Our new pastor Dana Glover begins with Luke 21:5-19, where Jesus teaches the disciples how to act when they face destruction, and 2 Thessalonians 3, where Paul writes encouragement to the church to continue to do good, even when it’s tiring. Both Jesus and Paul call on us to live in ways that reveal the life of God in our perseverance, integrity, and goodness.

Betty Rupp takes inspiration from Psalm 51:10 and Ezekiel 26-27, which express that God changes our hearts and gives us the Spirit to remain faithful to His will. Change is an inevitable truth that we will experience many times in our lives, but we can be prepared for it when we pray and turn to God’s Word for guidance.

Jennie Straight shares a collection of scripture and theological writings to express how God, deeper than any happiness we can find on earth, is the source of an unspeakable joy that roots in our very soul.

Steve Tramel dives into a few Biblical passages (Matthew 7:1-5, John 8:7, and Romans 14:4, 10, and 12-13) to bring us the truth that tolerance is our Christian duty. Tolerance is not the same as agreement, but we must avoid dehumanizing and persecuting those with whom we disagree. Every human being, even those who hate and abuse us, is a child of God that Christ died to save.

Joanne Tramel explains how, in this society of self-elevation, we can lead lives in humility, as directed by God. We can respect ourselves and take pride in our work and loved ones, but ego has no place when God deserves the glory.

Former pastor Cana Moore digs into Jeremiah 29:4-14, where Jeremiah writes to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, encouraging them to settle into their new land and not treat it as a temporary disturbance. We are at times tempted to not take our earthly life seriously, in favor of our heavenly home to come, but God tells us that our mortal existence is also our home. We are challenged to live meaningfully now.

Former pastor Cana Moore digs into Jeremiah 2:4-13, where the prophet Jeremiah acts as God’s lawyer against the people of Israel, who had forsaken God and turned to themselves for their needs. The example we are blessed with teaches us that we can trust in God’s power to provide for us and that provision is guaranteed to surpass anything from our own abilities.

Vicki Albrecht takes us to 2 Corinthians 5 to convey that surface-level changes that we try to make in ourselves rarely last, but changes that begin in our hearts on a deeper level are the ones that truly transform who we are. That kind of change is what God offers us. Our lives on earth are temporary, but God grants us the Spirit to prepare us for eternity. We must remember that real lasting change is not behavior modification but reorientation of our purpose.

Jennie Straight takes us to the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:23-43, which illustrates people as seeds. God’s people are the wheat and people of evil are weeds. They grow together, but angels will harvest them at the end of the age, with weeds being destroyed and wheat will enter the Kingdom.

Betty Rupp guides us through Psalm 23, which describes how God, the God Shepherd, spares no pains for the welfare of His sheep (us). Reading this familiar Psalm helps us understand our reliance on God as our Shepherd and catch a glimpse of His wonderful care.