Luke 1:26-29 …God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Confused and disturbed = Freaking Out Luke 1:30-38 NLT “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have […]

PROBLEM – we don’t see the miraculous Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.” The Miracle Of Breath by James Robinson.  Consider the journey of an oxygen atom. The same atom, which at this moment hovers around your face, was once in the lungs of a dinosaur. The journey begins when you take a simple breath. For what it’s worth, […]

PROBLEM GOD Matthew 1:18-21 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared […]

PROBLEM GOD Luke 1:26-41 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel […]

PROBLEM GOD Luke 1:11-17 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because […]

PROBLEM What benefit is God to you? How our relationship with God is like marriage. Contract v covenant. Called off example, vows. What does it mean to trust God? Our end of the deal is to live like Jesus.  But what is God’s end? That’s a bit confusing.  What are we trusting God for? To provide and protect. But we lock our doors at night. Our trust is in your locks. Protection- insurance. Act of God.  insurance against God. God […]

PROBLEM The real problem for the Church is not that people are asking these questions but when the Church stops listening, being empathetic, and caring for those who are hurting. I would be willing to assume that we have all struggled with the problem of evil in our own way. Many of my atheist friends think that Fry’s response is fantastic. That’s naive.  It is striking that this God allows, even encourages, questioning. a large part of the Psalms, and […]

At the core of the image of God is the restoration of the perfect relationship between the trinity + us.  PROBLEM – Living without God creates a lot of problems If you can’t love yourself you are going to have problems. Loving yourself is necessary for happiness. Where there is a lack of self-love, there’s also an assumption of being unlovable to the core.  If you’re not really loving yourself, your message is “I don’t love me for my strengths […]

PROBLEM Financial success is seen in a mixed light. It’s a blessing from God, yes, but it’s also tremendously dangerous. Money can derail us spiritually, even if we are “succeeding” financially. Money itself is neither good nor bad, but its use is highly spiritual. Money is a deceptive force that can capture people’s hearts, drawing them away from God like a powerful magnet. The closer you get to a magnet, the harder it pulls—and the more you give your heart […]