How do you defeat those who prey on vulnerable children? We tend to think offense will win. But God chooses defense. By defending the orphan, God is destroying evil. When we defend the orphan, we join God in his campaign against evil.

We’ve been brought into a new story, one driven by Christ’s love. This love compels us--we are wrapped up in the story and begin to see and feel what God sees and feels; it controls us--it causes us to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do; and it commissions us--we become ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation, “God making his appeal through us.” Since we’ve been given a new story, we’re in the business of helping others write new stories. That’s why we partner; that’s why we give.

Ego may destroy the world. Humility may save it. Because humility is what we see in Jesus Christ.

We want to be a church that deals with doubt. Even in the midst of darkness, and struggle, and hopelessness; even with your questions, your doubts, your concerns. We won’t darken our doors, we won’t batten down the hatches; no matter how long the night might last, no matter what hour of night you might come--”We’ll leave the light on for you.”

And every day miracles take place in the workplace. Big ones like those in Esther where Mordecai worked. And little ones as well. From the janitor who cleans toilets at the rec center, to the cashier at Kroger, to the accountant, to the teacher, to the lawyer, and everyone in between, miracles happen every day in the workplace. The office, the classroom, the cubicle, the driver’s seat become holy places where God does some of his best work in us and through us. Home and church are not the only place where God is at work. Your work is as well.

Groups shame those who question their concensus beliefs. Like Nicodemus. Nicodemus ultimately overcomes his group’s shame-based pressure in order to follow Jesus. He shows us that conversion is a life-long process of, in part, distancing ourselves from group loyalties that impede our ability to follow Jesus.

Some treat human life as valuable when it contributes to a valuable goal and vile when it can’t.The Father loves us for our intrinsic worth not our instrumental worth, and he calls us to be a community that does the same.

Fearlessness creates a context of conversion. Paul calls us to fearlessness for that reason. Though fear is a real thing, we can refuse to let it determine our responses to the world. When we do, we might save people.

Guest speaker Scott Sager joined us for our Go 901 series to talk about what the church should look like to our community. Listen as he explains the way Paul's missionary journey in Acts should shape the way we live today.

As Christians who are committed to growing in our cross-shaped living, we must be able to demonstrate, to prove that we are lovers of people in unexpected ways. That’s what we signed up for when we were baptized. The cross especially challenges us to love a group of people who we often rarely love in unexpected ways: our neighbors.