ohn 6:35, Isaiah 9:2, Revelation 21:23-2578,391,156'Twas the night before Christmas, when all throughthe house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.Ou

Luke 1:26 - 38

Matthew 1:1, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Isaiah 11:1-4Matthew 1:11 Samuel 16:1-13Isaiah 11:1-4Advent – is all about life beginning to rise in you where you no longer expect it to come from.Tamarisk Tree Image:Hope without Honesty = DenialHonesty without Hope = Desp

Matthew 1:1, Genesis 12:1-4The Bright Sadness: “the sadness of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God’s presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God, the peace of the recovered home.”

JOY - Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; aresult of choice. The Lexham Bible DictionaryWONDERED (delogistico) - “wondered” or “deologistico” in the Greek means; to use logic, to reasonwith int

Matthew 16:21-27Matthew 16:21-24“We have been led to believe that the self is sacrosanct; just as in an earlier time it was thought never fitting to deny God, now it feels never right to deny self.”-Robert C RobertsMatthew 16:24-27Option A: “Deny Jesus, F

John 15:18-21, 1 John 2, Deuteronomy 29:16-19Order:John 15:18-211 John 2:15-17Cosmos:1. Planet Earth = Romans 1:202. Humanity = John 3:16“A Culture, the patterns of beliefs, social forms, dispositions, and values that are institutionalized in people’s col

Galatians 6:1-9Deceitful ideas, that play to disordered desires, that are normalized in a sinful society.The Law of Returns1. Every Action has a Reaction2. That Reaction is often Disproportionate to the Action“No matter what we sow, the law of return appl

Ephesians 4:17-28“Basic conversion must be followed by daily conversion.”“Spiritual formation in Christ moves toward a total interchange of our ideas and images for his.” Dallas WillardIn its Roman-era setting, for example, Christianity was so different t

Genesis 3 1-6, Luke 4:1-11The chief dispute in the world is who has authority and who deserves to be worshipped.3 Great Questions in Life:1. Who is God? (Theology)2. Who are we/am I? (Anthropology/Identity)3. What is the good life? How do we live? (Morali