Jesus showed us that God does his best work at places like Levi's house, not the temple.  Our mission is not getting lost people in the church so much as it is getting Christ in lost people.  Worship and other church events are like halftime.  They matter, but they are not where we play the game.  That means we have to actively go where lost people are.

We all have certain boundaries that we don’t want to be violated. During Jesus’ life, there was a certain religious group (The Pharisees) who had rigid boundaries. They believed these boundaries shouldn’t be violated. A controversy is created when Jesus violates a major boundary of the Pharisees. It raises the question: how should followers of Jesus live out what Jesus taught today?

Life is often challenging.  We encounter new difficulties and obstacles every day.  Sometimes those obstacles stick with us for a long time, either turning into bad habits or simply hindering us from taking the next step forward.  Through faith in Jesus, we can experience breakthrough into new territories and arenas of experiencing God's goodness.  Through our own faith and of those around us, we can break through!

It's difficult to say "no."  There are so many expectations placed on us that choosing how to prioritize our lives is no easy task.  Thankfully, we have Jesus as our example.  He understood his Father's will and made it his life's mission to see it come to fruition.  Even when his ministry grew so large so quickly, he wasn't controlled by the expectations of his followers.  Jesus lived on mission, which dictated the way he lived his life.

What does it look like when the Holy Spirit moves among a group of people? And, how do they respond? We catch a glimpse in Acts 13. The church at Antioch is praying and fasting when the Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas to a mission, to a purpose. What would it look like and how would we respond if the Holy Spirit decided to move among us? There is more purpose for us.

It's easy to lose hope for something better, especially when you're not seeing any signs of hope.  This was the case for Ezekiel.  He was a priest in exile in Babylon.  But God gave him a vision for something better, something in the future.  It was a sign of hope for Ezekiel that God wasn't done with Israel.  It was a sign of hope that there was more.  It's also a reminder for us that there is more... more power.

What precedes a spiritual awakening, the conditions that create the kind of environment for God to move with power?  There are probably multiple ways to answer.  But, one thing is certain.  Prayer precedes an awakening.  If we desire spiritual awakening, we should be in prayer.  There is more through prayer.

It’s not hard to settle for too little in life, even in your relationship with God. One of the benefits of a new year is the opportunity to establish a new normal. When it comes to our walk with God, there is more than our present experience. In fact, God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Don’t settle for too little in 2019. There is more…

The end of another year reminds us that nothing in this world lasts forever, including even our own lives.  As we reflect on the loved ones we have lost this year, we are reminded of the words of the Psalmist: “Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

There are two responses to Jesus’ birth in Matthew 2:1-12. Herod wants to kill Jesus. The Magi want to worship him. Jesus’ birth paints a picture of God’s vision for the world. The first people to recognize him as king and bring him a sacrifice of praise are Gentiles. It’s an unlikely scene: the king of the Jews, surrounded by farm animals and his unwed parents being worshipped by people from another country. This Christmas season it’s important to give the proper response to Jesus’ birth…worship.