We’ll find that your mouth can cause your entire body to suffer consequences. Have you ever noticed that you don’t fire the mouth, you fire a person? Instead of putting your child’s mouth in time out; you put your child in time out. Words possess the power to control the direction and quality of our lives.

Did you know that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a religious saying? We’ll find that even though it may have good intentions, it’s not a Biblical idea. We recover from physical wounds far quicker than we do emotional wounds. What causes words to become weapons?

How are you using your words to build up your circles of influence according to what they need? We all have three circles of influence: inner, intentional, and influential. Each circle will have a different need but all need the language of grace.

Healthy effective communication is complicated. Our words are powerful as they carry the power of life and death. We’ll dissect a verse that will help us with life-giving communication. The words you use are the words you choose. Why do you choose the words you use?

Jesus made a promise that He would return. As He talks about His return, His followers from Galilee would have understood the imagery from a wedding. Jesus promise of a return provides hope to those waiting because it will be physical and public. We’ll find how the rapture is part of His return.

Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when the end would happen. He explains to them that the end would happen when certain signs would occur. Decades later, John echos that the same signs have continued and will continue. Even with the uncertainty, we have no reason to fear.

Like last year as we were just a weeks into the pandemic, the message of Easter is more relevant to the modern world than it has it about 100 years when the world faced another global pandemic. Now we are over a year into the pandemic and the message of Easter is just as relevant to us as it was last year. Why? The events of Easter are relevant because they address our greatest fears.

Jonah is angry and we find the reason why he disobeyed in the first place. What we really find is a Jonah who isn’t willing to admit that he no longer values what God values. He couldn’t love and show grace because he didn’t understand love and grace. Even when we didn’t understand love and grace, God loved and provided us grace.

We find Jonah arriving in Nineveh. After everything he experienced in his relationship with God, he reluctantly obeyed and preached a heartless message. We’ll find that reluctant obedience is not complete obedience. Even when we heartlessly obey, God uses us in spite of us for His purposes.

We’re introduced to Jonah, a prophet who was called to speak on God’s behalf and decided that wasn’t for him. Jonah’s decision changed his life...and not for the better. The decisions we make have consequences. Even though disobedience leads to descent, God continues to pursue us for His purposes.