Luke 6:39-40. Jesus invites his followers to become like him, and it's something that we really can do. We can become like him. To become like Jesus, we need to be aware of the unintentional ways the world is influencing us and give ourselves to the practices of Jesus that keep us rooted in him.

John 15:1-8. To become like Jesus, we first must be with him and remain in him. To be with Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.

Mark 8:34-37. When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, it was a call to be with him, to become like him, and to do what he did. His call is the same for us today. When we become more like Jesus, Austin will become a lot more like heaven.

Colossians 3:15-17. We worship God so we can experience God personally and so we can experience God together. When the church gathers for worship, there is a vertical element unto God and a horizontal element unto each other.

Romans 12:1-2 and Luke 7:36-50. Adoration of God begins with a revelation of our need for mercy. We experience the mercy of God to the degree we believe that we need it.

Psalm 147. We worship because God is worthy, and it's fitting to honor the one who created the entire world yet loves and cares for us.

Psalm 67. God calls all of us to live heroic lives. He calls us out of our ordinary lives into a life of adventure requiring selflessness and sacrifice.

Proverbs 18:21. Our words have power. They can bring life or death. The wise learn how to use their words to bring life.

Proverbs 5 and 7. A loving father helps his son by showing him what is promised in sexual temptation, what it costs to compromise, and what to do to resist temptation.

Proverbs 13:20. Our emotions cloud our decision-making, which is why we need wise friends to make wise decisions. We need to have wise friends, and we need to listen to their advice.