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Every good letter, movie, and speech must come to an end. And there's nothing worse than cliffhangers or unresolved conflict - right? As we conclude our study in the book of James, we get some practical and simple closing statements to living in the family of God.

If you're into law or courtroom shows - or if you're a lawyer in real life! - you've probably been taken back by the amount of work that goes into building a case. The hours of prep work, study, and a keen eye for details can either pay off or flutter out. As we head into our next week in our study of James, we arrive at the evidence for why living in God's world God's way makes the most sense.

From the Gettysburg Address to the first iPhone presentation, we acknowledge the power of words. Words can build people up or tear them down, cause them pain or infuse joy. As we continue in our series through the letter of James, we see why it's so essential to tame our tongues.

There's a lot of quality playground comebacks, like 'talk to the hand cuz the face don't wanna hear it!' But, one of the best out there is, 'you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?' Even as adults, we know this to be true - talk is cheap. In week two in our study of the book of James, we will pick at what it means to be both hearers and doers of God's Word.

If you're ever having any IT problems, without fail, the first thing recommended is, "have you tried turning it off and back on again?" And while we can't turn our faith "off," you may have wondered whether or not your faith is "on" and working. As we kick off this series on the book of James, we begin by offering a hack to determine if our faith is on the right track.

What is your favorite story of all time? Maybe it’s a piece of history grandpa always shared or that book that captured your imagination for the first time. Stories have a unique ability to take root in our hearts and minds, don’t they? As we wrap up Chasing Purpose we will see how we all have stories to tell!

Have you ever hurriedly traveled back from a nice… long… relaxing… peaceful vacation… only to get home late Sunday night and realize - man! I’m exhausted from the trip home and could use a vacation from the vacation? What if the secret to some good ol’ R&R isn’t trying to squeeze in more stuff? In week 2 of Chasing Purpose, we look at how slowing down is the key to chasing your purpose.

When I was little, I wanted to be a ___? Do you remember what? For most of us, we probably don’t find ourselves doing that thing, and that’s okay! However, just because that dream didn’t come true, we can still live a life with intentional purpose. Join us in week one of Chasing Purpose as we seek out our calling as the body of Christ.

They say bad company corrupts good morals. However, what about a nice meal with others? As we wrap up our At The Table series, we will see how Jesus invites himself to a dinner party with some suspect guests and does it with a purpose!

Icebreaker: If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why? Now follow-up: what would you give up to attend that dinner? For this week of At The Table, we will open up a story about an unforeseen woman who gave up nearly everything she had to join Jesus for dinner.

At the end of every season, the ABC network phenomenon "The Bachelor" hosts an episode after the show aired for that season. It's kind of like, "now that you've watched what just happened… where do we go from here?" In week four of At The Table, we will open the story of those who watched Jesus' life closely and receive a final word from their Savior.

They say the most important bee in the hive is the queen bee. Isn't that strange, though, because it's the worker bees that get all the honey? In some ways, the same idea can apply to following Jesus. While there is always work to be done, what if getting the work done is the last thing on the list?

Rage-quit! Perhaps you've done it before - or experienced your child doing so - when the game isn't going your way. What if we told you that Jesus (sort of!) rage-quit at one point? Join us this week as we look at the story of how Jesus flipped those tables upside-down.

What would you have at your last meal? Maybe a massive steak and potatoes or perhaps the best pizza you could imagine! Either way, no one probably makes a big deal over your last feast. However, as the church, we celebrate Jesus' final meal every week. In week one of At The Table, we see why the call to break the bread, drink from the cup, and remember Jesus' last supper is a big deal.

If you were to answer the question, “what is the point of following Jesus?” How might you respond? While our answers may vary, hopefully, there are some similarities in our thoughts. Join us as we conclude our Hebrews series seeking to find a central answer to that poignant question.

Every four years, those who win the 100M sprint are dubbed the “fastest in the world.” But throughout much of history, the coveted prize was not the medal for the spring, but the crown for the marathon. As we continue our study in Hebrews, we will be encouraged to view our life and faith as a race to be run well.

Remember the playground comeback; "you talk the talk, but do you walk the walk?" What if that applied to following Jesus today? Join us as we continue our Hebrews series to discover faith requires action beyond talk.

You know those 'Terms and Conditions' when you update your phone? Have you ever - actually - read those? Yeah, I didn't think so. Believe it or not, there is a similar portion of Scripture, somewhat like fine print, we overlook. Most people refer to this as 'The Law.' In week 6 of our Hebrews, we will read the fine print to see how we sometimes miss the point of the Law.

We know there is some strange stuff in the Bible. Perhaps one of the more peculiar things in the Old Testament is bloodshed within the sacrificial laws. Frankly, what is the point of all the talk about blood? For week 5 in our Hebrews series, we poke into the vein of this central theme throughout Scripture.

It's summer, which means slip-n-slides are taking over lawns. The thing about slip-n-slides is no matter how hard you may try, it's virtually impossible to run on one without falling. Our faith can be a lot like a slip-n-slide because no matter how fast or hard we run, we will fall. The question becomes: what will you do when you catch yourself falling? Let's find out together in week 4 of our study through Hebrews.