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.

Explore the complex ties between Matthew 2 and Refugees in this insightful blog. Discover how the nativity story relates to today's immigration debates.

Explore Philippians 3's insights on enemies of the Cross and their characteristics. Discover why Philippians 3 emphasizes reconciliation.

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