ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD

Most people in our world know that life as we know it is not infinitely reproducible. There isn’t enough space and there aren’t enough resources. Jesus – who fulfilled all the prophecies made about Him speaks very clearly to the fact that there will come a time when He will return – and on that day, things will radically change. Peter speaks to the fact that it will be a day that will silence all skeptics and bring justice and life and healing. Jesus, the Hope of the Ages, our Saviour – and Lord of all – will set things right. He told us clearly that there would be signs to look for – but to not try to predict it. His calling was to just be ready!

ABOUT FOLLOWING JESUS

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that Jesus asked people to already believed in God, believed in the Scriptures (and memorized them), already knew most of the facts about God – to follow Him. And it’s only in following Him that their lives, priorities and relational worlds were transformed! And that’s what the Christian life is all about; loving, listening to, obeying and following Jesus – living under the same power that empowered Him – the power of the Holy Spirit!

ABOUT US

Every human has wondered – usually at multiple points, “What’s wrong with me? Why do I do what I do? What’s my destiny? Why am I even here? It’s pretty clear, first, that humans are intricately made -and have immense potential. It’s also clear through all of history that we keep sabotaging ourselves and hurting others. That we can be loving and generous and kind and be incredibly selfish and mean spirited. What’s our problem?

ABOUT SCRIPTURE

We believe that God has revealed Himself by what He’s made and what it’s like – and through His relationships with people since the beginning of time. That history and those relationships have produced what we call the Scriptures or Holy Writings. It’s the record of God’s actions and God’s Words and God’s insights into life, into the future, and both His power available to us – and His expectations for how we will love Him and love others.

ABOUT GOD

That God exists seems to be a pretty obvious fact – judging by the fact that something exists rather than nothing. Looking at what it is and the sophisticated, intricate design of it all – and the deep sense throughout all cultures that there is a spiritual reality behind it all, gives us a sense that there is not a what behind it all – but a Who. Did this Who reveal Himself?

NO BULLIES ALLOWED

What is sometimes so hard for us to grasp – is how Jesus thinks of us. Sometimes that’s hard for us because of the bruises from the religious people we’ve known. And, honestly, the super-religious people who harassed Jesus and finally had him killed are still around doing the same old things that religious bullies always have: bruising people! Snuffing out candles that are barely lit. And it’s not just religious bullies who do that – all bullies do. They’re inspired by the master bully – and liar – the Devil. At His core – Jesus was gentle. He never walked into a room and stomped on people who were struggling. He once said that He was meek and gentle of heart. That carries an amazing thought; that the One who created everything – and the model leader we are called to emulate is meek. And that’s what makes Him the most astounding person who’s ever lived!

FEELING LIKE YOU NEVER MEASURE UP

We’d like to be able to truthfully sing the little song we learn as kids; Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me! That sounds very brave, but it’s simply not true. Words do hurt us! Every one of us has voices from that past – and maybe even the present. Someone was trying to change us from the outside in and when it seemed like we weren’t listening or cooperating – they lobbed a verbal grenade over the wall. We pretended we were okay – but their voice still reverberates in our soul. Their works, their voice changed – hurt – damaged how we feel about ourselves. To recover, to see ourselves through God’s eyes, there’s a question we need to ask. Was it true? Was it right? What does GOD think?

LIFE AT THE INTERSECTIONS

Our lives could be described as a series of intersections. The intersection where we were conceived by our Mom and Dad; the day we were born, the day we were weaned, potty trained, went to nursery school – then JK and SK – and our intersection with learning, with university, with all the people who made a difference in our lives – the list of intersections goes on and on. Most of the books of the Bible are stories of intersections – people intersecting one another, God, and both good things and bad things. And Jesus’ story as told by the Gospels is really a collection of intersections. The people whose lives intersected with Jesus were changed forever; some for better – and some for worse. What is inevitable is that we will go through a number of intersections in our lives. We’ll get clobbered at some of them, broken by others. When God’s grace is allowed into these spaces, what seems like a trainwreck can be totally redemptive!

WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS?

One of the top five questions about God and His existence in our world goes something like this: If God is good – as Christians describe Him – why is their pain and suffering? And that’s a profound question that many people struggle with. Some to the point that it derails their faith and they become either atheists or agnostics. Surprisingly, some of the best-known people in the Bible had to wrestle this one down. Even Jesus, the Son of God, the only perfect person who ever lived, came face to face with it. The answer He lived out but never actually commented on is astonishing!

WHEN LIFE ROCKS YOUR WORLD

Things change. They do. Sometimes they change because of us… and sometimes they change despite us. When massive changes like we’ve experienced take place, it’s a very helpless feeling. And how we deal with all the changes – and there are a ton of them – either sets us up for the future or frustrates our future – or even wrecks our future. We honestly have a choice in it all – and how we make that choice really matters. God can help us move in the right directions – if we let Him!