Receiving from the world often leaves us full of unfulfilled expectations. However, the gift of joy we receive at Advent exceeds what we imagine or deserve. This is revealed through the announcement given to the shepherds. God comes near. We ar...

Nothing robs us of our peace more than having to wait...in both big and small things. The testimony of Zechariah and Elizabeth in the book of Luke shows us, if we learn to embrace silence and stay the course, we'll begin to see God's goodness, ...

Pastor Philip CauseyIn a world obsessed with status and spectacle, Jesus reveals a kingdom where motives matter more than money, and humility outweighs hype. Like the scribes, we may be enticed to chase prestige and power. We may even be...

In another attempt at a "gotcha" moment, the Sadducees pose a theological question of Jesus. They want to discuss the details of the afterlife, even though they, themselves, don't believe in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus, of course, takes...

When the religious leaders had made it up in their mind that they wanted to get rid of Jesus, they began laying traps for Him to be caught up in. One polarizing subject of the day was taxes; they wanted Jesus to take a side. Jesus, rather, took...

Jesus doesn’t gain authority, rather He reveals His Authority. Jesus' authority is tied to his identity as Messiah, the anointed, the son of God (Mark 2). His authority is his essence, and He is demonstrating God's sovereign rule...

When Jesus curses the fig tree he's not being petty, he's trying to warn people of the dangers of appearing fruitful without actually bearing the fruit of the kingdom. He teaches the same message when he clears the temple; warning people not to...

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the people cried out, "Hosanna" (God save us). Salvation had indeed come in the one riding that donkey, however, many of them had very different expectations for what salvation would look like. What e...

When Jesus' disciples start arguing over who will be the greatest and have the highest honor among them, Jesus answers in a way that surprises them. The world cares about power and lords their authority over one another...but among you, IT WILL...

When Jesus encounters a man who seemingly has everything, it leads to a great conversation about surrender. Sometimes we are called to surrender good things in order to embrace God's best things. There is a grief in letting go, but Jesus is inv...

When Jesus encourages the little children to come to him and he blesses them, this was very counter-cultural in his day. Children were seen as one of the lowest of society, unable to "pull their weight" and surely not worth Jesus' time. However...

So we now recognize ourselves as a sent people...so why don't we go? Do we lack desire, discipline, or direction? It can be overwhelming to get started in following the great commission. A great place to start is to simply use what you have. Yo...

To be human is to suffer. HOW we suffer is a great witness to the world of God's nearness and his redemptive power to bring good and healing and righteousness through the most difficult seasons of life. 

When Jesus calls us to be His witnesses, He doesn't send us out alone. In fact, when we try to go it alone, there's temptation to go with an agenda, and it usually leads to burn out. We've been given the power of the Holy Spirit to equip us for...

Statistics show that most Christians believe sharing the Gospel is an important part of our faith, yet so few actually participate in it on a regular basis. Why? As we go, we transport the Gospel with us wherever we find ourselves. May we liste...

Pastor Philip challenges us to walk in our identity as a sent people...which begins, first and foremost, with a deep consecration. We cannot change others if we have not been first changed ourselves. May we go at the pace of Jesus, walking in r...

Like much of Jesus does in His upside-down kingdom, He redefines what greatness is. While we have been discipled in the world and what it says is "great" we must leave that behind in our pursuit of the kind of greatness Jesus describes. The kin...

Jesus wasn't the Messiah that many expected because their view and sights were too small. We miss out on so much when we try to define Jesus by our own terms and agendas. Like, Jesus, following Him and his ways means picking up our cross. Denyi...

Those that were asking for a "sign" were those who really didn't want to believe in Jesus in the first place. May we have ears that actually hear and eyes that actually see all that Jesus was and how He's still working today!

The Pharisees & teachers of the religious law got a bad rap from Jesus because they were imposing man-made rules and customs on the people of God, rather than turning their hearts over to Him. Let's not be like them, but let's give attentio...

Like the God of the Old Testament, Jesus is the One who passes by and walks on water. Jesus does stuff only God can do, encouraging us to ask the question, who really is Jesus? Not only does He pass by, He comes near and he has the power to bri...

We may not see it at first glance,  but Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 was a revolution... a revolution of compassion. The crowds in the hill country had come to Jesus, hoping he would lead them into a political revolt and willing to make Him...

We don't want to be seated...we want to be sent, 2 by 2 in community to proclaim the Kingdom!

Are we seeing Jesus clearly or has our vision of who he really is been clouded by our expectations, familiarity, or past experiences? We don't want to be like those in Jesus' hometown who missed who Jesus truly was because they were unwilling t...

The miracles recorded in the book of Mark point to the person of Jesus...they aren't a prescriptive "how to" receive miracles in our own circumstances. We miss the point when we pursue what Jesus can do for us, rather than seek Jesus himself.&n...