Living Vertizontal

In this episode, we are in week five of Lent, we are going to be turning back to a psalm, Psalm 27, of David. A Psalm of confidence, crying out, and chosen trust amidst uncertainty. Together, we talk about the importance of abiding. Having acknowledged the reality that we cannot control the chaos around us, we recognize that the most important thing we can do in every situation is look to Jesus first. Like David, we can be confident in: who Jesus is, that Jesus listens, and how Jesus responds.

In this episode, we find ourselves in the fourth week following the fourth Sunday of Lent, and we are going to be working through Deuteronomy 30:11-20. In this passage, we hear some of Moses’ final words to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. Together, we talk about the choice that we are presented with each and every moment of every day, we can either choose life, or choose death. As we choose life, we grow in love for God, we listen to His voice, and we hold fast to Him; we become a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this episode we move into the third week of Lent together where we look at Jeremiah 32:26-41. This passage contains a word from the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, concerning the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel as a result of their misplaced desires. Out of this passage we address just how imperative it is that we have a properly placed desire for God. As our desire is refined for God, we find that obedience to God becomes simpler. Regardless of the reward, regardless of the difficulty, obedience becomes our default because our desire and focus is nothing else but God alone.

In this episode we continue our Lenten journey in this second week, we are going to be looking at Psalm 84. A pilgrimage psalm of the sons of Korah. Together we talk about the importance of our intentionality in worship. When we stop long enough to recognize who it is we are worshiping, He becomes our desire, and the distractions, cares, and concerns of the world slowly fade away, our complacency is counteracted. The foundation of this though is our intentional focus on the God of all.

In this episode we move into the season of Lent, a season of reflection, a season where we come face to face with our own mortality, a season inviting us to realize our full dependence on Jesus. To kick off this season we are going to be working through Psalm 95 together. As we work through this Psalm, we talk about Jesus’ invitation to trust His plan and provision in the midst of the journey, in the midst of our own wilderness experiences. Together we identified that when we are in the wilderness, we can choose to either harden our hearts and strive to see ourselves through, or we can recognize our need for dependence on God alone. Though it's not always easy to recognize, Jesus is present in our journey every step of the way, even in our own wilderness experiences.

In this episode we work through Luke 12:22-34 together, exploring Jesus’ statement to his disciples to “not worry.” Together we discuss the misconceptions often associated with Jesus’ message of God’s provision and care as we work through the passage.

In this episode we continue on in Luke 12, looking at Luke 12:13-21 where Jesus shares the parable of the rich fool in response to a question from the crowd. As we work through the interaction between Jesus and a member of the crowd, we come to recognize the misplaced focus of the rich fool. Not only is the rich fool nearsighted, he is also functioning in a self-focused way. At no point does the rich fool acknowledge the reality or presence of God. From the parable, we hear Jesus calling them then, and us now, into deeper dependence on God in all things, to live richly towards Him. Practically speaking, this heart disposition walks in humility both recognizing God as the source and also the one we should go to as we work to discern what we should be doing with what we have at each different moment.

In this episode we move into Luke 12:1-12 where we see Jesus warn against the Leaven of the Pharisees, speak on fearing God alone, and the encouragement to confess Christ. From this passage we discuss the pervasiveness of hypocrisy in our own lives and the lives of those around us, and the importance of removing our masks so that we may live in authentic relationship with Jesus even now. Too often hypocrisy is rooted in fear of what others may do to us or think about us, and Jesus’ invitation in this passage is to keep our focus on Him and trust that He has our back through it all.

In this episode we continue on with Luke 11:37-54 where Jesus goes to a Pharisees house for dinner and subsequently speaks woes to both the Pharisees and the scribes. From this passage we discuss how each of the woes sheds light on the misconceptions and misrepresentations of the Pharisees and scribes while also simultaneously extending an invitation for each of them to abide with God. In the same way, these woes can expose our own misconceptions and misrepresentations and invite us to abide with Him as we seek to live in His kingdom.

In this episode we move on into Luke 11:29-36 where Jesus talks to the growing crowds about the sign of Jonah as well as the lamp of the body. From this passage, we talk about the humility of both the Ninevites and the Queen of the South. As we allow this passage to speak to us today, we addressed the importance of always coming humbly to Jesus for the next step, rather than operating on our own assumptions and expectations.