The Psalms are the closest thing we have to the hymnbook of ancient Israel and the early church. They served a practical purpose, to guide the praise and worship of the God of Israel who made himself known in the person of Jesus. The Psalms teach us how to praise God! Psalm 146 is a great example of this instruction about praise.

If you have more than one passage of scripture committed to memory, chances are one of them is the 23rd Psalm. We encounter it often at funerals. It's appropriate in times of grief, but it's also a powerful daily reminder about what discipleship is. Jesus often used the same metaphor of a shepherd that the Psalm uses, so it's not hard to find Jesus in Psalm 23. This week we will look at this familiar, comforting word from King David and see what Jesus can teach us about it

The presence of Jesus is woven throughout the psalter. Some Psalms predict him, some speak with his voice, some beg for his forgiveness and some declare his victory. The Psalms are a powerful testament to the Gospel. 

This week we're looking at Psalm 98, a Psalm that declares God's victory and responds to it with song. It's a great way to start something new.

The Story of Mary and Martha helps us to remember what is important.  Mary made a choice to put Christ first.  When we choose Christ first in everything we do, everything else will fall into place.

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, we're looking at a passage from Isaiah written to encourage a people suffering in exile. It speaks to how God relates to us through tragedy. It's an Old Testament passage with a lot of Jesus in it.

We’re wrapping up our Summer series on Ephesians. For five and half chapters, Paul has been outlining a plan for Christian discipleship, a vision of the way life is meant to be lived. God’s plan will come to fruition, that’s not in question. But it’s going to be a battle to get there. There are forces that oppose God’s will for the world and they are fighting back. The people of God still have some work to do. In closing his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul reminds them - and us - that we aren’t on our own.

We’re looking at what the Apostle Paul says about family in Ephesians 5 and 6. He uses the family as an example of what Christlike relationships should look like. As we draw near to the end of our Summer-long study of Ephesians, we’ll look at some of the most practical instruction that Paul gives anywhere in his letters.

What does it mean to be holy? The Bible talks a lot about holiness, and it can be a confusing concept. Holy means “set apart.” That meant something distinct in ancient Israel. The temple was designed with increasing levels of holiness, or set apartness. God’s people are set apart from other people in the Old Testament and are supposed to remain separate. But Jesus changes that. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that we are made holy by Jesus - that’s how we are set apart. It’s a lot different than the Old Testament. It’s less precise, harder to measure. Still, God’s people are set apart. Before Jesus, the set apartness was marked by following the rules. But now we are set apart by something else. As we continue in Ephesians this week, Paul is going to talk about what he calls “true holiness” and give some concrete examples of what it looks like. It’s an important word for the church in the 21st century.

What does it mean to be a mature Christian? It’s not a simple question. Many people associate spiritual maturity with a lot of theological knowledge. A new believer might only understand the basics of the Gospel but as they spend more time in the church and in the Bible, they will know more, and thereby become more mature. In our passage from Ephesians this week, Paul talks about spiritual maturity in a different way. He gives us a couple of clear indicators of mature faith.

Life can be really tough sometimes. There is so much worry and grief that we encounter, it’s easy to get discouraged. But Paul tells us not to be discouraged, God has a plan. God has a plan for the world and for each of us. Sometimes it’s hard to see it, but God’s plan for us is working its way through our lives.