It’s hard to face the pain and negativity of our lives and this world. We want things to be smooth, including spirituality. But Jesus offers us a way through the pain to something far greater.
With this week’s question Jesus confronts our fear of suffering in order to set us free. Join us as we continue to explore questions that Jesus asked.
We all need to know not only that we are worthy of love and belonging, we need to know why. The woman in this story, and Jesus’ question about her, give us a new way of seeing others by giving us a new way of seeing ourselves.
To be human is to long for more than we currently experience and to be more than we currently are. In this passage, Jesus asks a question that brings us to the very heart of our longing for something more.
Why would Jesus do so much of his teaching by means of parables, which are so hard to understand? In this passage, Jesus shows us the counter-intuitive, yet deeply healing, answer.
We modern people struggle greatly with the idea of God’s judgment. But in this parable, Jesus shows us that unless we allow God to be a God of judgment, then he cannot be the God of love we so desperately desire.
Who doesn’t want to be someone’s precious “treasure”? Who doesn’t want to know that someone loves them more than life itself? No matter who you are, these two short parables are an invitation to both those gifts.
The problem of the “other” is one of the biggest problems in our world. How should we respond? Is it possible to embrace the other? These two short parables offer us a powerful answer.
We have a longing for something bigger than ourselves, and many people wonder if Jesus might play a part in it. In this parable, Jesus shows us what we’re longing for, and how it comes into our lives.
People with different worldviews nonetheless describe the same experience: We feel cut off from our true home. This passage shows us why that is and, more importantly, what God does about it.
“Whatever has your attention is shaping and directing your life. In the parable of the ten maidens, Jesus warns us not to give all of our attention to lesser things, lest we miss out on the best thing.”
The Day of the Lord. The end of time. Good news or not so much? This passage sheds light on the life-giving difference between threat and promise.
The most important conversations are the ones we’re least likely to have, because they’re most likely to go wrong. In this passage, Jesus models four things that help us walk through the most challenging conversations.
Human beings don’t just shape technology. Our technology shapes us. What is technology? How does it shape us? How should we use it? This passage is one of the best places to think about that.
Of all the topics that involve our body, abortion is one of the most notable. But it is fiercely debated. This passage helps us make sense of the debate and find a way through.
Our culture says the love, intimacy, and connection we need as human beings is only available through marriage, romance, and sex. The Bible says it’s available to everyone through the unique relationship called friendship. This passage offers us a beautiful picture of this.
Singleness is deeply misunderstood in both our culture and the church. It is often seen as a deficiency or something survivable only with a special gift. But this passage helps us with a radically different vision of what singleness truly is.