The Source Houston

It’s almost Advent - a great time to pick up a new spiritual habit.

Amanda shares some tricks from her seminary days about how to remember some of the more difficult terms, including why she now thinks about pajamas when she thinks about prevenient grace.

It’s almost Advent, which is a great time to pick up a new spiritual habit.

Sin separates us from God’s will, and from each other. So how are freed from sin? Where does hope begin?

“Grace is the marrow of Scripture”

A town that turned off the lights to see the stars reminded Ken how to have your eyes trained on God.

If we are a people who come before God, wanting to understand why we’re here, what happens is transformation - not just in our lives, but in the lives of the world around us.

How are we one? How is the church one as part of that? That’s the question for today.

Ken reminds us of the biggest piece of it: a desire to be present with Christ.

It’s a wonder what we can do when we operate together.

Amanda has an usual metaphor to describe what it is that makes up our faith, but she focuses the most on the middle part that holds things together: unity. There is one God and we are one faith. And it is a wonder what we can do when we operate together.

Ephesians 4:1-7 & 4:11-13

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There is an unquestionable desire to consume in our society, it's everywhere. What is the position we are to take if we really want to encounter God?

We often fall victim to "this is what you give, so this is what you get." And the church is not immune.

But God does not desire our preferences. He desires our presence.

John 6:1-14

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The story of Zaccheus is not just the story of a man, it’s the story of an invitation and a table.

Ken looks back through the stories we’ve already told throughout the series before bringing us to a story that encapsulates everything we’ve already talked about: the story of Zaccheus.

If we believe Jesus is the light of the world ,and we want to be transformed by him, it means sacrificing every thing we have.

Ken talks about Nicodemus’ late night visit to see Jesus, and the abundant life that Jesus offered him in that encounter.

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What Christ invites us to is an unfolding experience of the grace of God.

Jesus invitation to the Samaritan woman meant something in those days that isn’t clear now: it meant that she was valued.

When we think about encountering Christ, we might feel guilt

But what Christ invites us to us an unfolding experience of the grace of God.

John 4:1-30

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In the two stories found in today’s Scripture here, we see Jesus lift up the downtrodden, whether they are rich and powerful or poor and downtrodden. Doing the same remains the call Jesus places on all of us.

Luke 8:40-56

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Sometimes it’s not just what the Scripture leaves in, but what the Scripture leaves out. And in this passage from Luke, where Jesus predicts his death, you see the life of the church begin to appear.

We need to hunt down the peaceful interruptions that allow us to take in the word of God.

Luke 9:21-27

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