Whoever told us "sticks and stones may break are bones, but words will never hurt..." may have coined a memorable phrase but it's a wishfully-thought, sugarcoated falsehood. Few things under the sun are more powerful than words - they can destroy or give life - and this makes sense as children of a Creator who spoke light from darkness and whose Word become flesh and dwelt among us. So, are we people whose words build up or tear down? And, if we know the word of life, how should this inform our speech in the church and the world? Tune in as we continue to take spiritual inventory this summer and seek to be the people God called us to be.

Dani Rojas's character on the hit show Ted Lasso is beloved for joyfully shouting "futbol is life!" but Psalm 98 insists otherwise - worship is life. But where, how, when, with what, why, and whom we worship makes all the difference. Tune in as we consider again, the Lord, who has done marvelous things.

As Jesus, along with his disciples, continues to encounter person after person all from a variety of backgrounds and situations, where exactly is this messianic kingdom of his headed? Toward Jerusalem, yes, but to what end? What is its aim? Who does it include? What does it ask of them? Tune in, as in these few short verses, Jesus provides a map and some directions for his disciples, but is it what they want to see and hear? Are they truly up for the journey - and are we?

On the heels of Jesus allowing noisy, crying children to have prime seating when he speaks to the crowds - much to his disciples chagrin - he seemingly meets one who would be a sterling example of his kingdom's target audience: a rich young ruler inquiring about the law of Moses. But is he, truly, inquiring? Does he hold as much true wealth as the disciples think? And, is it possible his earthly success has blinded him to his eternal need? Tune in and hear the answers to these questions from the "Good Teacher" (and so much, more), Jesus himself.

Watching a child grow up is one of the joy's of life - they grow in stature, they out grow shoes and wardrobes, and they grow into the adults we hope they become. Yet, when it comes to the gospel, Jesus prizes a perpetual, childlikeness of spirit. We aren't ever to get "too big for our britches" and this is something his disciples struggled to learn at first. How about us? And why is this the insistence for Jesus? Tune in and find out.

The remarkable account of Pentecost in Acts 2 and God pouring out his Spirit upon his disciples is a glance backwards to the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, and even the Tower of Babel, while at the same time offering a glance forward to the miracle of the global Church, where we're all given a role to play. Tune in and allow God to move us afresh through his Spirit, for his glory and our good.

"Recency bias" is something we can all fall victim to - putting disproportionate weight on the latest part of a picture or experience and not factoring in the whole account. Psalm 77 makes plain that this trap can ensnare us in our spiritual lives also, and when it does we must look at the larger redemptive actions of God throughout Scripture and history and be reminded once again He never leaves us or forsakes us.

As Luke 18 continues, Jesus resets the rhetorical stage with a fresh batch of characters - this time a Pharisee and a Tax Collector who both find themselves at prayer. And yet, if the two characters occupations couldn't be more different, the same is true about their approach to God...yet Jesus tells us only of them went home "justified." Which one? Why? And what does that reveal about ourselves? About God? And about the true nature of the Gospel?

Luke 18 opens with one of the more head-scratching parables of Jesus where we're told to always pray and not lose heart but are told so through the illustrative lens of unexpected characters. Tune in as the master storyteller, Jesus, continues to weave rhetorical masterpieces that challenge our expectations and highlight the grace and mercy of God.

Luke 15 crescendos with the third "lost" parable, that of the lost, often termed prodigal son. Yet, upon further look, is there only one lost son? Upon further look, is running far afield the only way to be lost, or do rebellion and religion both feature pitfalls for the heart we must be aware of? And, is this Jesus the one who comes to deliver us from both? Tune in as we continue to hear from the Master Storyteller - Jesus Christ - the one who came to seek and save the lost.