The New Norm

Mercy. It’s not a word we often use, but it’s at the center of a famous prayer from Matthew 20. In this week’s episode, Steve unpacks some powerful principles for prayer that are modeled by two desperate men in this story.

Sometimes we get stuck in situations we don’t like and didn’t ask for. Maybe that discomfort is God’s gentle way of leading us to place we would not have otherwise gone. This episode examines the story of Joseph in Matthew 2 and Isaac in Genesis 26 as examples for how to respond to seasons of crisis.

I once heard someone refer to the concept of grace as scandalous. It’s crazy to think someone should get something they don’t deserve. And yet, grace is at the very core of the gospel and that’s what Steve addresses in this episode.

A new year brings new opportunities for reflection and perspective. This week Steve explores lesson we can learn from Hagar as she stood on the edge of a new chapter of her life.

The Magi are a mysterious group of characters in the Christmas story. In this episode, Steve talks about who they are, where they come from, and what we can learn from them.

What do you do when you're grieving when everyone else is excited about Christmas? This week Steve looks at passage in Matthew where God acknowledges the very real pain the families in Bethlehem are experiencing. It’s a reminder that, despite our deep heartache, God as not forgotten us.

In 1 Sam. 26, when David has a chance to attack King Saul, he refuses to “strike the Lord’s anointed.” In some traditions this verse has been interpreted to mean no one should ever challenge anyone in a position of spiritual authority. In this episode, Steve examines this passage to see what it might mean for us today.

Part of walking in mercy is choosing to forgive, sometime more than you thought you would. In this episode, Steve explores Jesus’s command in Matthew 6 to forgive so that we might be forgiven

Genesis 1 describes the Spirit of God "hovering over the surface of the waters” immediately before God declares “Let there be light!”

What might it look like to imagine and perceive the Holy Spirit hovering in your life and relationships? What might the Spirit be preparing to do in and around you next?

Sometimes we’re in a set of circumstances we didn’t ask for. This was true of the people of Israel, who were suffering in exile in Babylon. Steve explores the promises God has for us in the midst of these moments from Ezekiel 39.