When I was growing up, we referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Holy Ghost". All I could think of was Casper (the firendly ghost), and I really had no idea what the Holy Spirit did. We can picture the Father, we can understand Jesus, the son, but how are we supposed to understand the Spirit? Who is He? What does He do? How does He work?In this study we look at the work of the Spirit and what He does in the life of individuals. Get out your Bible and follow along!

Mother's Day is a great opportunity to honor our mothers and learn more about the mother of Jesus. When the angel Gabriel approaches Mary, he greets as one who is most highly favored. Quite a statement from God and from an angel!Lynn shares insights on the life of Mary and what we can learn from her wonderful response of faith to a situation that would have been very challenging.

Framing stories establish our life agendas. I have one, you have one, we all have one. Whether we live by traditional stories or take the free market approach by acquiring stories of our own, once we have adopted a framing story, we think and act in ways consistent with that story. In order to understand me or to understand the biblical authors, it is important to know their frame. The apostle Paul, who wrote quite a bit about the Holy Spirit, has a framing story, and we need to understand where he is coming from, to really understand what he is writing about.Over the years, I have made references to my story, particularly with regard to environments that emphasized life in the Spirit. But, I have never really told my story. So, in this talk, I weave in my story and a bit about what frames Paul's writings about the Holy Spirit.

On the greatest day of Jesus' life and the days following, what did he do? If ever there was a time for making a "splash", these were the days. The empty tomb, the claims by followers that they saw him, risen! What an opportunity to go after the attention of everyone in Jerusalem. What would you have done? How would you use the power, if you had been given all power and authority? This may be the best Easter challenge you've ever had!

The events preceding Passion week are pretty amazing. Jesus joins the procession of those heading to Jerusalem for the passover in a grand form. He goes to the great temple and proceeds to clear it of the money changers and those selling goods. He curses a fig tree because it has no fruit.Did Jesus finally have enough and lose his cool? Why, after he rode into the city with shouts of hosanna and palm branches waving, did he overthrow tables and tell people to stop what they were doing? Was his entrance into Jerusalem a celebration of Him as king, or was it a hope that an insurrection was about to start? And why all the focus on the temple? What did the temple really mean to the people of Jesus' day?This is not your grandmother's Palm Sunday, I promise you that!!!

Eternal Life - Quantity or Quality?I was raised thinking about mansions and streets of gold and pearly gates and so on. Heaven was going to be one long blissful worship service, which to some of us seemed like the antithesis to a good time! I can barely sit still for an hour of church, let alone eternity! My grandmother will probably be pinching my leg to sit still, only this time it would last for eternity!Is that what heaven will be like? Are we going to be living in our ideal crib with nothing but singing and clapping for ever and ever? Not to burst any heavenly bubbles, but I don't think so.Blessings,Matt

In this discussion, we begin by asking the community the following question: "If we take the promise of eternal life out of the equation, what do we have to offer the world?" Our intent in asking the question is not to create doubt about the life here-after, but rather to prompt thinking about how a focus on the kingdom to come can effect our awareness of the kingdom here and now. Whether those we engage with believe in eternal life, we can still offer the Light of the world!

Our good friend Allen Likkel takes some time to reframe evangelism in a fresh and compelling way, while sharing stories of people whose lives have changed as they encountered Jesus through the incarnational life of a Christ-follower.Also, if you would like to read some blog thoughts by Pastor Matt, you can check it out on facebook or by clicking the attached doc.

In this conversation we take a little time to talk about the subject of inspiration, then get into the centrality of Jesus and the presence of the Spirit in the New Testament.All of this becomes incredibly personal when we ask ourselves the question, "what is my story? What difference is Jesus making in my life today? Is my story simply based on something that happened at camp when I was young, or are Jesus and the Holy Spirit writing my story everyday in a profound way?" I hope you take time to consider your own answer to these questions!