In today’s passage, we glimpse a profound moment of divine empathy. Jesus looks at the crowded landscape and sees more than faces—he sees hearts. The description "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" isn't just a metaphor; it's a raw, honest portrayal of the human condition.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have a core set of values and beliefs that act as our internal compass. Some people's operating systems are deeply rooted in family traditions, others in personal experiences, cultural influences, or spiritual convictions. Think of it like the software that runs in the background of a smartphone, quietly directing every action and response.

Have you ever felt weighed down by the past? Trapped by mistakes, regrets, or the heavy chains of guilt? There's a profound truth that can transform how we see ourselves and our journey: Christ offers us the freedom to live as one who has been forgiven and set free.

Imagine a world where every relationship is perfectly balanced, harmony reigns, and brokenness doesn't exist. This is the essence of shalom—a Hebrew word that goes far beyond our superficial understanding of peace. It's a state of complete wholeness, where everything is as it should be. But we know that's not our reality. Our world is fractured, relationships are complicated and hurt runs deep. This is where justice becomes more than just a legal concept—it's a pathway to restoration.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see someone who was deeply attuned to the pain and brokenness of those he encountered. Rather than wielding power to get His way, He offered compassion, healing, and restoration. He ate with outcasts, blessed children, and showed overwhelming love to those society had rejected. In short, Jesus embodied "shalom" - the biblical concept of right relatedness, harmony, and wholeness.

I may not be great at poker or spades, but I am excellent at playing the victim card. Though I know that the Spirit that overcame sin and death dwells within me, I often pretend that I am powerless against temptation. When my addictions and selfish desires lure me in, I tell God that I am “not strong enough” to resist them. Though sin has no authority on this side of the cross, I live as though my temptation is stronger than my Heavenly Father. I surrender to the enemy, rather than to my loving Savior. I choose death, rather than life. When I do, I hurt myself and those I aim to love and serve. When I do, I continue on a path of destruction that will never bring me the contentment and peace my heart longs for. 

It's easy to get fired up about causes and issues that inspire our passions. We see injustice in the world and our hearts burn with a desire to do something, to make a difference. This zeal is noble and important - it's what drives us to create change. But passion alone is not enough. To truly make an impact, we must learn to turn our passion into compassion.

Sometimes life brings interruptions that are far more serious than being interrupted in the middle of a conversation or someone knocking on the door during our favorite television show…

If we are not careful, our prayer requests can morph into strict demands. We stand our ground and pester God for insight. We insist He changes our circumstances according to our time frame and in the way we see fit…

If you were to assemble a group of people who could change the world and provide your message with credibility, whom would you choose? If you had to entrust a handful of individuals with starting a movement and carrying it on long after you were gone, where would you look to fill your roster?

In the aftermath of another election cycle, we find ourselves wrestling with familiar tensions. The political arena has once again exposed the deep fissures in our society, leaving many of us feeling drained, divided, and perhaps even disillusioned. Yet in this very moment, we are called to remember that our primary citizenship lies not in any earthly kingdom, but in the Kingdom of God.

Here we are: the week of the 2024 Presidential Election. This week looms heavy for many of us. The world around us feels full of division, disarray, and a foreboding sense of doom. We are terrified of who might occupy the Oval Office come January. We feel as though the sky may come crumbling down if one candidate or another gets elected. We are anxious about how the results may impact our families, our friends, and the most vulnerable across our nation. We have trouble looking our neighbors in the eye once we’ve read their political tirades on social media or see which sign they’ve chosen to put on their front lawn. At every mention of the election, we either shrink back and hide from the discomfort or allow ourselves to get sucked into a pessimistic, fatalistic, hate-filled wormhole. 

Our capacity to imagine determines our perspective of reality. When we limit our understanding of God's Kingdom to political narratives, we severely restrict its potential. We've become accustomed to viewing spiritual impact through narrow, institutionalized lenses, forgetting that God's transformative power is most potent in the seemingly insignificant moments of daily life.

In a world where political systems often dominate our thinking, God invites us to a radically different perspective. Our imagination of His Kingdom must transcend earthly power structures and electoral outcomes. We've become conditioned to view spiritual progress through the lens of political change, believing that the right legislation or leadership will somehow usher in transformation. However, this perspective fundamentally misunderstands the nature of God's Kingdom – a dynamic, living reality that operates beyond human-made systems.

Worship is far more than a Sunday morning ritual or a collection of musical notes. It's the authentic expression of what truly matters most in our lives. Many of us mistakenly reduce worship to a 30-minute segment of singing in a church service, but true worship is a holistic lifestyle that transcends the church walls.

After a long day at work, I plopped down on the couch, flipped on the television and tried to unwind when suddenly something went swooshing by me. WHAT WAS THAT? I wondered if I was delirious and seeing things out of pure exhaustion. I went back to flipping channels, and then ZOOM...something buzzed by me again. I knew I wasn't going crazy when I heard a thud and some very loud squawking…

Songs bring us to places. We hear a tune, and instantly we're transported back to our childhood, high school years, or a significant event of the past. Songs provide us with information. It's why we know that Jenny's phone number is 867-5309 and that the mode of transportation for that small-town girl who was living in a lonely world was a midnight train…

In creating the church, God didn’t just intend a building but a family—one that spans generations, continents, and cultures. At the heart of God’s design is the purpose that each generation would come to know Him deeply, and this calling extends to all of us as His people.

Confession time. Lately, I’ve been trying to ease the guilt I feel over my sins by doing a few ‘good’ things to ‘balance out the scales’ and safeguard my self-esteem. I tell myself that it is okay that I maintain my destructive patterns of behavior, because I’m still a ‘good person’ on the whole. I’ve been serving and loving others to try and counteract my shame, not to make them feel the love of God or bring honor to His Name. My motivations are incredibly skewed. 

The weight of the circumstances keeps us tongue-tied. Trying to articulate the flood of emotions that fill our hearts is an exercise in futility. Nothing we say will do justice to how we feel…