Ever have a moment where the sweetness and presence of God overwhelms you? We look for it in worship... we expect it in church... we seek it in our prayer time... but do we look for it in the seemingly ordinary, mundane moments in our lives? A favorite verse for many is Jeremiah 29:11... "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." But if we stop reading there... we miss a couple o

You aren't likely to see this phrase in the next leadership manual or how-to book on achieving your next promotion. We are taught early on to climb the ladder of success... to make things happen for ourselves. We hear quotes like "If it is to be it is up to me" or "plan your work and work your plan," or my favorite, "Greatness is achieved through discipline and hard work." While some of these sayings have some truth to them it continues to enforce the rhetoric which says two

The Kingdom of heaven began when love broke into this world and Jesus became man, born of a virgin, to live 33 years as a flawless human. Matthew 3: 1-6 Sometimes we struggle identifying with people in the Bible. We read the text like fantasy, simply a fictional novel with imaginary characters that are lacking in real feelings or relatable circumstances. John the Baptist was a man with weird eating habits, and even stranger clothing choices. He wasn't a powerful man...