“There is a difference between forming ourselves and being formed, the issue is control.” We kick off our vision series reminding ourselves was it means to be a transforming people.

We have many doors of wants but there is one door that fulfills your deepest desires. Jesus' call to pray "Your Kingdom Come" is not just a nice invitation but a door way of life which brings life and life to the full. How do we keep our hands to this door?

Jesus had an uncanny ability to turn enemies into guests and guests into family. One of the great challenges we face in the US is the ever-increasing divided ideology. Many of us losing relationships as our culture is quicker than ever to disregard, divide, and demonize one another. We need to remind ourselves of the Jesus who welcomed the outsider which is transformed lives.

To experience healthy relationships and real belonging we must navigate difficult conversations. The issue is we have all been mentored by family & culture on how to do conflict. This has led for us to either choosing false peace or fighting dirty. To be children of His kingdom we must become peacemakers, so how?

Apologies in this episode there was background music left playing. This is resolved as the message continues. 

We all like to think we are self-aware people. How we feel and how we are received by others. Studies show up to 15% of people are self-aware. That’s a lot of unaware people. Being self-aware is an important part of belonging! To be able to love others well and know how we fit in community. The reality is there are hurdles to this journey of self-discovery which hinders the progression of true self.

Great to have an update on the School of Hope Mission in Dominican Republic. Cherilyn also brought a great word! We can be faced with many challenges but what is priority? Jesus calls us to a challenge which puts all other challenges in their place. The challenge of Servanthood. The Kingdom of heaven defines one who serves as great, if we want to imitate Jesus we must serve.

Community is one of the greatest containers for growth in the life of the believer. To belong is to be devoted to practice over preference. Preference feels like mind reading, where practice means engaging and gaining clarity. This is honoring to another. So how do we walk this out?

We all have a backpack of responsibilities in relationships and work. These responsibilities easily turn from a manageable backpack to an overwhelming burden. We fear being a burden yet to bear another's burden is a key foundation to seeing the Kingdom realized and discovery of our true selves. So how do we walk this out?

We are faced with an ever-increasing issue of loneliness in this culture. We experience welcoming, hospitality, agreement on values, yet we barely know or like each other…The church is in danger of becoming a lonely crowd. Why is this happening and what does it mean to belong?

It is strange that while the Bible has so much to say about spiritual conflict, so many Christians and entire denominations want to ignore it altogether. We need to have an understanding of how the demonic realm gains entrance in our lives and what we can do about it. Christians are not immune to this. It is possible to be positionally in Christ yet have areas of our hearts that are occupied by the enemy. Thankfully, we have been given all of the tools that we need to live in freedom.