Join me for this 46 day study of the Gospel and Christ’s resurrection. Complete with daily readings to guide your study and questions to provoke your thinking…

If you’re like me, there are places in your bible that you’ve read and heard several times (i.e. the gospels, Genesis 1-11, and the popular Psalms). However, there are those dark spots in your bible – whole books you’ve never touched. For me, those were books like Ezekiel, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and those "deep cut" Psalms you wouldn’t see cross-stitched on a pillow.

Finally, I was out of the riptide and back on my feet, standing in chest-deep water after what seemed like forever. I was exhausted. I didn’t know it but Jill had jumped in too and, as I looked to my right, she was in the riptide now and struggling hard toward the beach. In spite of her best swimming, she was moving steadily backward toward the open ocean and would be out of reach any second. My first instinct was to swim over to her as fast as I could…

Although there are many ways to worship, something they all have in common is that they are always done with faith and a heart attitude of choosing Jesus over ourselves. Worship is taking our thoughts captive before Jesus, praying, singing and listening to songs that glorify the Lord, reading the bible, serving others, and extending grace in a million different ways. Worship is taking the time, discipline, and humility to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Being stretched between comfort zones is often when you are most vulnerable to making a change. Transitions can often feel like a time-lapse of instability, but who says that instability is always a bad thing? Hear me out: what if seasons of transition were more than just a waiting game but rather opportunities to make the choices you never would have made if you were still in your comfort zone?

We may be tempted to be consumed with worry and fear and negative patterns of thinking. With all of our normal activities cancelled we are around our families constantly and may be feeling bored or stressed at not seeing our friends. All of this is completely understandable and relatable, if not entirely, at least on some level. We all really are more alike than we are different! With at least a month to go, I want to challenge you with an opportunity to rise to a higher standard…

I know God calls us to be cheerful givers and to lay down our lives for our friends. But what if our battery is too low and we have nothing left to give?

Through our feelings of disconnection, God is teaching us what it means to be intentional. It’s clear that we are to follow the footsteps of Jesus in how we love, and Jesus loved us so much he faithlessly calls us to have a relationship with him even when it’s not easy. As members of the body, we should love others through pursuing them especially in this time of extended isolation and fear.

All it takes is one look at the news headlines to feel like the world is spinning out of control. Many things we may have looked forward to, like vacations, holiday celebrations, and graduations, are suddenly gone. Happiness has been replaced with fear for our health and that of our loved ones. In this difficult time, our hearts may wonder, ”Is God still in control?” and if he is, why is he letting this pandemic happen?