It is important to consider that borders do not come from God; they are man-made constructs. They are nothing less than the result of humanities struggle to get along. In short, borders are the direct result of our seemingly inability to love one another. If we acknowledge then that borders are the result of our own sinful nature then perhaps we might not cling to them so tightly.

Again and again, God reveals that what He desires most is not the kind of strength the world applauds. He is not searching for people who can impress Him with their capacity. He is looking for hearts that will trust Him. He is not drawn to self-made power. He delights in faithfulness.

Christian theology speaks into that uncertainty with a radically different claim. Human worth does not begin with the self. It does not arise from recognition, productivity, or public approval. It is not bestowed by the market, by popularity, by talent, by health, by youth, or by success. Human worth begins in God.

The story of St. Telemachus shows us something different. That when we practice what Jesus taught and put ourselves in the gap to preach true peace, then change can actually take place. Even if we suffer or never see it for ourselves.

America has become a people more eager to unite against an enemy than to unite around God. We know how to identify threats, expose corruption, denounce error, defend our tribe, and sharpen our outrage. We know how to speak with fire about what is wrong with the world. But too often we have forgotten how to burn with the love of God. Too often we have mistaken suspicion for discernment, hostility for holiness, and public anger for spiritual courage.

We live in an anxious world. Many of us carry a quiet sense of pressure through our days. We worry about family, health, finances, work, current events, and the future. Even in moments of rest, our minds can keep racing. Anxiety has a way of making life feel unsteady. That is why Psalm 23 remains such a gift.

The Beatitudes are some of the most beautiful words Jesus ever spoke, and they are also some of the most disruptive. In Matthew 5, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount not with commands, but with blessing: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.“Blessed are those who mourn.”Blessed are the meek.“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” These words are familiar to many of us, but they should still surprise us.

Christians dont have enemies, we have neighbors. This is the most misunderstood teaching of Jesus coming out of Matthew 5. Because the call to love our enemies is actually a call to see them as neighbors instead.

There is a reason superhero and supervillain narratives do so well at the box office. It feeds a desire we all have as humans. But is this desire a part of how God wants us to live, or is it a part of the sinful nature of humanity? One of my favorite classes I have ever taken was an elective I took in my senior year of High School. In the first semester, we read the classic Greek and Roman Myths, and then in the second semester, we spent the year exploring the world of Comic

Occasionally, we see some not-so-common verses start to go viral based on current events. Recently, as debates about welfare and SNAP benefits cycle out of Washington and around social media, the verse that has resurfaced is II Thessalonians 3:10, and it is being weaponized by many to justify the starvation of the poor. Not only is Paul not justifying that anyone should starve, but the actual message Paul delivers is much more about the attitude of those against the poor than

I want to make it clear that I have no problem with traditional local churches. Even though my own spiritual journey seems to be moving away from them, it might have never began without them. If the least that can said is that I gained an awareness of Jesus from those places, then that is enough. There may be no better foothold than that. No matter where our paths have taken us since then, many of us who have emerged from such spaces cannot deny we owe the traditional local c

And here I am, watching the chaos I once warned about unfold, hearing the stories of oppression it’s causing, and struggling to find the words to describe what it all means and where we go from here. Then, a week ago, our pastor preached from Jeremiah 25, and that message helped bring clarity to my thoughts.

If I had to describe this experience, or even define it now, I would say that church is the awareness of all people as image bearers of God, manifested in the intentional practice of God’s economy among them. The currency of this divine economy is love-given freely, not as transaction but as transformation, so that in each person, a creative personhood might be built up. One that reflects Christ while remaining wholly itself.

Our relationship with God is designed to flow out into the world and community around you. However, it starts between YOU and GOD...