It's hard to walk in darkness. It's difficult to see, confusing, disorienting, and easy to get tripped up and lose our way. Thankfully, Jesus declares in the middle of all the fading lights in our lives that he is the light of the world. He is the one who gives life and helps us see its beauty. He is the one we look to for hope. And his promise to all those who follow him is that we will never walk in darkness.

Don’t settle for less, Jesus is “Him.” He is essential to our lives and our eternity. And, as amazing as they are, let’s not get hung up on the miracles or the bread. He has even greater plans for us. The only things in our way are the roadblocks we make.

Some troubles seem to overshadow everything else. We can let them demand time and

energy from us, and take no ground in the process. Or, we can turn to Jesus, who transcends the chaos and

guides us through.

This Talk centers around a beautiful miracle, the third in this series. It’s set at the "Pool of

Mercy," a misleading name because, the truth is, it was a mess. It’s where the sick and outcast of society were left, hoping for healing. In just such dark and impossible spaces, Jesus invades with strength, power, and hope.

Jesus did some unbelievable things. He spoke words that were astonishing, beautiful, and heart-wrenching all at once. We can get hung up on those things, much like most people did in the days Jesus walked the earth. But if we stop there, we miss the whole purpose of Jesus; we miss who He is.

Let’s dig into the first of seven signs in the book of John that prove who Jesus is. John wastes no time and delves right into the incredible truth about Jesus. Not a prophet, a teacher, or a fake, but God in the flesh.

This is the tenth and final of our foundational principles. Through our services, our groups, our communications—how we treat people—we will be known for something. But the X factor is: for

what? In everything we do, the relationships we prioritize and tend to, we will be known for what we are for.

A structure is only as sound as its foundation. So pursuing anything before God, even

good and beneficial things like family or education, will eventually lead us away from Him. To stand the storms of life, our foundations must be laid on the rock. Our guest speaker shows us the importance of building our lives on Jesus—and a realistic look at living it every day.

We’ve all experienced times or circumstances where we don’t feel good enough. Feeling like a failure can even be something we battle daily. When viewed through the wrong lens, it’s easy to want to give up. But if we grasp perfection is unrealistic and seek God’s strength in our weakness, we find hope that sustains the journey ahead.

We make choices every day. Some are of little consequence. Some we make automatically. The clothes we wear, food we eat, how we spend free time, and the words we say are just a few. Today we are challenged to apply the fruits of the Spirit to our every day choices.