(Be sure to download the study guide along with the messages.) "Somewhere along the way western Christians seem to have forgotten how important our imagination is to our walk with God and our mission to the world. In the beginning of all things, God took something lifeless (some dust) and he interacted with it in a way that brought it to life. He animated the dust. During the spring of 2009 we explored ways to animate the way we think about God and consequently how we live for him. What would it be like to approach God with our whole selves: body, soul, and spirit? It’s time to come to our senses. Literally."

"Following Jesus involves serving and relating to those who are living in poverty. There are more than 400 passages (spanning more than 3,000 verses!) in the Bible that make this point, yet this aspect of being a Christ follower is not often highlighted. Our Compassion by Command series will help equip you, whatever our economic status, to have relationships with and serve others across socio-economic lines. The study explores Scripture passages about our response to poverty, presents the stories of individuals living in poverty and gives us the opportunity to discuss this important issue and decide how to respond together. Join us as we follow Jesus and serve with compassion!"

(Be sure to download the study guide along with the messages.) Love God. Love others. Love yourself. Sounds pretty simple, yet we tend to over complicate this concept with our overly stressed, overly busy, overly committed lives. What can be done about this? How can we break the pattern? Our Fall 2010 Adventure Series, Undivided, is about living a life that is whole and unfractured. It’s about simplicity and love and how those two things are connected. It’s about justice and mercy and money and possessions and time and technology and life and death. It’s about helping you open up spaces in your life so that compassion is possible. As it is, most of our lives are too crowded and fractured to care.

Fighting temptation