If you described the emotional tone of most of your prayers, what would it be? See if any of these words fit – panicked, scared, frustrated, confused, angry, ambivalent, hurting, doubtful, guarded.” If you’re feeling guilty over this, don’t. Hebrews 5:7 says there were times Jesus prayed “with loud cries and tears.

Joy is one of the more elusive emotions to consistently experience. This is true if you follow Jesus and if you don’t. Followers may be uncomfortable hearing this. But, ask yourself, “Do I always experience the emotional joy Jesus promised?” If honest, none of us do? As followers, we have the capacity to experience a joy unlike those who do not follow Jesus. Yet, that joy does not surface every moment of every day for days, weeks, or months at a time.

It’s been 144 years since Babylon conquered Israel, burnt the walls of Jerusalem and deported the people to Babylon. Now God has resourced the rebuilding of the walls and the nation.

We try to understand the love of God using our understanding of love

Our focus should be the Gospel. Our confidence should be in God's sovereignty. Our goal should be the nations. Our plea should be with urgency.

This question is for everybody, follower of Jesus… not a Christian, doesn’t matter. How many of you could think of and could list at least one person you had a personal relationship with… who has influenced the person you are today in a positive way?

We walked through the three circles as a congregation. It’s a helpful tool to convey the story of scripture, and to see where we fit in the story. Sometimes, it helps to see where we fit by looking at where others fit. That’s why will look and apostle Paul’s story in Philippians 2-3. His story connect with more of us than we realize.

Jesus’ resurrection is what we truly celebrate. Without it, all hope of knowing God’s exists, what He’s like, and knowing Him personally, now and forever…is lost. But with Jesus resurrection secures hope that we can know these things.

Jesus' physical ministry of walking, teaching, and dying on the cross lasted three years and took place within the borders of Israel. His continuing ministry as the Holy Spirit has lasted nearly 2,000 years and has now touched every continent.

The beauty of such a clear picture of the biblical story is it helps us take an immediate inventory. We ask others and ourselves, “Where are you?, What do you do with where you are?, Do you want to talk with someone?