You can grow your faith in 2024. Imagine yourself next year living with more peace, hope, and increased love towards God and other people.

How do we respond when we see suffering and evil around us? How do we square this with the idea of a good God?

"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."

Ever hear people use a word all the time but wonder what they mean when they say it? Christians can be guilty of this. When we are not too sure what to say, we dig down into our bag of platitudes and drop this one in. As tempting as that may seem, our words really matter. In particular, when a church uses the word "gospel," it really matters what they mean.

Thank you, Tim Keller.

There are certain things in life, like parenting, or the decision around what college to attend where it feels like the ax is flying and you have no idea as to whether that decision or a long line of decisions will hit its intended target. It’s like you throw it and the ax seems to be indefinitely suspended in the air, and you are forced to wait as to whether it will hit its target or even stick at all…

When we name the source, we have the opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the power that anxiety holds over us. By naming the source, we set ourselves apart from it and give ourselves the opportunity to no longer react to the fear, but respond to God.

Everyone wants to “fix it,” and are unable to grieve it. One side says this is about mental health; and the other that this is simply hate.  But what does Jesus say? We can get caught up in the finger pointing, but the believer knows that we have a deeply spiritual problem, and that political solutions can only manage around them.

My concluding thoughts coming out of the Easter season on what God is teaching us and myself as we continue to build 938 Church.

Here is lesson 4 of what I think God is showing us coming out of Lent and Easter this year.

Coming out of Lent and the Easter season, here are three things I’ve been learning about ourselves, God, and our community.