The question posed to Jesus is still the same question we ask today. Who is my neighbor? The common answers would be the people we have something in common with, the people we enjoy being around, the ones who look like us. But Jesus answers the question differently. Who are the "they" in your life?

Are we who we say we are? Do we actually practice our values as we parent, as we spend our money, as we work? Sometimes there can be a gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live. The first followers of Jesus were so connected to his message of life and love that it flowed through them in their everyday encounters. They were simple people, yet the power of Jesus was evident. Is the same true for us?

One of our greatest fears is having to explain why we go to church or why we believe in God. Faith conversations can be very awkward and most of us shy away from them because we never know what to say. Our faith is meant to be personal but maybe it shouldn't be private. Maybe the reason people don't want to talk about faith is because they haven't been told the right story!

Hang around any church long enough and the topic of money will come up. It will usually be awkward and uncomfortable yet money is a huge part of our lives. Jesus often taught about money because he knows how attached it can become to our lives. But he doesn’t really want our money, he wants our hearts and when he has our hearts, its not about money, its about generosity.

Show up to any church and you will find people singing. Nowhere else in culture do we gather big groups of people together and sing. It can be uncomfortable and just hard to do. Even as followers of Jesus, when life is hard, what's the point of singing? We discover the church has always been a singing group of people but the real question is why?

Worship in church can contain many elements and taking communion can be one of the confusing ones for people on the outside looking in. Communion has caused many disagreements and debates through the years. As we look at the origin story of communion we find some parts to the story that maybe we have never heard before, a story of family and unity at the foot of the cross.

Religious people tend to have some strange traditions. Many times we have emotional attachments to the way we are used to doing church and church things. Baptism. Communion. Worship. Pews versus seats. Why do we do the things we do?

Every athletic event has that moment where momentum changes because of a special play, the right substitute or crazy coaching decision. There is one simple thing that can radically change the momentum of our relationships. The central relational ethic of Jesus was always love, it was all about how we use our power and authority to benefit others. Want to change the relationships of your life? It all starts with one question.

Every parent knows the value of relationships. Technology allows us to keep track of who our kids are interacting with, what they are saying and who they are saying it to. We care because we know how important relationships and friendships are for our kids. They are also important for us as adults. Our closest relationships often influence the quality and direction of our lives. So who is close to you? Who are you allowing into the circle of your life?

We are taught early in life to play fair, to be fair. But fair doesn’t work well in a relational context. We can be good to people who are good to us but what about those who are bad – hurtful – disrespectful? In order to live at peace with everyone, we can’t be fair. So how do we live at peace? How do we handle the relational debts that are owed us? Chris takes us deeper into the idea of forgiveness and how it is more about giving someone what they need rather than what they deserve.