South Hills Santa Clarita

The Christmas story tells of Wise Men traveling a great distance at great cost to give three gifts to Jesus. What would compel them to go to all that trouble, and why those gifts? More importantly, how might those original gifts help to unwrap the wonder of Christmas this year; teaching us a deeper meaning behind this ancient story and impacting our lives today?

We’ve all seen our fair share of posts where someone brags about how "BLESSED" they are. It usually involves a photo of them wearing, doing, driving, eating, or going somewhere desirable and expensive. Is that it? Is being blessed basically getting what you want and having more than you need? Or is it something bigger, better, and broader? Jesus talked a lot about what it means to live a blessed life. He seemed to think it ought to be our primary pursuit. What did he mean by that? Does his definition match ours? What does being blessed look and feel like? How does someone access it? And why do so many people choose not to do it?

We’ve all seen our fair share of posts where someone brags about how "BLESSED" they are. It usually involves a photo of them wearing, doing, driving, eating, or going somewhere desirable and expensive. Is that it? Is being blessed basically getting what you want and having more than you need? Or is it something bigger, better, and broader? Jesus talked a lot about what it means to live a blessed life. He seemed to think it ought to be our primary pursuit. What did he mean by that? Does his definition match ours? What does being blessed look and feel like? How does someone access it? And why do so many people choose not to do it?

We’ve all seen our fair share of posts where someone brags about how "BLESSED" they are. It usually involves a photo of them wearing, doing, driving, eating, or going somewhere desirable and expensive. Is that it? Is being blessed basically getting what you want and having more than you need? Or is it something bigger, better, and broader? Jesus talked a lot about what it means to live a blessed life. He seemed to think it ought to be our primary pursuit. What did he mean by that? Does his definition match ours? What does being blessed look and feel like? How does someone access it? And why do so many people choose not to do it?

We’ve all seen our fair share of posts where someone brags about how "BLESSED" they are. It usually involves a photo of them wearing, doing, driving, eating, or going somewhere desirable and expensive. Is that it? Is being blessed basically getting what you want and having more than you need? Or is it something bigger, better, and broader? Jesus talked a lot about what it means to live a blessed life. He seemed to think it ought to be our primary pursuit. What did he mean by that? Does his definition match ours? What does being blessed look and feel like? How does someone access it? And why do so many people choose not to do it?

We all want happy, healthy relationships—especially with those closest to us (our parents, siblings, significant others, kids). Easier said than done. As it turns out—making real relationships work is real work. It can feel a bit like putting together a puzzle that’s missing pieces and never quite looks like the picture on the box. Ever wonder if the pieces you’re working with even go with the puzzle you’re trying to complete? What do great relationships look like? What if you’ve hardly seen any healthy ones up close? And once you get a glimpse of what you want, what’s the best way to start putting that picture together? These are the questions we’re going to address together.

We all want happy, healthy relationships—especially with those closest to us (our parents, siblings, significant others, kids). Easier said than done. As it turns out—making real relationships work is real work. It can feel a bit like putting together a puzzle that’s missing pieces and never quite looks like the picture on the box. Ever wonder if the pieces you’re working with even go with the puzzle you’re trying to complete? What do great relationships look like? What if you’ve hardly seen any healthy ones up close? And once you get a glimpse of what you want, what’s the best way to start putting that picture together? These are the questions we’re going to address together.

We all want happy, healthy relationships—especially with those closest to us (our parents, siblings, significant others, kids). Easier said than done. As it turns out—making real relationships work is real work. It can feel a bit like putting together a puzzle that’s missing pieces and never quite looks like the picture on the box. Ever wonder if the pieces you’re working with even go with the puzzle you’re trying to complete? What do great relationships look like? What if you’ve hardly seen any healthy ones up close? And once you get a glimpse of what you want, what’s the best way to start putting that picture together? These are the questions we’re going to address together.

We all want happy, healthy relationships—especially with those closest to us (our parents, siblings, significant others, kids). Easier said than done. As it turns out—making real relationships work is real work. It can feel a bit like putting together a puzzle that’s missing pieces and never quite looks like the picture on the box. Ever wonder if the pieces you’re working with even go with the puzzle you’re trying to complete? What do great relationships look like? What if you’ve hardly seen any healthy ones up close? And once you get a glimpse of what you want, what’s the best way to start putting that picture together? These are the questions we’re going to address together.

We all want happy, healthy relationships—especially with those closest to us (our parents, siblings, significant others, kids). Easier said than done. As it turns out—making real relationships work is real work. It can feel a bit like putting together a puzzle that’s missing pieces and never quite looks like the picture on the box. Ever wonder if the pieces you’re working with even go with the puzzle you’re trying to complete? What do great relationships look like? What if you’ve hardly seen any healthy ones up close? And once you get a glimpse of what you want, what’s the best way to start putting that picture together? These are the questions we’re going to address together.

Most of us have been told Jesus died for us, but few realize how He revolutionized the way we live. His views on dignity, beauty, justice, and service became the backbone of virtually every advanced human society. Which means, even those who don’t believe in Him still benefit from Him in ways they may not even credit to Him. The bulk of His teachings weren’t about how to go to heaven but about how to truly be human. So the question we should be asking ourselves right now is… Could better understanding His impact on all of society transform the way we experience Him personally? And how did He expect His followers to continue bringing His revolutionary vision to life?

Most of us have been told Jesus died for us, but few realize how He revolutionized the way we live. His views on dignity, beauty, justice, and service became the backbone of virtually every advanced human society. Which means, even those who don’t believe in Him still benefit from Him in ways they may not even credit to Him. The bulk of His teachings weren’t about how to go to heaven but about how to truly be human. So the question we should be asking ourselves right now is… Could better understanding His impact on all of society transform the way we experience Him personally? And how did He expect His followers to continue bringing His revolutionary vision to life?

Most of us have been told Jesus died for us, but few realize how He revolutionized the way we live. His views on dignity, beauty, justice, and service became the backbone of virtually every advanced human society. Which means, even those who don’t believe in Him still benefit from Him in ways they may not even credit to Him. The bulk of His teachings weren’t about how to go to heaven but about how to truly be human. So the question we should be asking ourselves right now is… Could better understanding His impact on all of society transform the way we experience Him personally? And how did He expect His followers to continue bringing His revolutionary vision to life?

Most of us have been told Jesus died for us, but few realize how He revolutionized the way we live. His views on dignity, beauty, justice, and service became the backbone of virtually every advanced human society. Which means, even those who don’t believe in Him still benefit from Him in ways they may not even credit to Him. The bulk of His teachings weren’t about how to go to heaven but about how to truly be human. So the question we should be asking ourselves right now is… Could better understanding His impact on all of society transform the way we experience Him personally? And how did He expect His followers to continue bringing His revolutionary vision to life?

Words have weight. They do.  We all know it, but we don’t always act like it. On one hand, we’ve all spent more time than we’re proud of carefully crafting the perfect text, email, Tweet or IG post. We’ve also casually said something that was taken out of context and came back to haunt us. It’s hard to be thoughtful and intentional about everything we say. But can we truly afford not to try? Here’s a fact, words shape reality. The words we use determine who we think we are and how we see the world. They have the potential to elevate & educate or depress & destroy. What we say and the way we say it friends….matters. Maybe it’s time to reexamine our WORDPLAY!

Words have weight. They do.  We all know it, but we don’t always act like it. On one hand, we’ve all spent more time than we’re proud of carefully crafting the perfect text, email, Tweet or IG post. We’ve also casually said something that was taken out of context and came back to haunt us. It’s hard to be thoughtful and intentional about everything we say. But can we truly afford not to try? Here’s a fact, words shape reality. The words we use determine who we think we are and how we see the world. They have the potential to elevate & educate or depress & destroy. What we say and the way we say it friends….matters. Maybe it’s time to reexamine our WORDPLAY!

Words have weight. They do.  We all know it, but we don’t always act like it. On one hand, we’ve all spent more time than we’re proud of carefully crafting the perfect text, email, Tweet or IG post. We’ve also casually said something that was taken out of context and came back to haunt us. It’s hard to be thoughtful and intentional about everything we say. But can we truly afford not to try? Here’s a fact, words shape reality. The words we use determine who we think we are and how we see the world. They have the potential to elevate & educate or depress & destroy. What we say and the way we say it friends….matters. Maybe it’s time to reexamine our WORDPLAY!

Words have weight. They do.  We all know it, but we don’t always act like it. On one hand, we’ve all spent more time than we’re proud of carefully crafting the perfect text, email, Tweet or IG post. We’ve also casually said something that was taken out of context and came back to haunt us. It’s hard to be thoughtful and intentional about everything we say. But can we truly afford not to try? Here’s a fact, words shape reality. The words we use determine who we think we are and how we see the world. They have the potential to elevate & educate or depress & destroy. What we say and the way we say it friends….matters. Maybe it’s time to reexamine our WORDPLAY!

We all have moments when we feel lost and alone, not sure what decision to make or path to take. And when these moments come, it spikes our anxiety and shakes our confidence. God’s solution to this is to give us His Spirit. But what does that mean? How do we relate to the invisible? If that sounds mysterious, abstract, and confusing to you, you’re not alone. The writers of Scripture spoke of the Holy Spirit almost exclusively in metaphor, echoing four word-pictures in particular. What can unpacking these metaphors teach us about the practical ways the Holy Spirit can help us make sense of our lives?

We all have moments when we feel lost and alone, not sure what decision to make or path to take. And when these moments come, it spikes our anxiety and shakes our confidence. God’s solution to this is to give us His Spirit. But what does that mean? How do we relate to the invisible? If that sounds mysterious, abstract, and confusing to you, you’re not alone. The writers of Scripture spoke of the Holy Spirit almost exclusively in metaphor, echoing four word-pictures in particular. What can unpacking these metaphors teach us about the practical ways the Holy Spirit can help us make sense of our lives?