and control. Jesus offers a new way of being faithful which is by love leading to obedience. To do this remarkable thing, we need the gift of the Spirit to guide the way.

For too many of us, our past trauma, pain, and shame keep us from the freedom God seeks for our lives. In this week's episode, Jesus meets seven of his friends and provides for them in ways they could never expect. One of them even experiences the redemption of his deepest shame.