Together #forSalem

We are products of our influences. We like what we like and think what we think mostly because someone told us it was the right thing to like and the right thing to think. The Story of Jesus gives us the ability to clearly and purposely reevaluate our life’s influences and rewrite our own stories.

God wants us to be religious, right? Wrong. The Story of Jesus isn’t about following a list of religious rules. The Story of Jesus is the story of true love and freedom.

We have things in our past that we’d rather forget. Some we can look back on and laugh about. Others bring such guilt and shame we wish we could forget and never think about it again. What do we do with that guilt? Is there a way to move past our past and into something better? There is. We find it in the Story of Jesus.

There are many parts of the Story of Jesus that are hard to believe (especially the weird stuff about healings and demons). But these stories prove something even harder to believe… No matter who we are or what we have done, Jesus sees us and loves us.

You have a story you were created to live. A story this world needs you to live. But so often we miss it b/c we either don't know what the story is really about, how to live it out, or don’t even know we have a story. But when we discover what the Story of Jesus is really about we discover what our own story is really about.

Sure, Jesus of Nazareth is the most well known figure in human history. And yeah he had some really good ideas, but the full story about healings, miracles, rising from the dead, and Jesus actually being God is pretty hard to believe. But for 2000 years, this story has transformed millions of individual lives and the entire world. Maybe there’s more to the story of Jesus than we first thought. What if it is true? What could that mean for us now?

A new series: The Story of Jesus. [The Book of Mark]

...bring your bibles!

God isn’t distant, disinterested, or mad at you. He created you specifically on purpose. He loves you, likes you, and enjoys you! He invites all of us to experience a life more fulfilling and satisfying than we can imagine. We find this life by practicing the Art of Following Jesus.

God created us to enjoy life. Yet so many of us just seem stuck in boredom, routine, or worse. But there is a way to enjoy the life we’ve been given even when things are difficult or overwhelming. It’s discovered when we practice the Art of Following Jesus.

To make the world a better place. We need to eat and drink with more people… just like Jesus.