Persistence is an admirable quality... ask any toddler. The widow's persistence against an unjust judge in Luke 18 is exactly the persistence needed by Christians today... 

"And I assure you of this:  If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man, will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God's angels."  v. 8 NLT

It is an amazing thing when the words of Jesus meet the action of humans. We live in a very broken world which is home to 8 billion broken people. We know God's word is the balm every human soul desires...

So many people were anxiously awaiting the 'Kingdom of God' and paying close attention and listening to Jesus' thoughts on the subject. What they actually heard, though, was entirely unexpected.

A sheep, a coin... a son. Jesus wants us to feel heaven's joy - His joy - when one lost soul repents and believes in Him. Consider the return of a son after his period of rebellion and 'freedom' from his family...

Jesus lays out how he pursues lost people and also his heart for those who wait for them. We see a couple of examples here in Luke - a lost sheep, highly valued by it's shepherd and a lost coin, a significant asset. But the joy is really not about the item's recovery...

We are revisiting the central theme of our current message series, "The One Thing: Mary or Martha?" What if it is actually better, in all the ways that really matter, to set Martha's ‘to do’ list aside and instead, discover Mary's simple yet profound joy of being in Jesus' presence... sitting at His feet and listening.

What makes someone a good neighbor? Is it friendly conversation over a shared fence? Lawn care for an elderly couple down the block? It has been described as 'being made aware of a need and, if you are able, meeting that need.' Today's information highway ensures we are aware of so many - BIG needs all over the world. How do we, as followers of Jesus, step in and even step up?

"Where is your faith?" he asked them. The disciples were filled with fear, NOT faith as their boat was tossed about in the raging storm. Did Jesus' presence in the very same boat, although sleeping, indicate nothing to them? Even the chosen twelve needed to be reminded that the 'faith over fear' mantra is not just for a t-shirt.