Temptation is everywhere. The fact that this doesn’t frighten us suggests that we might not see

sin for what it really is. In every temptation, there’s always more hanging in the balance than

meets the eye. The stakes are always greater than they appear. As we kick off this series, we’ll

learn to see sin for what it is, and learn how to see what’s hanging in the balance.

Everyone wants to be good at money because money is a central aspect of our lives. And how good you are with money will have a direct impact on your ability to flourish as a human being. Money can be a source of stress or a source of joy. The difference will depend on your ability to get better at money. Jesus invites us to be rich toward God. Not because God needs riches but because he wants us to experience the peace that comes from being free people.

At some point, you’ve probably wanted to improve your health. To eat less sugar, to lose a few pounds of fat, to gain a few pounds of muscle, to stop smoking, to start exercising. If that’s true, there’s probably also some point at which you failed or regressed in your effort to be healthier. The problem wasn’t that you didn’t know how to be healthier. Perhaps the problem had to do with why you wanted to be healthier. In this message, we’ll discover that God cares deeply about your health. And when you learn why God cares about your health, it can get you on track to better health.

Normal parents are consumed with what they want for their children, and what they want from

their children. Better parents are consumed with what GOD wants for their children and from

their children. Ultimately, they are children of our Father in Heaven. So better parents have a

bigger goal with raising children

We spend about half of our waking hours at work. It is a major part of your life. However, about 80% of Americans report that they are unsatisfied in their current jobs. Why are we so unhappy with work? The reason why is that we don’t have a very good theology of work. Discovering God’s “why” for work will make your work better and make you better at work

We live in a time where we are more connected than ever. Yet we are possibly lonelier than ever. A person might have 1000 friends on social media, have friends that live all over the world, but not have someone to call for a ride if their car breaks down. We need to find a way and a place for better friendships to begin. Thankfully the start to better friendship and belonging is closer than most people realize.

Bigger isn’t better. Better is better. Yet we often confuse the two. We’ll begin the series by

talking about that the path to better is down, not up. The way to become first is to become the

worst. That’s the path of Jesus.

Some stories are too good to be true. Christmas seems to fall into that category.

That’s why some people dismiss religion without thinking critically and looking closely at it. God

is constantly drawing people closer to him. He wants us to come and see. In the story of the

Magi, we see three different responses to this invitation – and the one response that will infuse

your life with joy.

Many of us have picked up nicknames in our past. Some are terms of endearment. Others are

labels of mockery. Many times, people aren’t even aware of the nicknames that others have

given them behind their back. Well, Jesus had someone in his family tree who had a notorious

nickname. She was known as “Rahab the prostitute.” Yet, Matthew doesn’t rush right past that

fact. Rather he makes sure that we know that there was an infamous prostitute in the Jesus’

family tree. Matthew had his own nickname. And, again, it was any but a term of endearment.

He was called “Matthew the tax collector.” In this message, we’ll discover that no matter what

nickname you might have earned, Jesus calls people to follow him, even while they are still

wearing their labels.

While everyone’s family has their share of issues, the family tree of Jesus is filled with some

particularly shady characters. The first we come across is Judah. While Judah would eventually

become a respected name in Jewish culture, his past contained a very dark secret. By contrast,

his brother, Joseph, was a very good and vitreous man. Yet, despite Joseph’s “goodness,” God

chose Judah—sin and all—to become the ancestor of Jesus. Why? Because in the story of

Judah, we discover that God makes his grace available to people who have never even made

themselves available to God.