What if the greatest threat to peace isn't conflict but the wrong definition of peace? Jesus invites us beyond the peace of empire into shalom: justice, healing, restored relationships, and human flourishing. Blessed are the peacemakers.

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

"Blessed are the pure in heart" may be one of Jesus' most misunderstood teachings. What if purity isn't perfection, but wholeness? Let's get into it.

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

Mercy sounds beautiful until it starts challenging the systems that create suffering.

In this message from Unlearning Empire, we discover why Jesus' words, "Blessed are the merciful," are far more disruptive than they first appear.

Video Cody references in sermon: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/swa6x5ngij49rl045hrky/Video-Jul-15-2026-10-50-33-AM.mov?rlkey=ejdxgoqtcbte0w7ok3xq8quar&st=rwvifogw&dl=0

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

Many of us inherited a version of Christianity focused on getting souls into heaven. Jesus offers something much bigger, a new humanity. Join us as we explore what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness and discover why those who still long for justice, mercy, truth, and love are the very people Jesus calls blessed.

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

What does Jesus mean by "the meek"? Drawing from Psalm 37, Roman occupation, and our own political moment, this message explores why the future does not belong to the cruel, but to those who refuse to become what they hate.

Link to Stephen Colbert clip referenced by Cody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6Z_m6Hh0A (Timeframe 0:00 - 2:30)

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

In this episode, Rob Bell joins Vinings Lake as a guest speaker. Learn more about Rob here: https://robbell.com/

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

What if the opposite of joy isn't grief but numbness? In this message, we examine Jesus' blessing on those who mourn and discover why lament may be one of the most human, courageous, and hopeful acts available to us in an age of anxiety, spectacle, and spiritual exhaustion.

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

A new series begins.

In a world shaped by empire, fear, power, and performance, Jesus announces a radically different way to be human. In Part 1 of Unlearning Empire, we explore why Jesus calls the poor in spirit blessed—and how the Beatitudes confront everything empire tells us about success, strength, and worth.

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake

Facebook: https://facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

In the middle of collapse, Jeremiah does something absurd: he buys land in a war zone. Not because circumstances look hopeful, but because he refuses to let Babylon decide what is possible. In a world shaped by fear, cynicism, and exhaustion, hope itself becomes an act of creative resistance. Maybe one of the holiest things we can do in an age of collapse is plant something anyway.

Stephen Colbert Video Referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_qkVPZ8DJI

Follow us on social media!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viningslake/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viningslake

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viningslake

Join us as guest speaker Lauren Cibene discusses the creative resistance of motherhood. She explores female and maternal imagery throughout the Bible, while celebrating all mothers.

See more of Lauren's work!

Website: https://laurencibene.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurencibene/