There's a whole lot of healing taking place in Matthew 9. Joel takes a new look at these familiar stories and walks through what it looks like to live in light of the healing of Jesus.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray in the most simple yet profound way. And introduces them to the radical concept of forgiveness, which ultimately sets us free to love well. Join us as we look with fresh eyes at each line of this famous prayer.

In Matthew 5, Jesus encourages us to live from the heart of the law rather than the letter of it and that can be a lot more difficult. Ideas like poverty of spirit or meekness or mourning or persecution don't exactly put us in mind of the #blessed we see on social media. And yet, living from this humble perspective that Jesus taught in the Beatitudes gives us the radical courage we need to live out our faith in ways that bring healing to our communities. It's the upside-down kingdom ethics that Jesus brings to the mix and we are here for it!

Matthew writes the story of Jesus through a particular lens, that of an outsider. In America, we may joke around about the IRS but to be a tax collector in that time period was not funny at all. Even in the genealogy, we can see Matthew's heart for those who are considered outcasts.  Join us as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, from an outsider's perspective.

Most people would agree that generosity means doing something for someone that is "above and beyond" normal kindness but the Bible talks about a generosity being a way of looking at the world. Using Matthew 6 as context, what does is mean to live from the view of a good/healthy/generous eye? This understanding is a true game changer!

Rachel and Trevor dig a little deeper into Biblical justice and a little philosophy as well, looking at four modern justice theories that are currently informing our culture but we do it through a Biblical lens. It is an interesting conversation around the truths and lies in the various models but it is also important to think about why we might find ourself leaning into one or the other. We even play a little Monopoly along the way. Libertarian Monopoly, anyone? 

You may have heard it said that justice is when people get what they deserve, but God says that true justice brings wholeness into individuals, communities and all of creation. We look at scripture to see what a Biblical understanding of justice might look like for the people of God. Spoiler alert: God has a lot to say about this subject.

Launching a new series on reimagining The Good Life through the lens of Scripture. How does this Biblical idea of The Good Life line up with our traditional ideas of what it means to live The Good Life as citizens of earth? You might be surprised by our discussion around the differences between happiness and pleasure which change everything! 

You have heard it said "protect yourself at all costs", but Jesus might say "you can protect yourself and others". Gayle engages us in a conversation around the ins and outs of setting boundaries. She asks us what kind of fence we put up with our neighbors? Is there a loving way to say "no" to those we love? Jesus shows us over and over what this idea looks like.

What does it mean to be faithful? It may seem to be a never ending road of joyless obligation and duty ahead but dig in with us as Joel points us towards an understanding of faithfulness as an exciting life of trust, of hope, of anticipation, of joy.