Scripture is filled with people who doubted, and that doubt ultimately lead to greater faithfulness. Doubt can have the same faith-building effects for you. Find out some important Biblical characters who doubted and how following your deep questions this Lent can actually lead you to God.

When Jesus took John & Peter up the mountain and was transfigured before their eyes, he showed them that he was God. That was amazing and wonderful. It was also a dream for the future. In this sermon, Pastor Mia names what is amazing and wonderful about Kuna United Methodist Church today, and the church of the future she dreams of.

Making a fresh start is exciting—we get to be a part of God's amazing work! And, it requires persistence. Life happens. We experience setbacks. And we might negotiate with ourselves, settling on doing less. During times like these, however, Jesus doesn't ease off. As Pastor Mia explains, Jesus takes things up a notch!

Jesus told his followers, “You are the salt of the earth.” Jesus said this because you matter and you are enough. In our discipleship, we season the world just as salt is used to improve the flavor of food. This message can be hard to believe because of our failures and uncertainty. We might not be aware of how our faithful presence makes the world better. We need other disciples to name it for us.

When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he named truths known as the Beatitudes. These statements applied to the disciples in Jesus time, and to disciples now. The five names those who need help and the last name those who give help. And they all apply to all of us. As you make your FRESH START this year, how are you more giving help and needing help?

When Jesus called the first disciples, they walked away from their jobs as fishermen to follow Christ, they made a fresh start. The disciples each had unique gifts that were needed by the group. Like those first disciples, we also have God-given gifts that the Lord wants us to use. We each have unique gifts and unique piece of God's mission to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. You matter, your mission matters, and this year matters.

With the arrival of a new year, many Christians feel the pull to make a fresh start of their faith lives. The planning part is easy, but putting those plans into action is a challenge. God can be unpredictable, and following Christ requires courage. So how do you begin? In the first installment of the Fresh Start sermon series, Pastor Mia looks at reevaluating and recalibrating our faith lives.

The conclusion of the Christmas season is marked by the story of the Magi. The Magi were foreigners, who made the trek from the East to Bethlehem to see Baby Jesus—God in the flesh—give him gifts, and go home changed. The baby Jesus is God in immanent form, a presence in the material world. Along with being immanent, God is also transcendent, that is, present in ways beyond what we can observe. Pastor Mia explains how centuries after the Magi’s visit, God’s immanence and transcendence happen in our lives and connect us to God.

Joseph had life figured out, until everything changed when Mary turned up pregnant. But then an Angel changed everything again. Love made Joseph do strange things and love makes us do strange things.

While imprisioned John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Was he exasperated by Christ's response? Instead of stating the obvious, Jesus named signs of this work (the blind seeing, the lame walking, and raising the dead). Jesus let John reach his own conclusion.

We all experience the same God, but we each see differently. Pastor Mia explains that when God's miracles don't meet our expectations, we too can become exasperated, just like John.