The gloom and grief of the cross and death, brought the new day of sunlight and joy of the resurrection.   The resurrection us a Savior to remove our fear and a story to tell.

Jesus enters Jerusalem for his last Passover as a king.   While some are rejecting him, his disciples joyfully praise who he is and what he has done.

 Luke 18:31-19:44

Lust is desire for something.  Lust or desire is at the heart of our sinful behaviors, and to overcome sin and temptation we can work at changing those basic desires.

People are bombarded with the temptation to always want more – even more of what we already have. Greed is a driving force in our thoughts and behavior. But Jesus warns against greed and we see some tools for overcoming greed. -- Luke 12:13-34

Sloth is often thought of as laziness, but it is much more.  It is really about the spiritual indifference and apathy that can lead us to lose our joy and zeal for serving the Lord. 

We all become angry and “lost it.” Anger can lead to some really destructive behaviors, thoughts and outcomes. However, the scriptures provide us some steps that will help us manage our anger.

Finding contentment is difficult. Envy leads us to seek those things we don’t have, and it impacts our ability to find joy. Overcoming those envious desires can restore the joy  in our lives.

Pride is probably at the root of almost all other sin.   Probably all people struggle with pride to some extent – it is probably unavoidable.  As Christians pride can manifest itself in ways that impact our relationship with God and others, so it is important for us to try to master this sin in our lives.

We can be pretty good at “mastering” the “big” sins such as murder or stealing. But what about the “micro” or “small” that often plague the heart and emotions. Can we learn to master pride, envy, anger, laziness, geed, gluttony and lust? Jesus challenges us to a higher level of living – and that includes learning to master the “micro” or “small” sins in our life.

Gen 1:26-27; Gen 3; Gen 4:1-8; Matthew 5:20-24; 1 Peter 1:13-16

What are "elders" or "shepherds" according to the Bible, what are they "not", and what role do they play in the flock?

Remembering Your Baptism - the life-altering, changing point in our lives. It should affect everything we do after, changing the way we view sin and influencing our daily walk with Christ. It reminds us that we were lost and we desperately need Jesus.

Matt 28:16-20 - Every organization has a purpose, a mission; the church is no different. Jesus talks about our mission in Matthew 28.

The story doesn’t end here!

March 17 | People Connections | Acts 8

March 10 | Pure in Heart | Acts 8

March 3 | What is Your Story? | Acts 6:8-7:40