It’s easy to tell others what they should do. It’s more challenging to lead the way first. But we must. In this teaching, we look at how Paul demonstrates this powerful truth in his letter to the Colossians and his reference to John Mark, who deserted he and Barnabbas at the most inopportune time and caused a tremendous amount of pain and friction. Paul knew he couldn’t ask someone to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself. The same is true for us as well.

Our lives are incredibly busy, and most of us aren’t intentional about creating space to retreat from the hustle and bustle to find rest, restoration, and rejuvenation. And yet, without such spaces, we deteriorate and lose focus on what’s important. Jesus understood this. In this teaching, we look at Jesus’ rhythm of retreat, and get really practical on how we can do the same in order to live a vibrant and properly focused life.

We say “yes” to a lot of things, but are they the things we should be saying “yes” to? Jim Collins has said that “the good is the enemy of the great.” We can get so caught up in doing “good” things that we miss out on the “best” things. Jesus understood this clearly. And in this teaching (shot on location in Israel), we look at how Jesus was totally fine disappointing people in order to stay true to his mission. He knew how to say “no” to the good things so he could say “yes” to the best things. Get ready to have your world rocked because this teaching will mess with you!

In Luke 8, a woman grabs the corner of Jesus’ garment and is instantly healed. It’s a bizarre story, until you understand the stunning connections she’s making, and why she does what she does. But even more stunning is Jesus’ tender response, and the implications of his invitation for us to come to him for help and healing despite our uncleanness, hesitations, fears, and messes.

Many of us know Jesus’ statement about loving God and loving others in Matthew 22. But I’m guessing most of us don’t know the Gezerah Shavah behind it that makes it even more fascinating, revolutionary, and challenging than we thought. This is what this teaching tackles as we seek to understand what it more fully means to love God by loving others.

There’s an ancient Jewish practice that revolutionized my prayer life and fostered an awareness of both God and gratitude that I hadn’t accessed on a regular basis before. In this short teaching, I share what that practice is and how it can have a significant impact on your life as well.

It’s really easy to focus on what’s not going well in our lives, rather than being grateful for what is going well. But what would happen if we allowed gratitude to be what grounded us? How would we then view the challenging things in our lives? That’s what this teaching addresses by looking at the astounding connections between the healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5) and Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17).

One thing I’ve learned about Jesus is that nothing is random. It’s utterly remarkable how his words and actions tie into the Old Testament story and then propel the overall story forward. Take Luke 7. Jesus raises a widow’s son back to life. It’s incredible. But what makes this story so fascinating isn’t only what Jesus did, but where he did it. When we understand that, we begin to understand just how intentional Jesus is with everything, including your story and mine.

The Sea of Galilee is bursting with life and vitality. The Dead Sea is toxic and nothing can survive. And yet they’re both fed by the same source – the Jordan River. How can this be? The answer is utterly fascinating, and its truth speaks to one of the most significant realities of how we flourish in life.

I’m a really hopeful person, especially on the heels of celebrating the resurrection. But at times, I despair about the condition of our world and the struggles of life. Perhaps you do as well. That’s why I share a fascinating story that has helped me tremendously in addressing these moments and finding the courage to press on.