The whole scripture story tells the most glorious good news the world has ever heard. If we associate the Bible with bad news, scary news or shaming news, we must learn to read it the way God inspired it to be read. What appears to be inconsistent with the character of God is there to reveal the love of God. Even what looks like bad news is good news in disguise!

The Bible is not just a text to study or a checkbox on our “good Christian” to-do list. It is a way to hear from God and allow his spirit to work in our hearts and minds. Reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus helps us find our place in the story again and again.

Jesus redefined reality by claiming to be the center of the scripture story. As we surrender to the love of Jesus, we enter this new reality and our lives are transformed.

Jesus both loves us and shows us what love looks like. The most basic task of being human is to receive his love, live in his love, and imitate his love. Anything else is worthless unless we do everything in love.

When we embody the way of Jesus and live as salt & light in our everyday lives, God’s kingdom breaks through in real time that which is bland and tasteless gains fullness and flavor; where there is darkness, light begins to shine.

God’s people are ordinary people who bless others by ordinary means. Simply living in the way of Jesus, we shine hope in the darkness and people are drawn toward the goodness of God.

Light shines; it doesn’t try to shine. And when transformed people just live and love like Jesus, we illuminate what a Good God is doing in an often dark and chaotic world.

As we embrace the way of Jesus’s kingdom, the Spirit will work through us to be the salt of the earth. In a world bitter with hate, sickness, and strife, we will be flavor-givers, seasoning things up, making life around us more tasty as we love and live in the way of Jesus.

A brand new year is a special gift! Let’s start 2023 together on Day One.

Christmas is a never-ending story. When we surrender to God’s love, we embody Christ’s Spirit like Mary embodied Jesus the first Christmas. Emmanuel is “God with us,” but the Spirit is “God in us.” Wherever we are, there he is!