An unfortunate reality in a current culture is that we deal irresponsibly with something God warns us to be most cautious about. There is no arena where we are more baited to the brink of disaster and then shamed when we fall in than on the matter of sexual morality. If there was ever a place in our lives where we needed a plan, some guidelines, and some safeguards it is here. Oddly enough, the Bible puts sexual morality in a category all its own for this very reason. So today, we'll learn why there is a distinction, and how to establish guardrails around this area.

For most if not all of us, our greatest regret is somehow connected to someone we met. Logic says, that if there is a future mistake that will become our new greatest regret, it will most likely be connected to someone we are associated with right now! Our friends directly impact the quality and direction of our lives. It should make good sense, then, that we be careful and even have some guarded standards for who we choose to connect ourselves to. We will talk about that and more in week 2 of our series: Guardrails.

Cliches and catch phrases become such because they tend to resonate with a truth that everyone understands. Like this one: "one thing leads to another." We all know this is a truth about how life works. Sometimes one thing leads to a good thing, but some other times it leads to our greatest regret. No one ever plans to wreck their life, just like no one ever plans to wreck their car. On highways and bridges there are guardrails to keep us from ending up in the worst kind of danger. Would it not be awesome if there was a way to set up guardrails in other parts of our life? Perhaps really valuable if they kept us from something could turn out to be our greatest regret? Here is some great news: we can! We'll begin that conversation in our new series called: Guardrails.

It is a common perception that having all the success in life, and all the wealth with it would produce peace and a sense of total contentment. The life of King David in the Bible is a perfect microcosm of why that is entirely false. Lucky for modern day readers of the Bible, his life is also a powerful picture of God's redemption in response to repentance. We get to watch it all play out in the book of 2 Samuel. We'll unpack the whole story as we put a bow on Season 2 of Binge the Bible.

There is no shortage of adages, popular speeches, or religious teachings to help us understand that the character of a person is much more significant than how they look, or even how gifted they may seem. Book covers, the color of one's skin, and the cleanliness of the outside of an object do nothing for assessing value. The second act in the book of 1 Samuel is a case study for the valuing of a person's character above their appearance and an example of what is possible when we carefully obey God instead of going at it our own way. We'll learn together how it all plays out when God is honored, and when He is not.

When we give into the pull of the culture around us, we often do so at the expense of the kind of "different" God calls us to be. That is true for us, just like it was true for the Nation of Israel during the time of the judges. God wanted to be their king, they wanted a human king. Then and now, God sometimes gives people what they ask for even when it isn't what's best to draw them back to dependence on Him. We'll see that all unfold in Season 2 - Episode 4 of Binge the Bible.

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a wonderful tale of fated romance. But, why would a seemingly innocuous romance story about two lovers destined to meet show up in the Bible? Could it be that as beautiful a picture of love as it is that it could point to something even more beautiful? Why yes, it does, and we'll unpack all of that in Binge the Bible Season 2 Episode 3.

All of us at one point or another have had the thought that we could do it better than those who are in charge. It may have been a boss, a coach, or a politician. For the Nation of Israel in the book of Judges, it was God. It turned out probably exactly how you would think, not good. What it did reveal for us the reader is a great example of the impact of sin, and God's willingness to redeem. Judges is certainly a wild ride, and we'll join the journey today at Fusion City Church.

There are at least two ways to learn a lesson: you can learn the hard way, or you can learn from someone who learned the hard way. The second generation of the Nation of Israel chose well, by choosing to trust God's promises. The leader appointed to lead this new obedient generation was a man named Joshua. His is a story of conquest and faithfulness and we'll learn all about the exploits of his time in leadership as we dive into the book of the Bible that bears his name today in Season 2 Episode 1 of Binge the Bible.

What better way to start the new year than by doing the same thing we did last year? While that might not be the best plan for us as individuals, that is the plan for the first several weeks of 2025 for Fusion City Church as we dive back into Binge the Bible. In Season 2, we pick up the story of the Old Testament with Israel's second leader Joshua leading them into the Promised Land. For today, however, no good start to a new series binge is complete without a "previously on...." recap. So, we'll walk back through the highlights of Season 1 to get us prepped and ready to Binge the Bible in Season 2.