"Let us not become weary in doing good..." Doing good can become wearisome. The daily, "small" decisions we make, those little battles we may be facing right now, are a lot more important than we think, as they may be the steps to develop emotional resilience needed to continue to do good for God. No, it's not natural to our sinful natures, but as we "pretend" to be like Jesus, we find God shaping us more into the character of Christ.

"You reap what you sow..." This simple rule of life from Galatians 6:7-9 has been blurred in modern-day living, where robust decisions leading to deliberate actions has faded into passive drifting in some direction or another. Even Christians just "do the Christian thing" as a preferred lifestyle as opposed to living with passion and conviction. But our text, let alone Jesus, made it very clear that it's not a lifestyle choice; it's about eternal life or destruction, heaven and hell. As we examine our lives, what actions are we "sowing?" What choices do we need to make to please the Spirit and reap eternal life?

In John 6, we find the crowds following Jesus, hoping that he would recreate the miracle of feeding the thousands with a few loaves of bread. But they were missing the point of who Jesus is and what he came for... to offer eternal, spiritual sustenance... but that's not what they were interested in. As we enter the new year, let us put aside all of the ulterior agendas by which we may be following Jesus, and embrace Jesus for who he claimed himself to be: the bread of Life, broken for our salvation.

The coming new year holds many exciting aspects of how God will use us as His instruments in experiencing Him and in spreading the gospel. But looking back at yet another year, are there regrets, failures, insecurities that lead us to think that God may not want to include me in His plans? Looking at the life of Gideon (Judges 6), take heart that God's ways are different from our ways, and He is neither hindered nor influenced by our abilities (or lack thereof), but rather calls us to place total faith and reliance on God doing the work through us. We are simply called to trust and obey.

Christmas nativity scenes usually depict the birth of Jesus as a peaceful, warm, comfortable event. Matthew 2 describes the Christmas event quite differently, in that it actually disturbed everyone involved. Mary and Joseph's lives were interrupted. Herod felt threatened. The scribes and chief priests, on the other hand, didn't want to be bothered by this. The fact is, anytime God acts, it will indeed be disruptive. Any desire for a God who leaves us alone might find they're missing the point of Christianity. Let's open our lives for God's disruption, and live lives of obedience to what He calls us to.

Jesus "came to seek and to save what was lost." As we shared in the testimonies of seven of the 23 baptism candidates, we found ourselves brought back to our own stories of how, though we were seeking God, we instead came to discover, like Zacchaeus in Luke 19, that God was looking for us.

The parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21-35 describes a man who, having just been forgiven an insurmountable debt, pounces mercilessly on another man who owed him a trifle in comparison. What is behind the heart of one forgiven much who cannot forgive another even a little? Christians are those who have had, "as far as the east is from the west," our sins removed from us by the forgiveness of God. How do we respond?

Gratitude is a perspective... we can either focus on what we wish were there (but isn't), or we can recognize the abundance of existing realities. Thanksgiving expressed is also powerfully transforming on the part of the one receiving the thanks, offering compelling motivation.

Luke 17:11-19 - Jesus heals 10 lepers, but only one comes back to thank him. Where are the other 9? If you were one of the 9 who didn't come back, what would have been your reason? One possibility could be a sense of entitlement which saturates today's society--the idea that we're entitled to a good life, perfect friends or spouse, effortless achievements, and therefore when we focus on and grumble about what's NOT perfect, ingratitude is what results. Gratitude or ingratitude depends on what we choose to look at: the reality of what's there, or demanding what's not there.

Click here for Part II of Gracepoint's "Grumpy Old Men" video

Click here for video animation of "The Nine That Never Showed"

Have you gone through life without any treasured memorials in your heart, nor with any perception of blessings happening all around you? Take up the challenge to spend each day this month remembering and noticing, and find yourself not only humbled and grateful, but also joyful! Join the talk at www.thanksgivingdare.com!

Click here for Part I of Gracepoint's "Grumpy Old Men" video

Luke 15:11-32

Younger son or older son? Both are prodigals who need to return home to the Father's household and experience His loving grace.

John 3:16-21 - We who are already condemned before a holy God by our own sin find in God's word that condemnation is in fact not God's plan. God's purpose is salvation and He brings that salvation to us. However, He also gives us the dignity of choosing to accept or reject, and He also gives us the dignity of receiving what we want. It's a fearful day when God lets go, no longer pursues, and says if we don't want His salvation, He won't force it upon us. If men prefer darkness, then one day God will concede, Love will concede and refuse to coerce, and with no pleasure at all in it, God will let go. Until that day, however, the offer still stands.

"...whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life..." There is this fallacious understanding that reason is opposed to faith, when in fact, reason is what drives faith. We "believe in" something when we "believe that" certain propositions are true. What, then, is it that leads one to have a "crisis in faith?" Consider that it's, rather, emotions, moods, panic or desires, that causes us to reconsider all that we had reasonably come to understand and believe. It's the desires for "my precious," that cause us to distrust our Shepherd and Provider. We need to solidify our faith by continuing in what we've learned and been convinced of... by broadening our understanding of the Word of God, and putting it into action.

The theme of "night" (darkness) and "day" (light) is a major theme found in John's gospel. Nicodemus was honest with himself, recognizing that though he was "Israel's teacher," he was "in the dark" with troubling questions. And he had the spiritual hunger, and this fundamental humility that brought him to Jesus to find answers that he admitted he didn't have or understand. Though the answers he received from Jesus challenged him to the core regarding his upbringing, years of learning, and even his current position, he still opens himself to hard truths. Matters of eternal life are worth it.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the cover of the night, and also to seek a way out of his own night of confusion. What Jesus tells him isn't easy for him to hear, because it's a call to start over, to put away all of his achievements and success, and to start a new life with God in full control.

Praise the Lord! Gracepoint Berkeley had the privilege of partaking in the baptism of 39 of our brothers and sisters from our different ministries! We also shared in how God had worked in their lives, and some of the candidates shared their salvation testimonies with us.

Today's culture defines freedom exactly how the devil got Eve to understand it: the throwing off of rules, domains, boundaries, and to be "free" to define our own lives. What the devil still often succeeds in doing is to blind us to the fact that the Creator God created life to flourish abundantly, and that boundaries that He defines are what make anything, especially relationships, meaningful. Love, sacrifice, loyalty--all are defined by the words from Genesis 2:16-17: "You are free to... but you must not." To have the freedom to do whatever you want, yet choosing not to... THAT is true freedom.

see VIDEO Introduction

Genesis 3:6. "the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom..." The lusts of our eyes and of our hearts seem to do the same thing, attributing qualities upon the object of desire that that object has no way of fulfilling. For example, ads are excellent at getting us to see their products this way. We need to stop feeding the fire of the lusts of our eyes, and shut down certain paths of input we've allowed over the years. And we need be people of depth, character, heart... which is what interests our God.

see VIDEO Introduction

"You will not surely die..." The words of mistrust and suspicion that are planted in us come in many familiar ways: "There's no free lunch." "What's the catch?" "It's too good to be true." "You'll see..." Though there's some value to be "too smart to be duped," it does come at a cost. The fact is that there are precious gifts in life that can only come by trustingly receiving them. The gospel is very good news, and in fact is too good NOT to be true. We mustn't let doubt prevent us from taking God at His word, seriously.

see VIDEO Introduction

Another of the tactics the devil uses to lure Christians away from God is to discount the absoluteness of God's word, and invite us to focus on the prohibitions, and push the limits of God's boundaries placed for our own thriving. Rather than strive to obey that which is very clear in the Word of God, we so often busy ourselves creating wiggle room to validate our own pursuits. Read the Bible, live it out, just as God meant for us to, and find the richness of God's way for us.

see VIDEO Introduction

From the beginning, God meant for us to be in relationship. In Genesis 2:18, the one thing of all of creation that God deemed "not good" was the fact of man being alone, which is a condition that is against God's own nature of community. Isolation is the formula for sin, stemming from selfish individualism, a sense of inadequacy, or pride/self-importance... or all of the above. One clear means of guarding ourselves from the tempting forces of the culture that lead to a fall is to surround ourselves with like-minded followers of Christ, just as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did, in Daniel 1. Let us find and commit to those "true partners" of the gospel.

see VIDEO Introduction

In Matthew 9 and 10, Jesus shares his view concerning the world and its crowds: harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. We're invited to consider if our own hearts share in the same plight. Jesus goes on to say that the situation is ripe for God's workers to enter the harvest field, but the workers are few! And so, having shared his heart with us, and recognizing that his heart is our calling, Jesus sends his disciples. It's a calling that reflects God's own heart.

Truth Haters - Part IX - Pharaoh

The original tactics of the Deceiver, as illustrated in Genesis 3:1-7, gives us a picture of how Satan continues to lead us to distrust God and grasp for ourselves that which ends up eroding and devouring us. We would be wise to be alert to his tactics.

When Ahab sees Naboth's God-given ownership of land, he not only throws a tantrum, but receives Jezebel's appeal to crash through those boundaries. Are there realities that I've not accepted? What boundaries that God set before me do I see as negotiable? Who are the Naboths who remind me of God's ways? The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

If the truth says "God is God, Creator, Master," then how is it that a follower of God will disobey Him, and run in the direction of his own agenda? Jonah ran away from God because God's ways was not his own. He rightly knew God's character and God's heart, but that disrupted his own agenda. He wasn't interested in what God wanted, which was to lead these Assyrians to Himself; all he knew was what he wanted, and he throws a fit when he didn't have his own little way. Christians ought to take heed, as this astounding character of Jonah, in truth, has echoes in our own lives.

Do you have people in your life whom you can trust to speak truth, and who won't simply say what you want to hear? Alternately, are you a voice that speaks or dilutes truth in others' lives, possibly undermining God's work convicting of sin? In our relationships especially within the church, we need to recognize our role of speaking truth to others and also give authority to others to speak truth to us.

How well do you think you know yourself? We could think we know ourselves very well... until something happens to reveal what we're really made of, as Jesus exemplified in the parable of the wise and foolish builders. But even when such circumstances occur, how do we respond to evidence about ourselves? Do we even seek truth about ourselves to begin with? Or do we stick with our own view of ourselves, like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14? Let us instead seek God's reality of who we are.

"Nearly every grave moral failure begins with a small sin." Chuck Colson, regarding recent news of a governor's 8-year long affair, says in his commentary on Breakpoint, "We humans, you see, have an infinite capacity for self-rationalization. We reason that we can give in to those seemingly minor temptations—say an emotional attraction to a co-worker, or just one drink at the party—because we think we know the boundaries. We think our reason can keep us safe." The beginning of King David's downfall (2 Sam 11:1-15) began with such an "indiscretion" which he clearly kept in a "secret corner" of his highly compartmentalized life, made evident from his sense of moral outrage towards the scenario presented to him by the prophet Nathan, yet failing to see the clear sin in his own life. May we take warning from David's and from Governor Sanford's example, and come clean before God with the plain truth of our confession.

Such a contrast between the responses to Jesus healing by the invalid in John 5 and the blind man in John 9. One walks away untouched by the mercy he receives, the other returns to Jesus in gratitude and worship. John 9 also depicts "truth-haters" in the characters surrounding the blind man's healing: the disciples, the neighbors, the Pharisees, the parents. Each come with their warped perspectives toward the work of God before them. May we have the humility to see the life-changing truths of God in our own lives.

Blame, denial, envy, emotionalism, rebellion, suppression, avoidance - these are some of the maladjusted ways in which we respond to truth. From Adam to Esau to King Saul to us, we blame people, our circumstances and God, and in so doing, we subtly errode our connection to reality and to God, who is truth. God knows where we are and already has a solution, his grand salvation plan. When we become Christian, something cataclysmic happens that enables us to put the past behind us and to respond instead to the newness of what God is doing in our lives.

Perseverance. The list of people mentioned at the end of Paul's letter to the Colossians gives a glimpse into the lives of his co-laborers, suffering and striving for the sake of Christ. As we consider their faithful lives, Paul's steadfast race, and ultimately the life of Christ who for the joy set before him endured the cross, let us also run the race marked out for us with perseverance.

Graduation Sunday for our college Seniors was preceded by a brief (but poignant) Mother's Day message through Exodus 2. The "conspiracy of love" perpetrated by the women--Moses' mother, his sister Miriam, and Pharaoh's daughter--defies a murderous authority and preserves and protects Moses' life. It's a picture of mothers' love we can all appreciate on this Mother's Day. However, it's also a picture of God's love (mirrored in Exodus 3) for each of us. It's a picture we can begin to imitate and aspire to in our own lives.

Are we getting too busy and distant from God as we face different transitions in our lives? Do we give ear to the hollow and deceptive philosophies of the world that bombard us? Do we relate to God mechanically, allowing spiritual acts to puff up our pride and leading to judging others according to our own standards? Paul addresses the state of our relationship with God in Colossians 2, where he gives his thesis statement to his entire epistle: "just as you received Christ jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

In Colossians 1, Apostle Paul exhorts the church at Colosse to place their hope in heaven, and to recognize the gospel asserts itself as truth first and foremost, a truth that personally confronts us and requires a response. Apostle Paul also talks about the Cosmic Christ, the full embodiment of God, who died on the cross and rose again so that we might have redemption of sins. It's an amazing message that filled Apostle Paul with intensity and zeal to share the gospel with all his energy and heart, and it likewise challenges us to do the same today.

Luke 24:13-35 describes the experience of the two downcast disciples, heading out of Jerusalem towards Emmaus, encountering the resurrected Jesus. Their disappointment with the events of the weekend were based on their misaligned expectations of what following Jesus meant. Life is always going to throw us disappointments, but the risen Jesus invites us to hear God's word, find your dwelling with Him, and find an answer to our despondent hearts.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean? As we celebrate Jesus, raised from the grave, and the hope in heaven that His resurrection offers us, several of our Gracepoint members share brief testimonies of their own hope in heaven.

The Pharisees. Judas. Peter. The crowds. Pilate. The account of the events that led up to Jesus' crucifixion, as told in Matthew 26-27, describes those involved in the betrayal and sentencing of Jesus to the cross. In this text, we find a mirror into our own hearts when looking at these characters in light of honest self-examination. Were you there when they crucified our Lord?

Before they were to enter into the Promised Land, the Israelites were led through 40 years in the desert--a place of lack, of difficulty, and also a place where the true nature of reality and of human character get revealed. It is also a place where the fact of our utter dependence on God and His grace is made clear. God's purpose for us in these "desert" times of our lives is to lead us to humbly understand who we are and recognize just how much we need God. The desert is, in fact, a good place to be.

Too many of us can relate to Martha's harried response to Jesus and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). We are overwhelmed by the increasing demands upon our lives. But is it possible that these feelings of worry, resentment, frustration could simply be self-imposed? To the Marthas of us, "only one thing is needed."

The famous Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) was never meant to be emptily chanted. Rather, it is Jesus' model of how to engage God, our Father, personally and appropriately in prayer. Let us pay attention to Whom we are addressing in prayer, and consider Jesus' example in what should be of highest importance when we interact with God in prayer.

The human condition can truly be described as Jesus does here in Matthew 11:25-30: we are weary, burdened, heavy-laden in life. It's only when we admit this to be our true condition, does Jesus' breathtaking invitation to rest personally address us. Whether you are coming to Jesus for the first time, or a seasoned follower of Christ, his offer to this rest always stands.

As we review one of Gracepoint's 7 core values this month--Reaching Out: Missions--our Devotional Text this past week in Luke 10 invites us to share Jesus' heart of urgency as well as compassion and mercy for the people around us, our neighbors.

The famous verse, Luke 9:23, is Jesus' invitation for us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. But what does this mean? In Luke 9, through accounts of the disciples' wrong attitudes and responses to events in Jesus' ministry, the Bible shows us what this does NOT mean!

"For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep..." Sharing from his own testimony, Brother Lem from our sister church in Davis, Waypoint Community Church, shows us his own struggle to serve God's purpose in this generation, and invites us to make God's purpose our own highest ambition.

Jesus has come, "to preach good news to the poor," "to proclaim freedom for the prisoners," to bring "recovery of sight for the blind," and "to release the oppressed" (Luke 4:18-19). The Bible is very honest in depicting the human condition, even for those of us deluded by present comforts. We are in a tragic situation due to sin and brokenness, but the good news is that Jesus has come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, the Year of Jubilee, when all are set free from their debts.

Truth is unyielding, to the point that it could curb our agenda. This is why in Romans 1:18-25, Paul describes people who suppress truth by their wickedness... they have motives for not accepting truth, knowing that truth has consequences to our lives. We are called to guard and grow our faith by continuing in the truth that we've been convinced of (2 Timothy 3:14-17), in other words, by being faithful. We have the Word of God as our primary equipment for living a life of faithfulness.

For 40 years, before God called Moses at the age of 80 to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses may have felt that God had been absent and inactive. But in fact, God was preparing Moses' character, burning away the impurities in his life to prepare him for the task. God also wants to burn away our impurities, to answer his call to all Christians to be the "jars of clay" (2 Corinthians 4:6-9) to carry the treasure of the gospel, and invites us to the unique"burning bush (Exodus 3)" experience, of being on fire, fueled by God, but not burnt out.

"Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" When we bump up against the reality that life is unfair, that the world and we are broken, how do we respond to these questions? And when we find envy festering within us until we think that our lives would be better if the competition weren't around, how do we answer the subsequent question, "Where is your brother?" God calls us to acknowledge and utter Truth... the true answers to these questions, the truth of who we are and who our "brothers" are, the truth of God's perspective of me and what He calls me to... This is the beginning of transformation.

Fellowship, this intimate relationship with God and with others, is a very important concept and reality of salvation. However, we cannot claim to have fellowship with God when we walk in darkness, when we are self-deceived into claiming to be without sin (1 John 1). The centrality of our identity as sinner becomes clear when we calibrate ourselves to the Truth, to Jesus. This is the great invitation of the gospel, that we come out to the Light, where there is truth and genuine fellowship.

1 John 1:8-10. There are many ways to claim to be without sin than to just say “I’m sinless.” We can get offended and upset at our sinfulness. We might focus on our own injured pride rather than the sin or the victim of our sin. Rather than just confess it and seek forgiveness, we're maladjusted to the simple fact that we are sinners. We need to genuinely embrace the fact of our sin, confess it before the Lord, and then we will find that "He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 4:9-12, which was our recent Devotional text, truly exemplifies the Christmas story, where God crossed the vast distance for the sake of being with us, and also to meet our greatest need for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. This was the theme for our Taiwan Winter Mission team, who crossed the distance to be with students of another culture, and brought the message of Christmas right to their campus. We, too, are called to embody God's love in this way, "journeying" to connect with others, even if it's just crossing the distance of a room, or between two personalities and two hearts.

When the angel approached Mary about the life-changing circumstances she would soon encounter through bearing Jesus, her amazing response was, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said (Luke 1:26-38)." God chooses a peasant girl, with the lowest socio-economic status, through which she developed a basic posture of submission, to work His greatest gift to humanity. Is there a message here about what God values, whom He chooses to use, and the wrongness of human valuation? How can we, like Mary, cultivate a posture of submission and servanthood before God and others, leading to a blessed life?

Herod and the Magi. These characters from the Nativity Story (in Matthew 2) stand on opposite ends of a spectrum of responses to the news of Jesus. Herod, characterized by suspicion, mistrust, and fear of losing his sense of control and power, responds in hatred and violence. The Magi, characterized by a wide-eyed seeker's spirit, driven by faith, "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Where are we located on that spectrum? Do we follow God with wide-eyed anticipation of the joy God has set before us, or are we intent in guarding our sense of "our kingdom," our plans, our schedule, our finances, our life?

As we celebrate the baptism of seven of our college brothers and sisters, we marvel and rejoice at how God seeks and saves those who are lost. Hearing their testimonies, we are reminded of how the heart of our Father, as described in Luke 15, not only waits with eager anticipation for the homecoming of each of his prodigal children, but in fact actively searches and works to bring us to Himself. Praise God!

Through Psalm 103, we learn from King David how to praise God with our inmost being by not forgetting how He has forgiven us and actually removed our transgressions, how He has redeemed our life from the pit, and how He has crowned us with love and comopassion. By commanding ourselves to praise God, we can actually experience a change in our emotions and be more joyful. And true praise results in a surrendering of our lives before our holy God.

When we remain in our bitterness and envy, we become senseless and ignorant and we forget all of God's blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving ought to wash away this bitterness. It is when the psalmist enters into the sanctuary of God that he is able to snap out of his downward spiral of thinking and come back to his senses. God does not owe us a good life, and actually, no matter how far we wander, He has a tight grip on us. He holds on to us and leads us into His glory eventually. So on this Thanksgiving Sunday, let’s give God thanks for his steadfastness and his faithfulness.

We envy the wicked because we think they have no struggles and no worries; they are so carefree. However, we fail to see the hidden cost of sin, which is that it takes a toll on our hearts. In fact, life is full of struggles for everyone. The question is what kind of struggles do you want to have? Even though we have become Christian, our valuation of what a good life is has not changed, it's just that now, the means through which we achieve it is through our service to God. But when things don't pan out the way we want, Christian life and even our very service to God become oppressive. We need to enter the sanctuary of God and to recognize that the link between God and goodness in our lives cannot be found within the four corners of our earthly lives. This link is validated only in the context of eternity and we need to recognize final things, that our behavior now affects our ultimate destiny. ( Psalm 73 - Part I Notes)

We hear God's words every week, but as powerful as words are, they are only powerful if you listen to them and let them get into your being. In our day, however, God's words have lost meaning perhaps because they have become too familiar to us. How can we, as Christians, put into practice the words we hear each week? We need to get God's words into our heads through listening to, reading and studying the word of God instead of thinking it's for someone else or thinking that it doesn't apply to me. When the content in our heads becomes our passion and conviction through reflection and meditation, it is felt in our hearts and then carried out in small acts of obedience through our hands. We need to be deliberate about employing structures in our lives to help us to take God's words seriously. ( notes)

The Bible says we are made in the image of God and that our bodies are to be temples of the Holy Spirit. Yet, through the media, advertisements, television, and numerous other inputs, most of us have grown up with very worldly values regarding appearance. As a result, we view and assess each other based on outward appearances, women are degraded, and the results are disastrous and harmful to our very souls. As the church, as Christians, we must recover the virtues of female modesty and male gentlemanliness so that we can honor God with our bodies.

It's shocking and absurd how much time the average American spends on the internet, watching TV, working or even in the bathroom in the span of an average lifetime! How you spend your time shows who you are. And regardless of how much or how little time we have objectively, we are often overwhelmed by our subjective feeling of stress. We need to ask ourselves with the limited time that we have, what will we do? How will we live? The Bible exhorts us to make the most of every opportunity and to live a wise life (Ephesians 5:15-17). We are obligated to God as His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, and yet somehow we feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to time to hoard it for ourselves. Let's not waste God's prescious time, but rather be assuredly present for our commitment to God.

What do you base your significance and security on? We draw our security from so many sources, all of which are flimsy grounds upon which to build our sense of significance. Appearance, achievement and approval are just a few of these. In particular we are so consumed with how we appear to others, and when we don't measure up, we resort to various tactics to make ourselves feel better. We compare ourselves to others, we become maladjusted to failure and we avoid situations where we are measured, and increasingly, we try to relieve that sense of insecurity by trying to "feel good" about ourselves and boosting our self-esteem. The Bible says these solutions will not work and that our insecurity amounts to a rejection of God's love for us. John 1:12 and Romans 8:17 state that being a child of God, resting in His love and having a clear sense of mission and purpose in the world are the proper sources of significance.

In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the master gives each of his servants an amount of talents. In the same way, we each have been given our lives to steward. Everything we have has been given to us. How do we seek an idea of "normal" in Christian life, and how do we plan to live in discipleship as we project our life out into the future? Having a Christian identity means to be obligated. We each need to start to recognize that the obligated life is a beautiful life and to embrace our identity as a watchman, responsible for one another and for our generation.

We can talk about loving Jesus and loving people all we want, but what does our checkbook say about our priorities and real commitments? If Jesus is any indicator, money and how we use it is a critical area of our Christian discipleship. After all, Jesus talks about money more than any other area of life. We examine the bible today to talk about our "love for money," and also offer five concrete ways to "put our money where our mouth is."

All this Christian and bible talk is great, Jesus says in Matthew 7:17-27. But what does it all mean? Where's the fruit? Does the talk reflect the reality of our Monday through Saturday when we're not at church? Jesus points out that gap between what we say and what we do, and gives us his suggestion for how that gap is filled.

When the Samaritan woman at the well runs back into town to tell the townspeople she's met the Messiah, we get a glimpse into how Jesus has restored the different parts of her life: her self, her relationships, and her life's purpose.

Continuing our series of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we explore the idea of how God reveals Himself to man. How does He do this so we don't misinterpret His advances? So we understand His love and His desire for a relationship?

We're all thirsty for love. We all, like the woman at the well in John 4, have pursued some strategy to get love. And when we approach God with the same failed strategies, we really miss out on the living water he's offering to us: unconditional love.

When Jesus talks to the woman at the well and her dubious past is revealed, we wonder, "What kind of dreams did she have in her youth? Did she ever think her life would end up the way it did? What happened?" Join us as we think about these same questions in our own lives in this first part of our message series, Conversation, "Got Water?"

"Silver or gold I do not have," Peter says to the cripple who is begging at the gates of the temple. Likely, it wasn't what this beggar wanted to hear, and yet, it's an awesome declaration that upends our understanding of what we have and don't have, be it money, riches, or any number of things. In the end, Peter and John extend a hand and a word to this cripple, inviting him and empowering him to walk and experience a transformed life.

How we are supposed to live in light of the fact of Resurrection? Acts 1:1-11 makes it clear that God's business on earth is to send each Christ follower to be HIs witness to their communities and to the very ends of the earth. Without the Holy Spirit's presence, Jesus says, this task is impossible, and a moving sketch of missionary David Livingstone's life provides an inspirational example of why and how.

In Mark 16:1-8, when the women go look for the crucified Jesus, they encounter a man in white, sitting in the tomb. They are told, "He has risen," and the evidence given to them is the same given to us 2000 years later: an empty tomb. The resurrection changes everything, and in spite of the fear, trembling, and bewilderment we may experience in our own personal journeys, we are urged to obey, hope, and live with joy.

Jesus, though a good man, bore the pain and shame of the cross. Yet in his darkest moment in Mark 15:33-47, he inspires greater faith in God for those who are facing times in which God seems painfully absent. And on the cross he proclaims God's love as he makes possible a restored relationship between us and God.

Mark 15:16-32 shows humanity and the human heart at its worst. From the mockery of the soldiers to the religious leaders who ignored their personal guilt and culpability, the silence of Jesus and the silence of God too seems apathetic at best, powerless at worst. Explore with us what we can learn about our own hearts and the magnificence of God's love.

Going through Mark 15:1-15, we examine three characters and the phrases that define them: Jesus' silence in the face of false accusations, Pilate who crucified a man he knew to be innocent in order to satisfy the crowd, and the crowd which responded to questions by shouting all the louder.

Jesus' power, ironically, is demonstrated by his remarkable restraint and trust in God's plan. It is submission and not coercive force that reveals Jesus' power as he is arrested and brought before a mock tribunal of chief priests in Mark 14:43-72.

In his last message before departing for Austin, Pastor Manny shared from Jesus' Garden of Gethsemane struggle, exhorting us to submit our wills to God. We are also reminded of Jesus' kindness as we see him calling his sleeping disciples to rise with him and go to the cross.

Jesus' Last Supper gives us a chance to dwell on issues of obedience, human free will, and the magnitude of God's love for broken people.

The disciples ask, "Why this waste?" in Mark 14:1-11. What does the breaking of an alabaster jar have to do with us today? Why does Jesus call it something worthy of the gospel itself?

Dr. Jon Choi, who pastors Global Harvest Church in Dallas, spoke from 1 Peter 1:6-9. Sharing from his own life, Dr. Jon remarked that trials and suffering not only prove our faith more genuine, but also enable us to help others in their times of need.

Jesus' description of the end times isn't meant to spark mere theological discussions about eschatology. Jesus urges us through this description to live our lives with a sense of urgency, motivated by a hope for heaven.

Mark 12:41-13:2 teaches us poignant lessons on giving out of our poverty as we study the widow's paltry offering of two copper coins. What does God really value? Moreover, what does this tell us about the context in which we evaluate our lives?

Jesus' response to the Sadducees in Mark 12:18-27 gives us an opportunity to think about the afterlife, the idea of accountability in an ultimate sense for our lives, the reason for hell, and a consideration of what heaven might really be like.

Jesus' famous response in Mark 12 to the Pharisees, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's," is the beginning of today's message as we talk about loving God, being a source of blessing to others, and what it means that our entire lives must be made available to God.

Jesus tells the parable of the tenants, teaching us to faithfully (and passionately) steward the life He's given us.

How can we understand the singular event of Jesus cleansing the temple, overturning tables and scattering all the coins and animals? This passage has much to tell us about the worldview and values of the marketplace versus the temple, as God envisioned it, to be a house of prayer and blessing to all the nations.

When Jesus enters Jerusalem, he is greeted by shouts of Hosanna amid great excitement and enthusiasm. But this is the same crowd that yells, "Crucify!", a mere week later. What can we learn from this tragedy concerning our expectations and desires, and the ways they become disappointment, bitterness, and even hatred?

Reading through the rest of Mark 10, Jesus paints a picture of God who desires our thriving and flourishing (hence, rules for how our lives are to be lived), a God whose notions of importance and value are radically different from our own, and God's compassionate love for each of us, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Jesus teaches his disciples to treat sin drastically in Mark 9:43-50 in his very vivid and unforgettable rabbinic way. However, the main message here is deeper, grappling with the difference and value of earthly life and eternal life.

The disciples were caught arguing among themselves, "Who's the greatest?" Fear, self-protectiveness, and a whole host of other reasons caused them to miss the real drama that was unfolding: the servanthood of Jesus who lay down his life for the powerless.

On Easter Sunday, "We had hoped...," the disciples uttered as they headed down that road to Emmaus, sets the stage of our human hearts for the remarkable reversal God accomplished in Jesus--reversing the downward spiral of nature, reversing the condemnation and accusation of sin, and reversing the hearts of people from despair to unbounded new hope.

The Mount of Transfiguration tells us who it is that will be on the cross: one who will satisfy all the demands of the Law and the promises of the Prophets, who will show us that salvation is accomplished wholly by God alone.

Jesus invites us in Mark 8:34-9:1 to take up our cross and follow him. He isn't merely inviting us to a "way of life," he describes life as it is and tells us the profound truth that to lose our lives is to gain it, and to hold onto our lives is to truly lose it.

In Mark 8:27-9:1, Jesus asks his disciples a question we must all answer for ourselves, "Who do you say I am?" The answer has implications on our lives, whether we call him teacher, crazy, or Lord. We also study Jesus' staunch refusal to accept any alternate voices that might dissuade him from going to the cross.

The disciples neither see nor hear, and do not understand in our text today, Mark 8:1-26. Ultimately, they bring to Jesus' words their own issues and insecurities, and end up missing what he has to say.

A discussion on ceremonial cleansing brings to light an entire teaching of the external vs. internal lives. What are we focused on? Mere impression management, or do we really know what's going on inside our hearts? Jesus's confrontation with the Pharisees, contrasted with the following encounter, the Syrian Phoenician woman, provides a compelling picture of coming to God with the right posture and heart.

In Mark 6:1-29, we encounter prejudice that refuses to listen or learn, which ultimately prevents growth. We also examine Herod's relationship with John the Baptist, and get a picture of how not to respond to God's voice.

Jairus and his beloved daughter and the bleeding woman seem an unlikely cast of characters occupying the stage together in Mark 5. However, despite their different social situations, they share kinship in their desperate need for Jesus' intervention in their lives.

The ordination of 3 new pastors is a first for Gracepoint and a momentous occasion. As William, Manny, and Timothy receive their pastoral charge and we celebrate together God's faithfulness, our entire congregation is reminded by Paul's example in Ephesus that we are all called to be ministers of the gospel.

In Mark 4:35-5:20, Jesus takes his disciples along on a journey that will see him silencing a raging, out-of-control storm and restoring a violent, out-of-control man. Through it all, we can learn how to grow in our faith when we must weather storms in our lives from without and within.

Jesus' parable of the sower teaches us four responses to the word of God: the path, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.

Every year we ring in the new year together with a time of reflection, prayer, worship, testimony sharing, and communion. Moreover, our congregation receives the key verse for the new year together.

In today's text (Mark 3:7-35), Jesus withdrew from the spiritual establishment and ministered to the people, drawing huge crowds from all over the countryside. Appointing the twelve apostles and relating to his family, Jesus teaches us what it means to be a disciple, and gives us a new definition of family. ( notes)

Matthew 1:21 gives us the true picture of that first Christmas many years ago. Why did Jesus come? What problem of humanity did his coming solve? Why not make some decrees from on high and save himself the trouble of coming to be with us? Perhaps, it was the coming to be with us that Christmas is really about.

Jesus provoked controversy in his confrontations with the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law. Jesus' answers to their questions often left them wondering, "Who does he think he is?" That's precisely the question we ask ourselves today in Mark 2:18-3:6 as Jesus teaches on the true meaning of fasting, the Sabbath, and this strange business of old and new wineskins.

Guest speaker, Pastor Joe Kim, joins us today, sharing from Ephesians 3, that true power does not come from the body, nor even the mind, but from Christ dwelling in the unchanging soul of each human person. He also gives a missions presentation on the nation of Japan, and shares his calling and his quickly-approaching future there as a missionary and school president in Nagoya.

As we cover Mark 2:1-17, we encounter two who are called by Jesus: the paralytic on the mat and Levi, the tax collector. Our attention is drawn to the similarity the two men share--their inner paralysis as identified, needy sinners. It is a deep issue we too must confront in our own lives as Jesus issues his invitation to us, "Get up," "Follow me."

Our annual Thanksgiving Celebration has always started with a time to remember all that God has done in our ministry the past year. It's our opportunity to thank God for all He has done, and to remember the role of gratitude in our own lives.

Healing in the synagogue, in the house of Peter, and late into the night: what do these tell us about Jesus? How is it that Jesus' compassion reaches out to touch a leper, and what message does this have for you and I today?

When Jesus uttered his famous words, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," the disciples left it all--their fish, nets, boats, and even their own father--to respond. What were they leaving for? Was it worth it?

The Gospel of Mark begins not with the life of Jesus, but with John the Baptist. Who was he? What was his story? What did he do to "prepare the way for the Lord?" ( notes | Intro to Mark )

Core to the gospel is the message of extravagant, wasteful love. Jesus on the cross demonstrated this for us. The church too is called to demonstrate this for one another and for the world. ( notes | video)

The bible's primary understanding of the church is the "body of Christ," meant for good works as a vehicle of salvation for others. How does this happen? What role does authority and spiritual leadership have? What does the bible have to say about this? ( notes)

What is the church? In what ways is the church like a symphony, complete with orchestra, conductor, and score? (video) ( notes)

Now that we know what happiness isn't, what is happiness? Join us as we explore the ingredients and components to happiness. ( notes)

Since we live in a fallen world with broken people, we'll go through life collecting grudges, grievances, and all kinds of junk. What do we do with them? What does it look like to trust God with the grudges and grievances we've accumulated? ( notes)

Are you a hopeful person? Do you get discouraged easily? Do you get more depressed than you want to? Do you fail more than you think you should? What's the difference between "optimism" and "Christian hope?" ( notes)

What challenges are you experiencing in your life right now? What is your response? ( notes)

Our strategy to get happiness often focuses on changing our material circumstances. But experience tells us (and so do the social scientists!) that we're not very good at happiness forecasting. What to do then? ( notes)

Recent American life tells us having more stuff doesn't make us more happy. Is there a problem when we make happiness our goal in life? ( notes)

God's character ensures the fulfillment of His promises on Abraham's life, the twelve disciples, and on our own lives. Today, we look to God as the subject of our last Portrait of Faith. ( notes)

How does God lead us step by step to become a person of faith? Could God ever use someone like me? If so, what steps do I need to take? What would that kind of life look like? Join us as we look to the life of Gideon for some answers. ( notes)

How do ordinary people practice their faith and live a life of faith? Learn from the paralytic and his four friends how ordinary people demonstrated remarkable, praiseworthy faith. ( notes)

Peter, who walked on water to go to Jesus, took a step of faith and experienced God, leaving behind the safety of his boat and fears. ( notes)

What will be greater? God and the faith journey He has called us to, or the present reality, circumstances, and doubt? ( notes)

What is faith? Why does God want us to have faith? Why does God take so long to deliver on His promises? ( notes)

The majestic, creator God is also the God who invites us to have a personal relationship with Him. ( notes)

The God in the bible is holy, completely dedicated to what is right and good, and opposed to sin and evil. It is a holiness that inspires reverence and awe. ( notes)

At the core, David and his mighty men shared a deep fellowship of affection and loyalty. What lessons are offered here about our own relationships with others? What can we learn about our own relationship with Jesus, our Lord? ( notes)

David had many people in his life willing to speak truth to him even in the midst of great anger or terrible loss. It is from his response to people like Abigail and Joab that we learn how we too ought to listen and receive truth in our lives. ( notes)

This lesson on Saul is a grave warning as to what happens when we do not let go of our insecurities and clutch tightly onto our positions and status. ( notes)

Join us as we review Jonathan's relationship with David, and how Jonathan provides us all with an example of how to be a friend and relate to the people in our own lives. ( notes)

As we talk about God's heart for the nations, we look forward to our summer mission teams' impending departure to Taiwan and Cambodia, and also pause to observe Not-For-Sale Sunday. ( notes)

Vision is a picture of the preferred future that galvanizes your energies toward its realization. ( notes)

In a society that has glamorized the quitter, what does it mean to endure? What is something you quit and wish you hadn't? ( notes)

Why is it so difficult to be courageous? What are ways we can become courageous? notes and famous quotes

Joe Horness, Associate Pastor and Worship Director at Bay Pointe Community Church in Michigan joins us and asks, "Why do we worship God?"

Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday introduced a new hope into reality: transformation. The gospel stories present us with stories of transformation--beginning with people, and then how these same people changed the people and situations around them: the samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, Simon Peter, St. Patrick, William Wilberforce, and many others throughout history. ( notes)

The two disciples leaving Jerusalem said, "We had hoped..." It's a profoundly human sentiment we all share, but Jesus' death on the cross is, in part, a statement that in a world dominated by the certainty of death, our lesser hopes must die. And so the cross which is for the disciples is also for us. But it is the aftermath of the Resurrection--after the cross--that things change and begin to make sense in light of remembrance and reflection. In fact, everything changes. ( notes)

A sober look at the world in which we live reveals a broken, God-forsaken place filled with suffering, evil, and sorrow. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" turns out to be not so far from our own heart's cry. Jesus' words, "I am thirsty," tell us he isn't a distant, superhuman figure unfamiliar with our frailty. Jesus enters our suffering, broken world and confronts the evil we face everyday. He models what our response can be when, despite the world's worst, he yet commits his life and spirit to God. ( notes)

That we need forgiveness and a prayer of intercession for our lives is no surprise; "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." The assumption, of course, is that our lives are full of not knowing, and is apt to feel like a walk through uncharted territory. When Jesus tells the criminal, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise", it's a promise to us too that we're heavenbound people and life's difficult situations aren't the end of the story. And finally, Jesus' third (of seven) last words not only enlarges our understanding of heaven, but is a commission for us to enlarge our own lives to love our world as much as he did. ( notes)

We know instinctively compassion involves more than mere sentimentality. It involves action. After all, in its original Latin, it means "to suffer with." How do we become compassionate? Jesus' example teaches us to recognize first the tremendous need in our world at large, and in the lives of those near to us. When we personalize these needs instead of simply becoming numb, then we begin to understand God's heart and involve ourselves. ( notes)

While the world tells us that our life consists of an abundance of possessions, the parable of the Rich Fool teaches us that a person who lives with only himself in mind is narrow in perspective and ultimately tragic. Yet we often allow pursuits of the future, career, and lesser things come between us and God because we think we have an eternity to live our lives. But we will have to answer to God for our lives, and while it is still day, the Bible commends us to live in a manner that is rich towards God. ( notes)

Before mighty Goliath on the battlefield, the apparent absence of God was the absence of faith. When William Wilberforce saw the Goliath of slavery in his day, he made the choice--as David did in 1 Samuel 17--to step out in faith to seize and create what turned out to be the defining moment of his life. What can you not stand? It's incumbent on us to recognize what battle is worth fighting, and then to choose to step out in faith and move forward in God's almighty name. ( notes)

We all have a choice to move towards God or away from Him. When Moses moved towards God in the Horeb desert, he was given a mission to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. If the last 39 years of his life in the desert didn't make sense, hindsight makes clear that God had been preparing Moses for just this task from the moment of his birth. In the figurative deserts of our own lives, God calls us, able to use the stuff of our lives. The only quality He looks for, as He did with Moses, is brokenness. ( notes)

Defining moments occur when we come face to face with life-altering truth and it changes us permanently. We seldom live life looking for such moments, but they are the very opportunities through which God speaks to us. Such a moment came for Jacob at the river Jabbok, as he realized after a night of struggle that he cannot be his own source of blessing for his life, nor could he run away any longer from confronting the God who was so interested in relating to him and blessing him. ( notes)

In our society, we've come to believe that "sins" are mere "mistakes", and that we're not so much "sinful" as we're "mostly good". But God asserts we are all sinners to the core, guilty, and willful in our moral decisions and choices. If God's standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48), then we have all of us sinned and fallen short. What are we to do then? ( notes)

Somewhere along the way, we picked up the mentality that Rebellion = Freedom, and that rebelling against prohibitions and authority are not only desirable, but the only way to keep ourselves from missing out. But we seldom realize that rebellion--especially rebellion against God's authority and Word--yields unforeseen, previously unappreciated consequences. True freedom, the bible says, comes in obeying and submitting to the proper source of authority: God. ( notes)

Is there such thing as an invisible reality? A spiritual reality? The bible asserts not only is there a spiritual reality, but there is also a personal spiritual force--the devil. He doesn't have to get you to worship him or even believe he exists. He just needs to get you to disbelieve God, and he does this by twisting long accepted and self-evident truths. We'll talk about how we defend ourselves and how we wage spiritual battle by using God's word. ( notes)

In Matthew 25, a woman breaks her alabaster jar and pours perfume over Jesus. Judas protests, "Why this waste?" In contrast, Jesus declares, "She has done a beautiful thing." Evaluating this woman's act, much like evaluating our own lives this past 2006, we can look through Judas' eyes or through Jesus' eyes: wasteful, beautiful, and faithful. ( notes)

We all want to have or give the perfect gift yet ironically, the problem is not that the perfect gift is unattainable; the problem is that it is unrecognized. In this finale of the Christmas series we discover how our search for the perfect gift leads us to all kinds of wishes and desires but overlooks the humble manger where the true need of humanity is met; salvation from sin. ( notes)

The Christmas story's infamous Innkeeper uttered the words, "No room", describing not just his inn, but also his life and our lives too as we live the excessively busy lives that we do. In contrast, Joseph, the peasant carpenter betrothed to Mary, had the room to receive the wounds, bewilderment, and ultimately the joy of the baby Jesus. In a world that encourages "No room", the greatest tragedy comes in the things we miss; and conversely, the great joy when room in our hearts opens the door for God's blessing and presence into our lives. ( notes)

The desire to belong and the experience of being excluded are universal to the human condition. Whether it's picking teams on the school playground, the social group we're not a part of, or the notorious "who's In" and "who's Out" games we all play, we yet deeply desire to be welcomed, to be wanted, and to feel claimed. The walls that separate man, that ultimately separate us from God in that greatest wall of our sin, is crossed by God's Christmas message: that there are no walls around the manger, before which we can all kneel in humility and be claimed by Him. ( notes)

Each year Christmas brings its magic and ushers in a holiday season full of family, busyness, and cheer. Our expectations are high, and so are our hopes. Despite this, our experience of the holiday season falls a little short, and there's a part of our hearts that feels a mixture of sadness and nostalgia. Jesus invites us to recognize that our pensive moments are evidence for a heavenly longing, and that his presence is near to the lonely, sometimes hopeless, and broken places of our lives. ( notes)

"Don't take things for granted" isn't so easy amidst life's pressing realities. But the first step is to notice things; and not just anything, but to notice the right things. Recognizing all the different things that "didn't have to be," especially the costly gift of salvation, can profoundly change our life-perspectives and lead us to praise God and be content.

In the act of giving, it's not about the gift as much as it is about the relationship. Recognizing this makes gratitude the wonderful thing that it is, to make the connection that behind this gift there's a heart saying, "I care for you, I want to relate with you." God, the great Giver, asks us to pause, notice, and give thanks to Him for His gifts and love for us.

Contrary to the modern media notion of love as primarily emotion, the bible asserts love is action, is concrete, and involves loving each other. But the bible doesn't condone a merely insular Christianity. Rather, loving each other deeply within the church inevitably leads the church to engage our world with the same love embodied in actions, life on life. ( notes)

A question that inevitably comes up when reading our mission statement is, "How do we honor God passionately?" At Gracepoint, we believe we honor God by giving Him our best and our all in every area of our life. It doesn't just stop there, however. We've committed to endure to the very end and finish this race of faith we're all in together. ( notes)

As Christians, the astounding truth of the bible is that we become children of God (John 1:12-13) and enter into His family--the community and tribe of faith. We're called to yield our autonomy and join together with God's people to become His people. This second message of the series explores the first part of Gracepoint's mission statement. ( notes)

Central to all of our lives is this first core value at Gracepoint: Connecting with God. The key questions to ask are, "Who is God? Who am I? And what is the truth between us?" We each need to continually connect with God by continually speaking the truth--that I am a sinner before Almighty God in need of His grace and forgiveness. ( notes)

Confronted with Jesus' invitation, "Come, follow me," the rich young ruler walks away sad. He leaves Jesus to return to his money; sad because the money to which he is returning isn't all it's cracked up to be, and sad because the Jesus he is turning away from is indeed the pearl of great value, worthy of an unequivocal response from himself and all of us through the ages.

Modern society's wide array of consumer choices habituates us to living dispassionate, disengaged lives. The danger is that we abdicate our personal responsibility to definitively make a decision and choice on the most important things in life. Zacchaeus' stirring example in Luke 19 encourages us to reject the prevalent crowd mentality of our society which is comfortable just looking on anonymously and passively at the Jesus who is walking by. The fork in the road for all of us starts by breaking from the crowd and personally seeking Jesus. ( notes)

In the second message of our ongoing Proverbs series, we study the Proverbs' strong exhortation to not merely listen, but to listen well. In order to do this, we each must treasure this value of listening. Moreover, we explore the barriers to listening, and remember anew that we were designed to listen to God and be open to hearing the truth.

The Prodigal Son story doesn't simply end with a return home, a warm embrace, and the joyful celebration. It's really just a beginning. Back at home, the returned son is called to grow up, to mature, and learn to see the world through his father's eyes. He is called, in other words, like us all, to become like God the Heavenly Father, seeing the world through His eyes and sharing in His great, compassionate heart.

The waiting father expresses an astounding joy at his prodigal son's return. This joy, if Jesus is to be believed, captures God the Father's heart for every person who returns to Him as a son and daughter. It is a magical homecoming that happens when we come to our senses, confess with remorse, and return to the Father's house.

Although in the father's house, we find that the older son in Luke 15 has long ago been lost in an altogether different sense: disconnected from his father's heart. He is, in fact, the disconnected, yet dutiful son. We find striking parallels in his heart with our own: wanting to obligate God, always trying to deserve our place rather than seeing the free gift of unconditional love which has always been God's one desire for us.

Like the prodigal son, we find ourselves running from the Father's love again and again, wondering what "true freedom" really is, feeling alone, and exiled. In Luke 15, in a moment of grace, the prodigal son comes to his senses and returns home, responding to the longing in his heart and unable to accept the pigsty he is in as his final destination. The prodigal's return into his Father's presence is Jesus' invitation to us to start our own journey home to our Heavenly Father.

Fear and Greed, powerful forces which have driven much of our human lives, confronts life and it just doesn't cooperate. We want, but don't get. We fear, yet are ultimately powerless. We've filled this gap between desire and uncooperative reality with magic charms, wishful thinking, and, when it comes to religion, a genie-like, cosmic vending machine God who must cater to our needs and wants. But the God of the bible isn't interested in meeting our so-called "needs", as much as He is in a relationship and our inner transformation

CS Lewis once said "God is always pleased, but never satisfied." However, we may have, at one time or another thought of God as a drill sergeant or unreasonable boss -- someone difficult or impossible to please. Today we discover how the perfect God is able to embrace our own imperfections while maintaining his holy standards.

A Guide for Life is what we all need; not just intellectual smarts, but wisdom for living. Today, we look in the book of Proverbs. They're not just pithy truisms from a bygone era. Rather, we discover portraits of Wisdom and of the great Fool, which still resonate in our lives today.

Our final message in the iLive series investigates the most sinister destroyer of all: our own egos and Pride. We examine the Christian claim that countless cherished relationships, personal dreams and the most profound joys of life are choked by this villain of pride that lurks within. Through the example of Jonathan (cf I Samuel ), we discover that humility is the key to life, love and relationships.

What roles do emotions play in our lives? How do they affect our perceptions of reality? As we journey through the second part of our iLive Series, Pastor Ed explores these questions using entertaining video illustration produced by our youth and offers ways we can apply biblical principals to gain emotional maturity.

So how does life work? What does it mean to be alive? The answers may be unexpected and surprising. We all understand that life is more than "just the body." But how does that play out in real life, and what happens when we forget this truth?

Manny Kim brings the Parable of the Mustard Seed alive through inspirational stories and exciting news of the recent mission trip to Cambodia, especially the work of God amongst the local churches.

"The truth always wins.” And when it comes to one’s sin, the facts can paint a jarring and painful reality. Yet, when we pause to accept the truth of what we have done wrong (sometimes with the needed help of others!), we can make a proper response and live a changed life.

When we sin, even when we think our sins are private, we do not sin in a bubble. The ripple effects of sin are far-reaching, as secret as an earthquake.

"My life is idle, bored, purposeless..." This is often the hard conclusion of those who pause and examine the trajectory of their comfortable, modern life. While complacency insulates life with apathy, God wants for us a vibrant life that grows in the gospel truth and in love.

Watch this video: Pause Series - Idle guy

Watch this video: Pause Series - I Will Offer Up My Life

"Why are you crying?", Jesus asks Mary Magdalene on Easter morning. Jesus' simple, profound question strikes a universal note for all our lives as we live in a world where immense love and joy must coexist and eventually meet the reality of death.