South Hills Santa Clarita

Even if you’re not a Christian, you probably have a picture in your mind of who Jesus is. For most people, it’s someone unwaveringly kind, caring, and gentle. And for the most part, they’re right. But if you read through the Gospels, you’ll inevitably come across instances that upset your expectations. Jesus said and did things that almost seem out-of-character; moments where He comes across as mean, dismissive, and even aggressive. At times He’s flat-out SAVAGE. So what’s really going on here? Are we misreading these stories, or have we misjudged Jesus? Who was He really and why did He do the things He did?

The Curtain. The Stone.

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

Everyone’s facing something; Things we’re battling but aren’t sure we can beat—goals we want to reach, habits we want to break, relationships we want to rescue. But significant victories don’t come easy. The sheer size of the fight in front of us can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted. How do we keep from giving up? There was a warrior king in the Old Testament who overcame insurmountable odds, time and again. His secret: FIGHT SONGS. Like an athlete playing pump-up music before a big game, David leveraged certain lyrics to fortify him for the fight in front of him. One collection came to be known as Psalm 23. Is it possible this ancient anthem can do for us what it did for him? How?

We all want someone to share our lives with. But finding the right person is hard and making it work with them is even harder. Most relationships don’t last and those that do don’t always seem all that happy. So, I ask, why are romantic relationships in our culture getting shorter and our satisfaction with them getting lower?Could any of this have something to do with the pace at which the world works now and our inability to adapt? What if your partner isn’t the problem? What if you’re not bad at relationships, you’re just bad at managing stress? And if that’s true, how could changing that breathe new life into your love story? Let's talk about it.

We all want someone to share our lives with. But finding the right person is hard and making it work with them is even harder. Most relationships don’t last and those that do don’t always seem all that happy. So, I ask, why are romantic relationships in our culture getting shorter and our satisfaction with them getting lower?Could any of this have something to do with the pace at which the world works now and our inability to adapt? What if your partner isn’t the problem? What if you’re not bad at relationships, you’re just bad at managing stress? And if that’s true, how could changing that breathe new life into your love story? Let's talk about it.

We all want someone to share our lives with. But finding the right person is hard and making it work with them is even harder. Most relationships don’t last and those that do don’t always seem all that happy. So, I ask, why are romantic relationships in our culture getting shorter and our satisfaction with them getting lower?Could any of this have something to do with the pace at which the world works now and our inability to adapt? What if your partner isn’t the problem? What if you’re not bad at relationships, you’re just bad at managing stress? And if that’s true, how could changing that breathe new life into your love story? Let's talk about it.

We all want someone to share our lives with. But finding the right person is hard and making it work with them is even harder. Most relationships don’t last and those that do don’t always seem all that happy. So, I ask, why are romantic relationships in our culture getting shorter and our satisfaction with them getting lower? Could any of this have something to do with the pace at which the world works now and our inability to adapt? What if your partner isn’t the problem? What if you’re not bad at relationships, you’re just bad at managing stress? And if that’s true, how could changing that breathe new life into your love story?  Let's talk about it.

You like where you live, but there’s no telling who (or what) is lurking next door. The possibilities are terrifying. You already know the major plot points: what they drive, how often they mow, who they voted for. You do your best to avoid them. The thought of mail-box small talk with these monsters sends shivers down your spine. Shouldn’t we all just mind our own business and keep to ourselves? But… what if the most nightmarish neighbor you know looks at you in the mirror every morning? Jesus seemed to think loving your neighbors was a big deal. But did He mean it? How does someone even become a Bad Neighbor anyway?

You like where you live, but there’s no telling who (or what) is lurking next door. The possibilities are terrifying. You already know the major plot points: what they drive, how often they mow, who they voted for. You do your best to avoid them. The thought of mail-box small talk with these monsters sends shivers down your spine. Shouldn’t we all just mind our own business and keep to ourselves? But… what if the most nightmarish neighbor you know looks at you in the mirror every morning? Jesus seemed to think loving your neighbors was a big deal. But did He mean it? How does someone even become a Bad Neighbor anyway?

You like where you live, but there’s no telling who (or what) is lurking next door. The possibilities are terrifying. You already know the major plot points: what they drive, how often they mow, who they voted for. You do your best to avoid them. The thought of mail-box small talk with these monsters sends shivers down your spine. Shouldn’t we all just mind our own business and keep to ourselves? But… what if the most nightmarish neighbor you know looks at you in the mirror every morning? Jesus seemed to think loving your neighbors was a big deal. But did He mean it? How does someone even become a Bad Neighbor anyway?

You like where you live, but there’s no telling who (or what) is lurking next door. The possibilities are terrifying. You already know the major plot points: what they drive, how often they mow, who they voted for. You do your best to avoid them. The thought of mail-box small talk with these monsters sends shivers down your spine. Shouldn’t we all just mind our own business and keep to ourselves? But… what if the most nightmarish neighbor you know looks at you in the mirror every morning? Jesus seemed to think loving your neighbors was a big deal. But did He mean it? How does someone even become a Bad Neighbor anyway?

A ‘thrill’ is essentially ‘enjoyably nervous excitement’—the kind we feel on roller coasters or in suspenseful movies. But poets from our faith tradition often describe the feeling of Christmas as ‘The Thrill of Hope’. Every year, the December air is thick with it. Ancient songwriters and storytellers seemed to believe the birth of Jesus somehow stirs up a sense that things are going to get better in the hearts of those on the verge of giving up. This is especially profound when you realize who they claim first felt this thrill—people on the fringe: nameless shepherds, an invisible innkeeper, an unprepared father. And yet their roles in this story changed all of human history. So what if what God did for them that first Christmas is something He longs to do in you this Christmas—to show you the significance of your role in His story & instill in you a hope every bit as thrilling as it is fulfilling.

A ‘thrill’ is essentially ‘enjoyably nervous excitement’—the kind we feel on roller coasters or in suspenseful movies. But poets from our faith tradition often describe the feeling of Christmas as ‘The Thrill of Hope’. Every year, the December air is thick with it. Ancient songwriters and storytellers seemed to believe the birth of Jesus somehow stirs up a sense that things are going to get better in the hearts of those on the verge of giving up. This is especially profound when you realize who they claim first felt this thrill—people on the fringe: nameless shepherds, an invisible innkeeper, an unprepared father. And yet their roles in this story changed all of human history. So what if what God did for them that first Christmas is something He longs to do in you this Christmas—to show you the significance of your role in His story & instill in you a hope every bit as thrilling as it is fulfilling.

A ‘thrill’ is essentially ‘enjoyably nervous excitement’—the kind we feel on roller coasters or in suspenseful movies. But poets from our faith tradition often describe the feeling of Christmas as ‘The Thrill of Hope’. Every year, the December air is thick with it. Ancient songwriters and storytellers seemed to believe the birth of Jesus somehow stirs up a sense that things are going to get better in the hearts of those on the verge of giving up. This is especially profound when you realize who they claim first felt this thrill—people on the fringe: nameless shepherds, an invisible innkeeper, an unprepared father. And yet their roles in this story changed all of human history. So what if what God did for them that first Christmas is something He longs to do in you this Christmas—to show you the significance of your role in His story & instill in you a hope every bit as thrilling as it is fulfilling.

A ‘thrill’ is essentially ‘enjoyably nervous excitement’—the kind we feel on roller coasters or in suspenseful movies. But poets from our faith tradition often describe the feeling of Christmas as ‘The Thrill of Hope’. Every year, the December air is thick with it. Ancient songwriters and storytellers seemed to believe the birth of Jesus somehow stirs up a sense that things are going to get better in the hearts of those on the verge of giving up. This is especially profound when you realize who they claim first felt this thrill—people on the fringe: nameless shepherds, an invisible innkeeper, an unprepared father. And yet their roles in this story changed all of human history. So what if what God did for them that first Christmas is something He longs to do in you this Christmas—to show you the significance of your role in His story & instill in you a hope every bit as thrilling as it is fulfilling.