There are experiences we all have in life, things we want to lock away and never allow to see the light of day again. But in those negative experiences are examples of how God rescues us, and how he has stamped out evil's hold on us. And in Jesus' parables, we see how this simple act of unpacking our lives before others brings about a miraculous effect.

We are often taught to act and do something with our faith, but what about when that is not possible? What if our actions, done in the name of faith, actually do more harm to us in the end? In the parables of Jesus, we are instructed in how to properly act and the mindset to have as we live for God and wait for the good things to come.

In daily life, it is difficult to determine what is real and what is not. The world is full of distracting stimuli and false images of things that we often play into without consideration. To face such a danger, we need something that will grab our attention, shake us from within the comfort of our lives, and make us focus on what we have ignored before. That something is the wisdom of Jesus, found within the parables.

In a time of various political and cultural opinions and theories, it can be difficult to decide who to side with or who is right. But perhaps there is a different option for the church to go down, a different way to look at the world and decide how to proceed with the problems within it.

This year is a graduation season which leaves many going off to college, or leaving college, with a sense of hesitation about what to expect in the world. But the followers of Jesus Christ have already been given a gift, one that enables them to know and live in a strange and unknowable world.

In the midst of chaotic situations and unknown outcomes, people are anxious and wondering how to get back to daily life and being able to live again. In the midst of a new ‘normal’ people need hope in order to go on. But what does hope look like in a world like ours now, and how do we recapture what it is out of what others have made of it?

Many churches come together on Trinity Sunday thinking they know about the makeup of God, but don't really understand how to live out that destined life. That unity represented within the Godhead is an idea and lesson that must be grasped, if humans have any hope of coming together and surviving crisis.

As we celebrate the birth of the Church and the gifting of the Holy Spirit, we currently battle with how to understand and speak to others who protest. How does the Holy Spirit aid us in the moment of need, and should we connect with those we cannot understand?

As lock-downs across the country start to end, and we reflect on our time in quarantine, what do we think we will do differently from here? As we go back to our lives, how will we live differently based off the still-present danger around us? And how does Jesus ascending into heaven to be with God change all that?

As people prepare to reopen and rejoin society again, we ask if we are ready to go back based off of how others are behaving? How can the church aid in this transition? What role can we play as we engage and guide others in this uneasy period?