"Holy" is one of those churchy-sounding words that gets tossed around a lot, especially in Christian circles. For many of us, when we call something "holy," we're saying that it holds special significance and meaning, most importantly to God. But is that it? Is that all that holiness is about? What if I had a deeper understanding of what it meant to be holy? Would that change how I view God, how I view others, or even how I view myself?

Many of us have experienced what it's like to not be picked. We didn't get picked when choosing teams on the playground; the person we wanted to date chose someone else; the promotion we were hoping for went to a co-worker. It can be confusing and even hurtful to not be chosen. The good news is God has chosen each one of us to experience His grace. He has chosen each one of us to have the opportunity to be His child. But the question is...what do I do with that calling? How do I respond when I'm called to a relationship with Jesus?

Throughout scripture we see God calling certain people for certain purposes. He saw certain individuals where they were and chose them to accomplish particular tasks or share specific messages. This "calling" helped provide direction and purpose to the action being taken. But does God still do that today? Does God actually have a calling for me? And if so, what is it?

Multiple times in scripture we see Jesus' so-called enemies plotting to discredit Him, arrest Him, even have Him killed. It wasn't only Jesus who was having His life threatened though. One of His followers named Lazarus was a thorn in the side of Jesus' opponents as well - so much so that they plotted to take his life too. What can Lazarus' story teach me about sharing my faith story with others?

Most of us like to feel like we're in control. We try to make sure things go the way we want them to, or we at least try to avoid things that may be difficult or hurtful. But then life happens - we experience hardship, frustration, disappointment. And when we can't fix it ourselves, we look to God to fix it for us. But we often want to dictate to Him what it is he does for us, even though our plans may not match up with His. So how do I become more trusting? How do I learn to let go of control and accept God's plan and God's timing?

Some before-and-after stories are positive and inspiring, and some are negative and heartbreaking. While some people experience changes in their lives that bring them more success or comfort or better relationships, other people experience changes that create disharmony and heartache, especially when they make hurtful and self-destructive choices. The story in scripture about a man named Demas is a painful before-and-after story that reminds us that some personal transformations aren't always joyful.

Pet names, nicknames, "handles" - there are a lot of different labels we wear and a variety of names people call us by. Often those names are based on character traits or at least the way other people see or feel about us. There's a man in scripture named John who had a very unique nickname - one that described his character and had come to define him as a person. But then John experienced a transformation that didn't just change his nickname; it changed his story.

We love “before and after” stories, especially stories of people who experience some kind of significant change in their lives. It’s fascinating to see the distinct differences in what a person used to look like or act like before that transformation took place and what that person’s life looks like now. The Bible is full of “before and after” stories, and we’re going to dive into some of them and discover the transformational changes we can experience in our own lives.

We may believe there is a Holy Spirit. We may believe that the Holy Spirit is still active in our world and in our lives. But even if we have an understanding of what the Holy Spirit does, how do we know He’s actually doing it? How do I grow in my awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action?