There are two dimensions of the kingdom of heaven–and the present dimension is right now! Heaven can’t wait!

Our society knows that physical garbage is toxic, but is often blissfully unaware of the negative spiritual impact of religious trash spewed into our culture. The good news is that Jesus picks up that trash, and disposes of it!

As we continue our study in Philippians we learn that when all is said and done, what matters most in our lives is Jesus. Religious customs, ceremonies, traditions and religious trappings don’t even come close to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

There are many messages from a variety of places which tell us that we aren’t good enough or doing enough or trying hard enough. In this first of a three-part series based on the book of Philippians we are warned of one of the dangers of religion – it can suck all the joy out of life!

What does Jesus mean when he says we will gain our life by losing it (Matthew 16:24-28)? This week we travel back in time to the 1960’s, re-living the courageous example of Martin Luther King, Jr. and reflecting on the historically accurate, yet fictional character of Atticus Finch as depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Extreme Makeover” T.V. programs are popular because making a new start is always an intriguing proposition. Hebrews 13:20-21 reveals biblical terms that describe our spiritual makeover.

Jesus clearly stated that healing the blind, both spiritually and physically, was central to his mission. Yet, Jesus’ followers rebuked a blind man who wanted to ask Jesus to give him his sight!

Our contentment in Christ, does not come from affluence, achievements or acquisitions. Join Greg and study the secret of Christ-centered contentment.

God’s favor – the Bible calls it grace – is not compensation for our good deeds. We are made alive in Christ by his amazing grace, by his great love, not by our works, but for his works!

Unresolved bitterness, whether toward another human being, dead or alive, or toward ourselves, can cause us to live in dark places of depression and anxiety. Join Greg in discussing how bitterness and resentment can be overcome.

Many who have been “vangelized” by evangelical Christians remember their experiences as being filled with judgment and condemnation. Since all are welcomed by Jesus, who took the “welcome mat” off the front porch?

Do you have “enough” faith? How can you acquire “more” faith? “How much” faith will it take before God is happy with you?

During times when no one else seems to care, during those time of intense pain, in Christ we can experience a new dimension of prayer and our relationship with God and other humans.

We hear so much emphasis and stress on Christian leadership principles – but what about our primary calling, in Christ, to be his followers?

The teaching that Jesus became poor that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9) is one of many paradoxical statements about the gospel. How exactly did Jesus become poor and how exactly does his poverty make us rich?

Keeping tabs on human performance in the family, at school and at work as well as in the world of athletic endeavors fascinates humans – but did you know that God’s grace means no more score-keeping?

There are many ways in which the Christ-centered perspective of the biblical message is diminished and devalued. 1 John 1:1-4 provides three illustrations of the centrality of Christ for authentic Christianity.

In Les Miserables acclaimed novelist Victor Hugo said “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise” – echoing the proclamation of Isaiah, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

God gives us all the good we will never need because he wants to, and because he can. Greg illustrates God’s grace with the movie “To End All Wars” — based on the book “Through the Valley of the Kwai.”

Greg discusses what your steering wheel, spare tire, and your on-board GPS system have to do with your relationship with God.

When traced back to its ultimate source, we find that generosity comes from the riches of God’s grace.

We are united with Christ through his death, as our old selves are crucified with him. We are also united with Christ in his resurrection, as he lives his risen life within us. Join Greg as he talks about what it means to be united with Christ.

It’s understandable that the focus of Christmas for children is the gifts they might get, but Christmas never becomes much more than that for many adults. Their question is, “What am I going to get?” In one way, that IS the question, but not in the way most of us think.

Had we been the owner of the Bethlehem Inn, would we have given Joseph and Mary a room? Would we have made room for our Savior?

The birth of Jesus signaled a new way of doing things. The gospel insists that our relationship with God is all about what he does – it’s all about him. But sadly, many are convinced by religion that their relationship with God is all about them.

He was born so that we might be spiritually reborn. Join us as we study the significance and meaning of Jesus’ birth in John 1:1-14.

The unending, eternal truth and beauty of the birth of Jesus stands in stark contrast over against the ugliness, hatred, oppression, abuse and warfare of our world – the good news is that Jesus not only came into the world of the first century, he still comes to ours.

Because of the infinite love of God, Jesus was incarnated as God in the flesh – so that he might fully know us and so that we might know him.

Many activities surround Christmas – sometimes the busy-ness of it all might even obscure the actual meaning of the birth of Jesus.

Jesus’ birth, as well as his life and death, were surrounded by shame and scandal, yet the real shame and scandal was not then easily observed nor is it easily believed now.

The crib and the cross of Jesus Christ are the bookends of his human earthly life – the bookends of the greatest love story ever told.

Christmas is a time when we became a “visited planet.” God in the person of Jesus personally delivered a message for each one of us. The message? God is for you. He’s your friend. He’s on your side. God’s favor rests on you.

Mary’s pregnancy was different from that of many other women in the Bible – Mary was not desperately hoping to become pregnant. The most momentous birth in all of history is a departure from other biblical birth stories.

The great American dream involves becoming someone and amounting to something. Parents hope their children will “make something” of themselves. But there was someone whose sole purpose was the precise opposite. Jesus was born so that he could become nothing.

Why did God in the person of Jesus come into our world? To die for our sins, to set us free, to win the victory over sin and death. True — those answers dominate our lists, but one of the most important reasons is that Jesus came to serve us.

There are two realities about Jesus that are extremely difficult for us to grasp because they lay outside of our human experience, yet they are absolute bedrock elements of our Christian faith.

Christmas has always presented a challenge to humanity. Some take 12 days to celebrate it; on the other hand, the Puritans outlawed it and even today some cults say Christmas is wrong. The birth of Christ asks the question, “What do we do with this Christ who was born?”

God brings interesting situations into our lives so we can “find” Him. The story of the Magi, or Wise Men, and their determined but difficult trip to find Jesus has some interesting parallels for our own lives.

Jesus wasn’t simply ignored or disliked. He was despised and rejected. What was the primary reason for the hatred directed at him?

Jesus didn’t put on a mask and pretend to be a human. He didn’t use make up or have cosmetic surgery so that he would appear to be human. Such was his love for you and me he actually became one of us!