The Table: Life with God | John 15:1-11
Brandon Alred Brandon Alred

The Table: Life with God | John 15:1-11

The Table: Life with God | John 15:1-11

Enjoying God is not meant to be a human luxury, but the heart of what it means to be human. Jesus has some thoughts on how we might begin to experience this enjoyment here and now, even in the busy, broken, places of our lives

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The Table: Distraction| 1 Peter 1:3-9
Brandon Alred Brandon Alred

The Table: Distraction| 1 Peter 1:3-9

The Table: Distraction | 1 Peter 1:3-9

What does it mean to live a Jesus centered life in a world of distraction? I think Jesus' answer is as compelling as it is radical.

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The Table : Be Real | Luke 18:9-17
Brandon Alred Brandon Alred

The Table : Be Real | Luke 18:9-17

The Table: Be Real | Luke 18:9-17

Confession is the birthplace of communion. Like most of what Jesus' teaches, the counterintuitive reality of coming to terms with our human limitations can be scary, but in it we find liberation and redemption

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An Invitation to Jesus' Table
Brandon Alred Brandon Alred

An Invitation to Jesus' Table

An Invitation to Jesus' Table

Jesus invites us into our full humanity, into life. But the invitation comes with some caveats.

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We Are Exiles | Isaiah 50:1-11
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

We Are Exiles | Isaiah 50:1-11

We Are Exiles | Isaiah 50:1-11

We often wonder why God is so silent, so distant, and why life feels so heavy and hard at times. Yet Isaiah offers us surprising hope in the midst of the desert. More than that, he shows a God who enters the desert with us.

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The Central Thing | 1 & 2 Kings
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

The Central Thing | 1 & 2 Kings

The Central Thing | 1 & 2 Kings

The narrative story of Israel's Kings is largely a story of failure. But the narrator invites to see behind the scenes and find a God of life at work in a history of death. There is a central invitation to us here.

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Losing my Religion | Jonah
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

Losing my Religion | Jonah

Losing my Religion | Jonah

Religion has wounded, disillusioned, and 'othered' so many of us. The prophet Jonah helps us see how, and to explore the invitation of the God who is bigger than our religion. Where will we go from here?

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Getting it Right Where it Counts / 2 Samuel
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

Getting it Right Where it Counts / 2 Samuel

Getting it Right Where it Counts - 2 Samuel

David's life is a mess. He is violent, unfaithful, and deceitful. Yet, according to the scriptures there is something about him which makes him a man after God's heart. What in the world are we supposed to learn from a guy like this?

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A Law of Love? Deuteronomy
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

A Law of Love? Deuteronomy

A Law of Love? Deuteronomy

Reading the Hebrew Law as modern followers of Jesus often leaves us perplexed and possibly offended. We are ultimately left with the question of what in the world these ancient law codes have to do with us. We're tackling some of these questions together this week.

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Liberation from... Exodus Part II
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

Liberation from... Exodus Part II

Liberation from... Exodus Part II // Exodus 40:33–38

We often think of liberation in terms of freedom from rather than liberation into. Yet the God of liberation is a God of love, always liberating into divine communion.

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Liberation from... Exodus Part I
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

Liberation from... Exodus Part I

Liberation from... Exodus Part I // Exodus 12:21–36

The story of the Exodus is well known. And if we will allow it, this monumental moment in the life of the Hebrew people can shape our imagination in a way that leads us into the subversive way of a liberating God.

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God Chooses our Mess
Mark Brandon Alred Mark Brandon Alred

God Chooses our Mess

God Chooses our Mess // Genesis 12–50

The story of the Old Testament is often told as one of faithful heroes. In reality, the story is one of God's persistent faithfulness to be for us, using our messes to bring blessing and flourishing to the world.

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God's Hope as a Response to Violence
Mark Jordan Rhea Mark Jordan Rhea

God's Hope as a Response to Violence

God's Hope as a Response to Violence // Genesis 6:1-13 & 9:1-17

From the beginning of creation, God has been intervening in human ruin to provide a hope for the world through relationship with Him. the Bible’s flood narrative reveals this truth. God saw violence and responded with hope. And it was all through relationship with Him.

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