Jesus loved the invisible.Few things feel worse than being invisible.Invisible people are pushed to the edge of a crowd. It feels like nobody even sees you. Their lack of eye contact communicates, “your voice doesn’t matter. You don’t matter.”Maybe that’s how you felt the time you traveled through an airport where no one spoke your language. How did you find your gate? You were invisible to the ru...  Read More

Jesus loved the person we hate.When Jesus came into town that day, he did the unthinkable. That’s what the people of Jericho might have thought the day Jesus turned his attention to the one person in the town everyone despised. Imagine what someone from Jericho might have said . . .“We gave him a heroes’ welcome and the first thing he did was find the traitor among us. Zacchaeus was one of us unti...  Read More

Nehemiah 1:1-4The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.  Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.  They said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity...  Read More

Messy and Beautiful – How Jesus LovedCulture wars are nothing new.Pick a point on history’s timeline anywhere on a map and you’ll find people at war with each other. The issue of the day can range from immense to incidental: how to govern, how to live as a community, what’s important to the family, how to worship, who’s important/who’s not, even what to wear, what to eat, or watch online.Our cultu...  Read More

He is for UsWho is Jesus? People have debated that question for generations. Some said he was brilliant, and others label him insane. Some said Jesus was a good teacher, and others call him a liar. To judge a person’s character, you’ve got to look at their life.How did Jesus live among us? He was different things to different people. See if you find yourself on this list.To the victim, Jesus defen...  Read More

He Faced Hardship like UsAs of last year, more than 65 million people have been forced to leave their homes and live as refugees outside their country or displaced within, according to the U.N. refugee agency, Global Trends.On the run for their lives, these millions leave everything behind just to survive.Jesus could say, I know exactly what that is like. Jesus and his parents were refugees, too. ...  Read More

He Loves UsJesus had the same amount of time as everyone else, yet he was never in a hurry. He took the time to notice people, even the ones others overlooked. You feel loved when you’re noticed. It feels good. Just study his life and you see him loving on the most unexpected people.Jesus loved the outsiders: Almost everyone was poor in first century Israel. They lived hungry, never knowing what i...  Read More

Ezra 10:1-4Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly.  Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now t...  Read More

He’s Vulnerable like UsAsk any recovering alcoholic and they’ll tell you before you claim victory one day at a time, you must resist the temptation to drink one hour at a time. Even one moment at a time.Overcoming the temptation to choose the wrong is a battle of moments for all of us. When faced with what to do, we too often do what we want, regardless of the consequences.We know we should love e...  Read More

He Understands UsEveryone you meet has a fascinating backstory. Just ask them about it. Where did you grow up? Who most influenced you? What factors shaped your path? What’s important to you? What do you love?Jesus grew up in northern Israel. His people were regular folks, living mostly insignificant lives. In fact, nobody expected much to come out of Jesus’ hometown.Nazareth felt like a first-cen...  Read More

He Grieves with UsEveryone moves through grief differently, but we all suffer, and on our own timetable.When Jesus and his family returned home from burying his father, he likely felt the sting of death like never before. We don’t know how old Jesus was because the Bible doesn’t give us these details. There’s a silence in the story—much like the silence that can be felt when there’s an empty place...  Read More

He Walks with UsSometimes when you feel free enough to travel down unexplored roads, you feel a little lost. It’s a necessary step to find new paths. Sooner or later, that flutter in your chest subsides and you get your feet back under you. Nobody likes to feel lost but we like where it leads us.Once Jesus joined two confused guys as they walked home from Jerusalem. They engaged in a lively conver...  Read More