Luke 7:36-50 
It is easy for us to take a quick glance at a person and assume things about them based on our preconceptions or what we think we know about them. God, however, sees people for who they can be through His love, grace, and mercy. Do we see the people Jesus wants us to see? Do we see them in the same way?

Mark 3:20-35 
In the Kingdom of God everyone is invited to be part of God’s family. This family isn’t defined by one’s lineage, but by one’s ultimate devotion to God. Becoming a member of this family is open to all who trust in Christ for salvation.

Philippians 4:10-19}
When Jesus asks "Who do you say I am?" He's asking a personal question that requires a personal answer. While the answer to this question has implications on our eternity, who we say Jesus is should affect our present day. Confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord isn't just a creed we say but a lifestyle we embrace in all we say and do.

Philippians 4:10-19 
There are times when we feel empty, as if we cannot take another step. The Gospel promises that what God provides is always more than enough. When tempted to chase a life of excess, know that when you have Christ you always have enough. Resting in this truth makes us generous and fills our hearts with joy for the ride ahead!

Philippians 2:12-18
God created us to shine with the light of Christ, a light that was dimmed by sin but restored through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. When we receive salvation, we receive this light—not to hide it, but to live it out with visible joy, gratitude, and faithfulness. Paul reminds us that salvation is both a gift from God and a responsibility for us to “work out” in our daily lives, reflecting what God is doing within us. Grumbling, complaining, or spiritual passivity threaten to extinguish our light, but when we actively live as God’s redeemed people, we shine like stars in a dark world—offering hope, direction, and a glimpse of home.

Philippians 2:1-11
An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We are tempted to pursue success as fast as we can, but following Jesus invites us into a different pursuit, something the Apostle Paul calls, “a life worthy of the calling you have received.” This calling does not come to us in a vacuum, but in community with other people. Jesus emptied himself for the sake of others, and calls His people to do the same. 

Philippians 1:12-26 
On our own, life is a lose-lose proposition. No matter how many deals we cook up, or how much success we have, eventually our time on earth comes a close. We can delay this reality, but we cannot escape it. In Christ, we are invited out of a lose-lose kind of life and into a win-win kind of death. With the Apostle Paul we can say, “to live is Christ…to die is gain!” 

Philippians 1:1-11 
If life is a journey, we need a "ride or die" for the road ahead. Paul found this in the Philippians church, and this relationship brought him great joy. There is a friend who is even closer than this: Jesus. Paul prays that their knowledge of this friend would grow and deepen. We need friends, but we need Jesus even more! What are we doing to cultivate that friendship with Jesus? He gives us joy for the journey that no one else can give.

Acts 2:1-13; Isaiah 56:1-8
The gift of the Holy Spirit gave the disciples power to declare the Gospel in languages they did not know. What God did in confusing the languages at Babel (Gen. 11), he reverses at Pentecost in bringing them together, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that “my house will be a house of prayer for all nations.” Becoming a church for all nations is hard work, but the Holy Spirit gives us all we need for this high and holy calling. 

Acts 1:1-11 
Having spent 40 days with the resurrected Jesus, the disciples understood more than they ever have before that God was truly for them. The resurrection of Jesus wasn’t the end of the story but the beginning. However, when God gives us a new beginning, we are called to tell what he has done for us.