Jeremiah 7:32-34; Ezekiel 37:1-3

And now something has happened to drive us from God. Maybe it was failure at the revolution. Maybe we feel abandoned. Maybe we have had a loss that threatens to undo us. We are in the valley now. Valleys are where wars take place, and valleys are where the bones of the fallen are bleached in the sun. But is all hope lost?

Exodus 24:9-18; Mark 9:2-13

Our faith is deeper now, and it is inspiring us to take on the daunting challenge of organizing the world around the reign of God. We are ready to try to make the world in the image of God.

Numbers 14:26-35; Matthew 4:1-11

Something happens to drive us from the garden. Perhaps it is because we have encountered something in life that a simple, comfortable faith can’t address. We are wandering in the wilderness now. And remember – wilderness and desert are the same words in Hebrew. What does our desert season look like but one where our faith is being tried in the refiner’s fire?

Items on the list:

- a two-quart canteen of water (per person)

- a magnetic compass

- a compress kit with gauze

- a topcoat

- a red-and-white parachute

- a jackknife

- a sectional air map of the area

- two quarts of vodka

- a book entitled "Edible Animals of the Desert"

- a plastic raincoat

- a cosmetic mirror

- a .45-caliber pistol

- sunglasses

- a bottle of salt tablets

- a flashlight (4-battery size)

Genesis 2:4-9; Revelation 21:22-22:5

We were created to live in a garden, and not just to live in a garden, but to walk in that garden with each other and with God. As we begin this exploration of faith geography, we start from a place where we are true companions of God and find comfort in God’s presence.

1 John 4:11-21

Love is risky these days. Well, love has always been risky. But if we can fully step into God’s invitation to love both God and neighbor, what do we truly have to fear?

Genesis 32:1-8; 33:1-4; Luke 4:16-30

We are raised these days to be afraid of the stranger. Why? Because we fear the harm they will do us. In these two stories, we see Jacob’s fear of Esau is unfounded. But Jesus is still having to correct that fear in people when they try to throw him over the cliff for lifting up the good example of the outsiders.

Daniel 10:1-12; Acts 4:23-31

Daniel is terrified by the vision he has, but ultimately it is a vision of the Son of Man coming to us. The believers in Acts know the Son of Man, and that inspires them to reject that fear, and pray for the boldness to share the vision of the reign of God.

Genesis 3:8-13; Proverbs 1:7

What is the most important thing we created without the aid of God? Fear. We will look at the genesis of fear and what it,s creation has meant for our relationship with God. And then we will affirm that practically every single time God appears to us, the first thing God says is, “Do not be afraid.” God is trying to get us to undo what we have done. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but not wisdom. We would undo the fall if we would undo fear.

2 Samuel 7:1-29; 11:1-27

How tempting is leadership and power, especially when forming a new national identity? Hamilton and David will be in conversation with each other here.

2 Samuel 7:1-29; 11:1-27

How tempting is leadership and power, especially when forming a new national identity? Hamilton and David will be in conversation with each other here.