Many years ago, Bill and Anabel Gillham of Lifetime Ministries would travel across the USA offering marriage seminars. They would handout a survey to the attendees to better understand how each gender operated. They would ask the men, “I wish my wife would respect me by…” And they would ask the women, “I wish my husband would love me by…”

I've learned that kids are amazing recorders of information, but they're really bad interpreters of information. In my childhood, I would read the Bible but only the interesting parts like Judges where there were wars, killings and armies. My little kid brain soaked up all these great stories but I began to draw warped conclusions from them.

In the context of Christian community, I have the opportunity to get to know Christ through people. It’s within the context of community that I have the best chance to get to know Jesus. When we gather on Sundays and other times throughout the week with other believers, we are coming together in the hope of experiencing Christ more.

All behaviour is motive driven. We make choices with an aim to accomplish or to satisfy a particular need. Each of us have basic, fundamental needs - needs that do not take into account your gender, your race, your nationality, your age, your hobbies - needs that are intrinsic to the human race. To deny the existence of these needs is to deny being human. But we also have even deeper needs than these.

As soon as my eldest daughter started walking, she realized that she had the ability to pick up as many things as she could hold in her hands and carry them while walking. She would get a stuffed animal and a blanket and a sippy cup with milk. I’d watch this with a touch of admiration because I love to celebrate her autonomy, but then the sense of caution set in. The blanket was getting a little close to her feet and the milk started spilling a bit.

Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians to answer questions about the battle within, a battle which is within each of us as well. He says, “But I say walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh, for the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another. So that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18 (NASB)

Paul writes to the Roman church from prison and tells them “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 6-8 (NASB)

I want you to imagine your life is an apartment with pictures on the walls. The pictures represent events and memories that form how you see yourself and your place in this world. A few of those pictures are good but most are painful events and memories.

I remember one of my first encounters with racism. I was part of a youth group worship band who led worship services at the request of a handful of youth ministries. I remember travelling with the band to rural areas, often leaving evening services with a long drive home ahead of us.

We were designed to live in Eden, but this world sure isn’t it. We all experience things we weren’t designed to experience and we carry weight we were never designed to carry. About four years ago, Father, in His graciousness began to dismantle and deconstruct my concept of Him. Today, we’re going to look at Matthew 11:28-30, a passage of scripture that Father used in my life to truly capture His heart and desire for me - and it’s His heart for all of us.

Traditions vary from country to country and culture to culture. Sometimes we don’t even know why we do these things and this is especially true in the church. Traditions by definition are not bad; they’re powerful motivators, often bred deep into our thinking, almost like a reflex. Traditions can be helpful aids to us if we remember that it’s not the tradition itself that’s important, but the reason the tradition exists in the first place.

When doing a quick survey through the Scriptures, you can’t help but notice how often prayer happens. When Peter was arrested in Acts 12, the church didn’t hire a fancy lawyer or begin a protest march. They gathered together in a home, and they fervently prayed for Peter’s release.

Today, we’re going to walk through the verses of Psalm 139, a beautiful Psalm written by David.

For almost 15 years I have spent most of my days working as a Christ-centered counsellor. I was not yet 30 years old when I began, and to make matters worse I also looked about 5 years younger than I was - and when it comes to looking like you can offer wise counsel, youth is not an asset! I offered what I knew from my experience, but ultimately I offered people God’s word which led them to Jesus.

What you understand and believe about the cross, and what happened there 2,000 years ago, will determine how you live today. If all I believe is that I am a forgiven sinner, if I only know about the forgiveness of my sins, then ‘I’ haven’t really changed. And my life’s goal will become to do all that I can to clean up my life. It starts with us spending much of our time trying to figure out what a life should look like in order that we might please God – through our behaviour.

It has often been said, “that what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” That may be true about some things; however, ignorance is not always bliss. Through the prophet Hosea, God lamented how His “people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6a

When each of us arrived on this planet, we arrived with fundamental questions about who we are and what our place was in this story. Ultimately, both men and women wonder the same thing, “Am I worthy of being loved?”

The writer of Hebrews exhorted his readers not to forsake the gathering of the brethren. He was not making a suggestion, but rather sharing vital, important, lifesaving truth! But we don’t tend to see it this way, do we? I wonder if the reason for this is because we have misunderstood the function and purpose of church.