“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” - Matthew 23:23-24

“Here we look into the future as we see the story in the stars telling us of the second coming of our Lord and the glory that follows.”

“Jacob is the proof that character gaps can be bridged. The triumph of radical change is open to a disciple. That a disciple, today, wherever they may find themselves, and whatever circumstances surround them, can grab on and Hold Fast to God, and triumphantly just relinquish a life to God, choosing to Wait Continually on Him.”

“This is the truth of our Floating World: its sometimes beautiful structures, finely balanced — until they aren’t. How convincing they seem— how permanent— until, inevitably, they break up at the slightest movement of the deeper reality they ride upon.”

"The fruit of the Spirit is joy. Joy is a commandment, and a pleasurable commandment at that. It’s an invitation into the joy of our Lord. And joy will bring us healing and love. It has for me, and it will for you too."

"This second chapter is about the birth and development of the Church and shows the result of the Christ’s resurrection, with the Holy Spirit being poured out on the early Christians as the church becomes established, despite the severe persecution it suffered."

"Judah is a person that grows up in a family that has messy, awkward problems. He has issues with anger, with jealousy. He struggles with his emotions. He lies and deceives those around him. He runs away from his problems. He's afraid. He gives into his lusts and desires. And so if you look at him in that way, he actually becomes a very relatable person."

“One of the challenges that I've observed and many have observed as well in our community, is the question: ‘has our Sunday morning worship become too structured, too rigid, too formal, and is no longer serving the needs of our community?’”

“We are at a critical juncture in our history with much opportunity but also much danger. As a community, we can easily find our fellowship reduced to, or possibly exposed as a loosely affiliated, fractured group of believers if we don’t prayerfully manage this post-pandemic transition period in our history.”

Mistaking our participation in a church for our spiritual identity can impede our walk toward Jesus. He wants the best for us, and the best from us. Our church should enable that relationship.