Welcome to Conversations About Race, a (sometimes awkward) conversation about race, what the Bible says about it, and how we can respond. If you do not already know this wonderful Mission Hills couple, we can’t wait for you to meet Sandra and Michael Winfrey. The next 60 minutes will give you a unique perspective of parenting kids, serving a community, and doing life as a family of color in a white suburban community and church.

When shame screams, reminding you of what you've done, the God who stoops, kneels down and whispers, reminding you of who you are. God did not intend for you to carry the burden of shame. Jesus was sent, not to condemn, but to save you from sin and its separation from God.

This week's message addresses the hidden epidemic of shame. Within our culture, shame is a barrier between ourselves and connecting with God. This shame is not something that God intended for us. In fact, Jesus hates shame because it is something that drives us from God, rather than drawing us near. Instead, Jesus offers mercy as a remedy for shame, inviting you to come closer.

The Holy Spirit is active in our lives because God has always known you as his son or daughter, even before you existed. He had a plan for you to become all he wanted you to be. When you say yes to Jesus, you are forgiven completely. The end goal for you is to be glorious! Through the Holy Spirit, your prayers and your circumstances can be worked through God to his glory and your redemption.

Everyone has questions about suffering and why it is all around us. We know that even as believers in Christ we will still experience pain in this life. But our Christian hope is that we are now placed in Christ for eternity and we look to the future glory to come. We wait for that glory, making our way there through patience and prayer, knowing that to experience resurrection, you must first experience a death. We wait for that time with eager anticipation.

As followers of Christ you are no longer a slave to sin. Of course sin remains an option, but it isn't an obligation. Through the power of the Holy Spirit with your faith in God, you can escape acting out of fear and instead operate within the freedom of God's affection for you. You are a child of God who not only loves you, but who likes you.

As humans, we are led by our longings. Often those longings can lead us to sin, instead of to a life lead by the Spirit. Thankfully, every follower of Jesus has access to the Holy Spirit by faith. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead has brought you to life, even out of things or places you may think are dead. The more we tune into the Holy Spirit, the more we can experience the life that's ours by God's grace.

We kick off the new year with a series on Romans 8. It has been called the most important chapter of the entire Bible by some because it is almost a summary of the heart of the Christian faith and instructs on how to take hold of everything that following Jesus has to offer. It begins with words that are a fresh wind to a weary soul.

Joy is a choice. If the angel commanded Mary to rejoice, then that means that joy is actually something that was under her control, no matter what her circumstances. That's good news for us because it means that joy is always an option, regardless of our circumstances.