When most of us in the modern West think of Christmas, our first thought is usually something connected to indoor trees, twinkle lights, shopping sprees & sugar cookies. But in the ancient East, this season was one of Advent. It’s an old word with Latin origins that we don’t really use much anymore. It means “coming”. It was about anticipating the anniversary of the moment Divinity made itself know to humanity in the most earth-shattering, story-changing, category-exploding of ways. It reminded the people of God to turn down the volume on the chaos of life & prepare their hearts & minds for God to reengage their stories in surprising new ways with a fresh sense of Hope, Peace, Joy & Love.
Have you noticed that we can get fixated on wishing for a time in our past when we were happy, or believing that if we can finally just get *that thing* in the future, we'll finally be happy? What if our perspective is the thing holding us back from real gratitude?
How many times a day do you say "Thanks"? Probably a lot. But do you mean it? Why is it so hard for us to be really, truly grateful? Why is it so easy to grow frustrated with what we have, disappointed in those around us, and discouraged about where we’re at in our lives. We all want to be thankful, so why do tend to have No Thanks?
We all have a desire to be right, to win. But it seems like Jesus was more concerned with us loving those we disagree with than proving we are right. So as Christ followers are we willing to sacrifice our need to be right for following the example of Jesus?
Most parents (leaders or mentors) tend to error on one side of over-connecting OR over-correcting. We become a dictator or a best friend, neither of which serve those we’re raising all that well.
It’s hard to mature without the right mentoring. INSTRUCTING someone to DO & MENTORING them to BE are two very different things. So what do we do?
Today, the culture around us often pulls us in the opposite direction we want to go. And it’s hard not to give in. How do we seize control of our stories? And how do we empower those around us to take the same mature steps?
What does it look like to build a healthy relational dynamic that actually rubs off on your kids? Find out how. Join us Sunday as we wrestle through these questions together as we begin #FamilyMonth
There are certain bits of our story we’d all prefer to bury. But what if someone needs to hear how you got here, what you went through, what it cost you? What if someone else’s salvation is somehow connected to your storytelling? — Join us Sunday as we wrestle through these questions together in final installment of our #StorylineSeries.
When we don’t get what we want, we tend to assume it’s because God messed up, life is out of balance. But what if not getting what we want is God’s way of gifting us Grace?
We all have a story, and at the same time we all are a story. When we read our past well, it guides us as we co-author our future with God. When we can be honest about our experiences, we discover our strengths. When we tell our story, we tell the greatest story.