In the book of Acts, a follower of Christ has only one job description: witness. Most people are scared of that word. We think, “Me? A witness? I don’t know enough scripture. I’m not holy enough. I don’t have a degree.” How we understand the word “witness” is the key to finding adventurous faith our souls crave.

We have settled into the story of Easter. Jesus rises from the dead and we get a nice lunch. But stop for a moment and consider the message the followers of Jesus proclaimed that day. A man everyone had watched die a miserable death was suddenly alive. What would your friends think if you wandered around the neighborhood announcing that?

We have settled into the story of Easter. Jesus rises from the dead and we get a nice lunch. But stop for a moment and consider the message the followers of Jesus proclaimed that day. A man everyone had watched die a miserable death was suddenly alive. What would your friends think if you wandered around the neighborhood announcing that?

Holy Week begins with a theft. The disciples “borrow” a donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. We picture Jesus’ arrival as a joyful celebration of the savior. But it was a rebellious, treasonous act that got the Good Religious People scared. On Palm Sunday, should we be a little scared, too?

The most powerful story Jesus ever told has become associated with a word no one understands anymore. We call it The Prodigal Son. The word prodigal doesn’t mean lost. It means something more. And if we understand the story right, the son wasn’t the only prodigal present.

Jesus had difficult words for everyone around him. In Luke 14, he defined discipleship in a way that caught everyone off guard. It is a far cry from the ideas of “membership” that we tend to associate with Christianity. Yet if we’re willing to hear, break loose, and follow, we may yet discover the life Christ has for us.

Jesus tells a parable seemingly promoting the destruction of a perfectly good fig tree. Only one thing can save the tree. That same one thing can also save us. This week we will explore the power of repentance and the role it plays in our lives.

In Jesus’ day, women and men lived separate lives. They did not touch or talk unless they were related or married. But in Luke 7, while eating dinner with a group of good religious people, Jesus gets his feet cleaned, rubbed, and anointed by a woman he doesn’t even know! His explanation infuriated the religious folk, but offers us a new life.

Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John was a powerful moment marking the beginning of his ministry. His encore? Forty days in the wilderness without food, followed by three temptations by the devil. Why start his ministry this way—dealing with the devil in the badlands? Because out among the rocks Jesus makes clear who he is and why he’s here.

Moses confronted Pharaoh, led the people through the desert for 40 years, dealt with grumbling and mumbling, and his reward? He got to see the Promised Land, but not go into the Promised Land. How would you respond to that? Moses understood something important about ending his story—a lesson we all need if our stories are to have any impact at all.

Every great story has a love interest. Samson and Delilah. Rhett and Scarlett. Romeo and Juliet. Han Solo and Princess Leia. What’s the love story in Exodus? Or in all of scripture for that matter? Moses tells us the truth about the love interest in our story.