Love God • Love One Another

Love Actually Forgives - Love Actually

January 10, 2021 15:04 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MB

Can you imagine an offense too great for you to forgive? Rebellion, disrespect, injury, or abandonment? Truth is, we have acted toward Jesus this way. Yet, he has chosen to forgives us! Conform then to the demands of the gospel—including forbearing each other. Share compassion, humility, and grace to be the forgiveness of Jesus that people desperately need. #LoveActually #Forgives #messiahyl

Love Actually Gives - Love Actually

January 04, 2021 05:06 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MB

Gifts are an expression...they can reveal much about the giver and also about the receiver. Wise men brought baby Jesus some unique gifts which foretold a story of his life. The fact that God revealed himself to be noticed, followed, and found by pagan astrologists says much for God's gift of inclusion. #BeWise #LoveActuallyGives #messiahyl

And the Holy Spirit Was Upon Him - As We Wait

December 27, 2020 14:13 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MB

Jesus entered his earthly life and participated in the world as a poor person. His ministry, focus, and attention was largely on those who were lowly, poor, and oppressed. Woe to you who are rich! Does this make you uncomfortable? Our earnings and our actions can't earn salvation. Thankfully, we're not eternally separated from God because we're not poor. The power of the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus. He became the light of the entire world. Jesus fell first (and rose again) for all people. #Th...

Saved from Our Enemies - As We Wait

December 19, 2020 13:35 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MB

Have you ever wished for a mute button for people? God used such a button on Zachariah. Now (like then) at just the right moment, God's Holy Spirit breaks into our ordinary, mundane, regular world, to bring a vision of God's promised future. As the nativity players were the first messengers of the covenant, we can also give praise to God for what he has done...and what he is continuing to do. #TrustGodsPromises #HolySpiritCome #messiahyl

Filled With The Holy Spirit - As We Wait

December 13, 2020 15:05 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

Christmas is a lot to take in this year—as it was also over 2000 years ago. Comfort and joy is the very thing we all seek (all people). We offer each other strength and warmth through presence and compassion when we share the love of God. Be intentional and be inspirational in fresh new ways to magnify God this Christmas. #FilledWithTheHolySpirit #messiahyl

How Can This Be? - As We Wait

December 13, 2020 14:51 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

What are the most significant relationship intersections of your life? Crossed paths and intersections can change the world and change each of us. God's intervention and loving visit to earth is so perplexing...and so amazing! Ponder: #HowCanThisBe #messiahyl

That You May Know the Truth - As We Wait

November 27, 2020 14:30 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

Let's get ready for the Christmas story! The Bible's historical and theological book of Luke is fundamental to Christianity today. In our own redemption story, exactly where the divine interrupted the ordinary, the message came first by angelic appearance. Zachariah, Elizabeth, and John go before us to prepare the way. #AccordingToLuke #SpiritFilled #WhatTheLordHasDoneForMe #messiahyl

What Are You Going To Do? - What Has God Done For You Lately

November 26, 2020 14:52 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

What personal accomplishments do you most admire? Our challenge is to be thankful for these, but not depend on them for our story. Giving up ourselves and our "self-made" gains for Christ's lordship is a source of life changing joy! Jesus gave up everything to redeem you! #YouAreGodsTreasure #UndividedHeart #messiahyl

What is My Calling? - What Has God Done For You Lately

November 15, 2020 14:42 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MB

What do you want to do with your one and only life? What is your life's calling? You were created to make a difference. When we decrease self-absorption and increase our life in Christ, we find joy, satisfaction, influence, and purpose. Every ordinary person who lives into the attitude of walking in the steps of Jesus makes a world of difference—by caring for others, living sacrificially, and doing it consistently. #InvestYourLife #CalledToLove #messiahyl

Who Loves You Most? - What Has God Done For You Lately

November 07, 2020 02:31 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MB

True sacrifice...being on the line and ready to give it all (even die) for someone else. That is amazing love! The love of God is just that way. Jesus emptied himself in love for us...giving everything he had. #PouredOut #OneOfUs #messiahyl

Why Are You Here? - What Has God Done For You Lately

October 31, 2020 14:09 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MB

Is the purpose of life to be happy? Is it societal pressure that drives you? There is something greater than "happiness" to attain. Living in "joy" is a much superior life state—a condition of profound gladness! The greatest possible joy is experiencing the goodness and presence of Jesus. #ExperienceJoy #TheGoodLife #messiahyl

Christ Alone - Solas

October 24, 2020 00:13 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

The Bible is not a bunch of "Nos", thankfully, it's about generous "Yeses": God's "Yes" to us, God's "Yes" to eternal life, and God's "Yes" to having a loving relationship with us! A life of reformation is constantly growing in appreciating why (and how) God says "Yes"! Christ alone is simply enough! It's not Christ + my contribution...it's all Him. #christalone #fullstop #messiahyl

Faith Alone - Solas

October 18, 2020 17:53 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

Is your faith a quart low? Faith isn't measured in volume...it is a relationship with God. Not our strength, but it is God's work that changes us. All our power comes from the Holy Spirit...initiated by God. Faith alone is walking and talking with God in the way of love. #GodPursuesMe #messiahyl

Grace Alone - Solas

October 10, 2020 04:20 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MB

Have you ever caught yourself looked down on someone because they did less than you? Perspective is a helpful check. We've done so little compared to what God has done for us. We have no bragging rights...nothing credible to offer that makes us more worthy. God's grace alone is our lifeline. #gracealone #messiahyl

Scripture Alone - Solas

October 04, 2020 19:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MB

Reformation is an ongoing reflection on faith. The central tenets of Christian faith are Scripture, grace, faith, and Christ (the Solas). Our Bibles are literal, historical, metaphoric, and poetic communications from God. Regular study of Scripture can bring us inspiration, wisdom, and training for life—insight to reform our faith in Christ and help us grow. #GodsWord #LightMyPath #messiahyl

Praise - Living a God-Centered Life

September 27, 2020 13:06 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MB

Has it been your experience that things go better with understanding? In living a God-centered life, we need to understand the "why?, who?, how?, and when?" to praise God. Praise is giving gratitude to our creator. Living for God is more than obedience, it also all-in adoration. Love God like a dog! #praisethelord #messiahyl

Thanksgiving - Living a God-Centered Life

September 19, 2020 14:20 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MB

Praise and thanksgiving are a response to God's love: we say, "God's love endures forever." Psalm 136 gives us a chance to praise God in unison. God's love covers all people and exists at all times. God doesn't love us less or more because of who we are; God's love for you is defined by who God is and what he has made—you are God's child! #OhGiveThanks #messiahyl

Trust - Living a God Centered Life

September 13, 2020 01:43 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MB

Psalm 23 is a prescription for the problems of today. God is always with us in our unknowing. Hope and good news come from recognizing that everyone's needs are met in the abundant love of God. Are you craving consoling prayers at the end of your words? The Psalms are comfort to fill the gaps. #iwilltrust #ishallnotwant #messiahyl

Lament A Cry for Help - Living a God-Centered Life

September 05, 2020 02:02 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MB

Sometimes all things in life are good. At other times a perceived Kershaw curve-ball is coming for our head! The lament of Psalm 13 asks, "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?" God's reply is empathetic...and life-changing. #CryOutForHelp #messiahyl

Delight in God's Word - Leading a God-Centered Life

September 04, 2020 22:10 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MB

Blessedness and happiness are less a physical circumstance and more a state of mind. The pursuit of happiness may be our American right, but it is only God who makes this possible. Happiness is not a set of rules with rewards. It is a process of seeking and moving toward a God-centered life. #AlignedHappiness #messiahyl

Rejoice in the Lord Always - Connect to Joy

August 22, 2020 23:04 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

Is it possible to rejoice always (be continuously joyful)? Amid suffering, persecution, tough times, challenging situations; joy IS possible and it comes near to us. Leaning on strength higher than the power of positive thinking, discover the power-packed fruits of the Holy Spirit. #RejoiceAlways #messiahyl

Joy Comes in the Morning - Connect with Joy

August 15, 2020 04:11 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

For everything there is a season...weeping tears of joy and weeping tears of a clown (when there's no one around). The Lord meets us in our pit. God journeys with us through long nights. If joy seems distant; take heart, the morning is coming. #MorningJoy #messiahyl

Joy of the Lord is My Strength - Connect to Joy

August 09, 2020 03:47 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

How do we fight forgetting? And, especially, how do we not lose sight of what God has done? Nehemiah reminded the Jewish people, then, that God gives long-lasting hope, especially through tough times. As Bible reading and study can educate us, it can also lead us to understand the gifts we've received and help us appreciate God's joyful provision. The joy of the Lord is my strength. #ConnectToJoy #messiahyl

Joy in Relationships - Connect to Joy

August 02, 2020 04:28 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

What makes us human? Is it our desire to achieve? According to our creator, what makes us human is our relationships...connections created for our joy. We are made in the image of our creator whose nature is love; we are called to serve the world—losing ourselves in build loving relationships. #JesusOthersYourself #JoyInRelationships #messiahyl

Joy Unspeakable - Connect to Joy

July 26, 2020 05:33 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

Looking at the Christmas story off-season gives time to ponder other perspectives including the season of the world that Jesus was born into. It was not a Hallmark movie moment. It was filled with violence, swirling political injustice, and social unrest. God's promise of hope was born (and lived among us) in a messy world. God is with us always..right where we are! Unspeakable joy comes to us, especially in darkness. #ChristmasInJuly #messiahyl

Hope Does Not Disappoint - Choose Hope

July 19, 2020 01:16 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MB

COVID has changed our days...these are not normal times. Likely you've already lived through other crisis: shattered dreams, pain, death, disappointment. God's love (and faith in it) can overcome all hopelessness. Are you open to becoming more than what you have been in darker times? #HopeDoesNotDisappoint #messiahyl

Hope for the Future - Choose Hope

July 10, 2020 00:10 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Wait for it...wait (a lifetime) for it! There's no immediate, quick escape from troubles. Prosperity is certain, but not on the basis of your faith or actions; rather, on the promise of God's shalom to us through every unrest, struggle, and pain. #LivingInContext #PatientTrust #messiahyl

Hope in Unfailing Love - Choose Hope

July 05, 2020 13:11 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MB

Happiness might seem like an individual striving; however, the pursuit of happiness is really an obligation to thrive in community. It is our natural tendency (and a false security) to put our hope in something we create: family, finances, government, or leadership. What is important to us is the target of those that don't align with us. It is the Lord who is our strength and shield! We find security and safe keeping as we put our hope in God. #UnfailingLove #messiahyl

Hope in God's Word - Choose Hope

June 28, 2020 13:15 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

We are held together by hope; and hope prevails. Our comfort and our suffering are held together in God's Word. When we study God's statues and commands we find words of faithful promise and confident assurance. Despite any circumstances, we can say, "Your promise preserves my life, I put my hope in your Word." #HopeInGodsWord #messiahyl

Love Always Hopes - Choose Hope

June 21, 2020 03:06 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MB

Increasing anxiety might be a description of the day; however, don’t be downhearted. Keep your mind on things above. Choose something new, deeper, and certain…choose hope. Our Heavenly Father offers each of us strength to endure. Jesus left his place in heaven to come alongside us: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” #ChooseHope #ConnectToJoy #messiahyl

The Bread of Life - I AM

June 07, 2020 06:25 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

We can experience God in many ways today: in nature, through other people, in scripture, and in worship (just to name a few). Being connected to God was a forever plan started at creation and extended beyond mankind's fall...through Jesus, who is our Bread of Life. Jesus came to satisfy our physical and spiritual hungers. He is God's bridge over our sin, connection to a life-giving eternal relationship, and source of infinite love to us and all humankind. #BreadForAll #messiahyl

The Vine - I AM

May 30, 2020 21:56 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MB

The serious virus we fight today has been among us well before we were aware of it. Our sin virus has plagued our life and relationships since birth...we inherently put our self-interests first. (It is like we can't resist touching what we've been instructed not to touch). Who is in charge of your life? You? or God? If you're all wrapped up in yourself, it's easy to be messed up (alone in your virus). Abide in Jesus, grow in faith, and get well with others. #VirusAntidote. #BackToTheGym #mes...

The Way, The Truth, and The Life - I AM

May 23, 2020 22:51 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB

Feeling lost these days? Have you been wondering what’s next? Where you need to go (or what you need to do) may not be so much a physical place or action; rather, it may be a new relationship to life—a new view. Jesus made this statement: “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” Reorient your understanding of that statement from “THE way” (exclusive) to “the WAY” (how). It is consolation (not judgement), hope (not factoids), and directions (not mystery);. #HolyGPS #messiahyl

The Resurrection - I AM

May 16, 2020 21:27 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

In fearful moments and times of grief we wonder, "Where are you God and why haven't you shown up?" If only you had been here, this wouldn't have happened. How then, and still today, Jesus comforts the Mary and Martha cries within us. May our faith increase as unforeseen situations swirl. God knows our needs and comes to us. #FaithBeyondCircumstances #HopeBeyondFear #messiahyl

The Good Shepherd - I AM

May 09, 2020 13:13 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MB

Reflecting on motherhood may elicit a complicated state of mind. For some it may be blissful, for others it may be painful...for most, it is both. The pattern and model for what we received from our mothers and, more importantly, what we need need in relationships "to be loved by a caring person" stems from a connection Jesus modeled when he described our lives as shepherd led. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, finds us in our need; He cares, protects, nurtures, and restores us to wholeness. There i...

The Light of the World - I AM

May 02, 2020 18:45 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

Darkness has its moments: dark rooms, dark emotions, dark times. But darkness can be overcome! A candle, a flashlight, a beam of light from your phone will cast out darkness from physical spaces. But what brings light to worries, fears, desires—expectations you can't meet right now (yours or someone else's)? Jesus was sent into the world to be the remedy for dark conditions. Jesus said "I am the light of the world" and I am the brightness you especially need today. #IAMTheLight #messiahyl

The Gate - I AM

April 25, 2020 20:41 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

Baaaa Baaaa. We are more like sheep than you might think: 1) we are followers, 2) we remember faces, 3) we find safety in numbers, 4) we rarely walk in a straight line, and 5) we have trouble finding a half-open gate without help. “COVID-19 time” is a good time to listen to your Shepherd, Jesus, when he calls… #IAMTheGate #messiahyl

He is Risen - Now What?

April 18, 2020 20:42 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

Is Easter only a promise for an eternal future in heaven? A risen Jesus is the basis for all Christian hope because it means God can do anything. All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus. His parting words were a commission with a promise. "Go and make disciples...and I will be with you ALWAYS!" Our mood, approval, security, and sufficiency doesn't depend on us; we serve a BIG God and we don't need to fix things on our own. He is Risen! Now what? Remember, I am with you always...

Hope Has A Name - Easter

April 12, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MB

Things don’t always go as planned. For sure, this Easter is unlike any other. More broadly, the life you’re living may not be the life you planned. Every life story begins dark, but there is a turnaround moment for each of us. There is more to life than we experience today. God is ever strong, wise, and loving. God did something eternally significant for you. We don’t have to settle because: Hope has a name—that name is Jesus! #Easter2020 #HopeHasAName #messiahyl

Hosanna to the Son of David - Against All Odds

April 05, 2020 01:22 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

This may be the Lentiest Lent we have ever Lented; we have given up more than we ever planned this year. Yet, it may also become the most Holy Week we have ever experienced. As Jesus entered Jerusalem prophetically, the "whole city was in turmoil"...oddly, this is not much different than our lives right now. "Hosanna!...save us we beseech you, Son of David, our King." When you've got more than you can handle, God will help you handle it. Cast your cares on Jesus. #Hosanna #messiahyl

Believing the Miracle Maker - Against All Odds

March 28, 2020 22:07 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MB

Miracles were performed by Jesus so that we might come to believe in him. The record of many wondrous signs in the Bible are both subjective and objective evidence of God’s power. Miracles fulfilled prophesy and created physical evidence for those seeing them, then…and us, today, reading about them. Miracles today, perhaps not flashy or immediate, are the gift of God’s presence in every darkness. God has shown over and over that dark moments precede light and new life. #MiraclesInDarkTimes #...

From Our House to Yours

March 21, 2020 21:43 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

Even though we're physically apart, we continue to worship together...and God is with us in this moment. What is the good coming out of these challenging times? Could it be teachable moments, time with family, time to remember what we are grateful for? We have accessibility to suffering that leads us to a place of deeper love for one another and wholehearted trust in God. #NeverApart #messiahyl

Fear to Joy

March 16, 2020 01:10 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MB

From the perspective of God's grace, tools to move from fear to joy. #FearToJoy #messiahyl

Why Did Jesus Come? - Against All Odds

March 16, 2020 01:06 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MB

Jesus came to the world to model justice and servanthood. This might seem distant and unrelated as the world's people quarantine to slow a pandemic spread of the Covid-19 virus. However, we can turn fear to joy, and anxiousness to confidence under God's grace—using that gift to calm our restless heart and then, in turn, radiate hope and joy to others. I am not just a me, I am a we. I am not just an individual, I am a community. #FearToJoy #messiahyl

The Messiah on the Run - Against All Odds

March 08, 2020 18:19 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

The quaint Christmas story has some unlikely tragedy. After Herod heard from the Magi there was a new born King, the response was evil retaliation (genocide, anguish, exile)—causing a season of refugee migration for Jesus. Against all odds, young Jesus was guided through the expatriation experience. Not unlike the current world's turmoil, God then, and God still, provides refuge and hope. Empowered by God's love, we extend love to our refugee neighbor. #refugeeme #messiahyl

The Cradle and the Cross - Against All Odds

March 02, 2020 04:04 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

Should we pray to the baby Jesus, to the bearded Jesus, or to the risen Jesus? The answer is, "Well, yes." It is all these forms of Jesus that bring meaning and substance for our faith—in our various states of need and "messupidness." From the cradle to the cross, the Messiah was foretold and fulfilled many prophesies that were against all odds...but he certainly was born, lived, died, and rose (all of this) for us. #CradleToCross #messiahyl

Against All Odds - Series Intro

February 23, 2020 22:04 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

What are the odds of your winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning, or being bitten by a shark? All are very remote! And yet the odds of one person fulfilling every prophecy told in advance, are even greater than those aforementioned odds combined! At the end of your life, in retrospect, it will be clear a curated journey transpired....and the 1:1 odds of it all having been divinely known by God. Let's look at what it takes to be with a God that satisfies promises and prophesies agai...

Our Lives Bear Witness

February 16, 2020 22:27 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

Is there a litmus test to being a Christian? How much must we do to be a "good Christian"? The answer is we probably need to do less and follow Jesus more. We are not saved by our actions...yet, our attitudes and behaviors bear witness to our relationship to Jesus. We are created in this image: a God of love. God alone has taken the action to restore the divide between us. What God created, God loves. What God loves, God loves forever. #pastdo:justbe #bearwitness #messiahyl

Who Are You?

February 09, 2020 19:27 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

WHO are you? Who ARE you? Who are YOU? It's not just what you do, what you love, or the context of your interpersonal relationships. What defined who we are is understanding our God-given purpose...a community of salt and light; salt to give flavor and light to reflect God's love. #WhoAreYou #SaltLightLoving #messiahyl

Be Kind - Souper Bowl

February 02, 2020 19:19 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MB

When times are turbulent and faithfulness is a stretch, God speaks to us...oh, my people what have I done for you? May I remind you, I sent you kindness! In the midst of challenging weeks, we hang on these words of God. My eyes are on you...you are loved! In response, what does the Lord ask of us, mere mortals: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God! #DoJustice #LoveKindness #WalkHumbly #messiahyl

Love God • Love One Another

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