1/4/2026   2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.   A new year is upon us and next week we will do the Letter to God and the Burning Bowl ceremony. This week I want to look at the idea of new beginnings and what it means to us, and the paradox of our spiritual identities.   Each of us lives under a holy tension, between what we have been and what Christ is making us to be. I often use the phrase, “God is

Looking Forward to a hopeful future. 12/28//2025   Philippians 3:13 “ Brothers and sisters, I myself don't think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget what lies behind me and reach out to what lies ahead. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus .”   I like what Paul says in this verse. He felt like a lot of us, we have not reached our destination yet. God is not done with us. But in the meanwhile, he says “My entire focus now is to kee

12/21/2025   1 Corinthians 13:13 “ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love .”   Today we look at the power of love in the Advent season. The Bible references four types of love: Agape, which is self-giving, sacrificial, unconditional love; the kind of love God shows to humanity and that we are called to show one another. We are all familiar with Eros, which is romantic or passionate love, clearly present in Scripture. There is also

12/14/2025   Philippians 4:4 “ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice .”   Joy is one of the most striking marks of the children of God. Joy in Scripture is deeper than happiness and stronger than sorrow because it is rooted in God Himself. I want to explore what biblical joy is, where it comes from, and how we can walk in it.   God’s Joy is present in every season. Our opening verse makes no sense if joy is just happiness, a feeling produced by good circumstances;

12/07/2025 Mark 4:39 “ Peace, be still .”   Today we look at the theme of Peace. When was the last time you felt truly at peace in the midst of chaos? In the Gospel of Mark Jesus speaks three words to the storm: “Peace, be still.” These words reflect a peace that is much deeper than quiet surroundings or temporary calm. Peace, especially in the Advent season, is a God-given wholeness that flows from Christ and extends outward into every part of our lives. We long for this pea

11/30/2025 Romans 15:13 – “ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing… so that you may abound in hope .”   As we have already identified, the first Sunday of Advent celebrates hope. Advent begins in solitude – in waiting, longing, and looking for light.  Hope is not denial of darkness; it is the stubborn, Spirit-born confidence that God’s light has already dawned in Christ and will one day banish the darkness completely. In a world that often settles fo

11/23/2025   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “ Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ”   This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving, a wonderful holiday celebrating the blessings we have received from our Creator.  Thanksgiving is not only a holiday, but a spiritual discipline. The Bible calls us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” But what does that really mean? How can we truly give thanks when life is diff

11/16/2025   Proverbs 4:23: “ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it .”   We are spiritual beings, living in a spiritual universe, having a human experience. We are children of God, indwelling these human forms, living not only by the physical laws of the universe, but the spiritual laws, as well. If we want to know something about the physical universe, the sciences do a good job of telling us what we need to know. They do not have all the secr