[Speaker: Austin Conner] "Fake": Not genuine; counterfeit; claiming to be something or someone they aren't. 1 Peter 1:15 says that Christians must "be holy in all our conduct." Is this true of you, or are you faking it?

[Speaker: Jensen Holt McNair] Trials are a part of the Christian life. Peter tells Christians to expect trials as exiles living faithfully in a world that isn't our home. Why it might be worth faithfully following Jesus, even when that means walking into difficulty?

Being away from the comfort and security of home is disorienting, but that is exactly the situation Peter's audience finds themselves in. Even more, they're caught in the tension of living faithfully in a culture that rejects them for their beliefs. What does their situation have to do with us though?

[Speaker: Austin Conner] Why do I need to commit to a church? If I read my Bible and have my smaller group of Christian community, do I need to go to church? How important is the church to Jesus?

[Speaker: Kyle Richter] Faithfully following Jesus means accepting the uncomfortable truths that Jesus teaches. It means embracing a willingness to do uncomfortable things like loving others sacrificially. But it also means committing ourselves to living alongside uncomfortable people.

[Speaker: Colleen Luley] Loving others as Jesus does is far harder than it seems, but Jesus calls his followers to love others, sacrificially, not selfishly. Colleen explores what this kind of uncomfortable love looks like and why Jesus thinks it's such a big deal.

[Speaker: Austin Conner] If we're committed to following Jesus together, we're going to be faced with some uncomfortable truths and difficult situations. But what do we do when Jesus asks us to be something that seems all-together unattainable?

[Speaker: Kyle Richter] Because of the culture we live in it's tempting to think that following Jesus should be easy. Many of us make Christianity about our happiness, our convenience, our experience, and our comfort. But is comfort a normal part of the Christian life? Can it be dangerous to be comfortable?

The Christmas season helps remind Christians that their lives are part of a larger story God is telling. There is hope and joy to be found within that story. Paired with a special night of Christmas songs and hymns, Kyle Richter shares how the birth of Jesus can bring light to our darkness.

NOTE: This talk opened with a short video filmed in modern day Bethlehem. The audio is included with this podcast.

[Speaker: Justin Derks] Through hard times, Israel spent hundreds of years waiting for the Messiah to come. We know Jesus is that Messiah, the Light of the World. How does he bring light and hope to our lives when so often our lives are filled with darkness?