Many of us say we want to hear God’s voice and live with purpose—but we rarely slow down long enough to listen. Our lives are filled with noise, distractions, productivity, and pressure to perform. We read Scripture quickly (if at all), check a box, and move on—then wonder why God feels distant.
But knowing God’s Word is not about more knowledge, but a deeper, slower practice that helps move God’s Word from the page into our hearts. If you’ve ever said, “I don’t get much out of the Bible,” then maybe you should meditate.
THE BIG IDEA: When we meditate, we hear the Word of God speak.
Every life tells a story—and one day, someone else will tell yours. The uncomfortable truth is that legacies aren’t built at the end of life; they’re formed by the daily choices we make right now. Most of us want to be remembered as loving, faithful, generous, or godly—but few of us are intentionally living that way today.
THE BIG IDEA: Start living today how you want to be remembered tomorrow.
There’s something about the week between Christmas and the New Year. Life slows down just enough for us to notice what we usually avoid: regret, disappointment, unfinished goals, and quiet fears about the future. Many of us look back on the past year and see what didn’t happen, where we failed, or where we settled.
But what if God sees something very different? What if this season isn’t about reviewing what went wrong—but about remembering who you are and what God is still doing? The powerful truth is, you were made for more, and God is still at work in your life.
THE BIG IDEA: You were made for more—because God is not finished with you.
Christmas is supposed to be joyful—but for many people, it quietly magnifies feelings of rejection, inadequacy, and brokenness. While the world celebrates what’s shiny, successful, and put-together, many of us feel more like the Charlie Brown tree: overlooked, criticized, or not enough. We wonder if God only works through the impressive and the polished—or if He still has room for the weak, the worn, and the unwanted.
In the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey has given up on his dreams and is ready to end his life until
an angel named Clarence shows up and tries to give hope to George by showing him all the lives that he has
touched along the way, and shows George how different his community would be if George had not been born.
What if Jesus had never been born? How different would our world, our culture, and our history be if Jesus had
never existed? Let’s look at Jesus’ impact on human history.
THE BIG IDEA: Jesus didn’t just come to change history. He came to change your history.
For many people, Christmas feels less like “peace on earth” and more like an attack on the Nakatomi building. Emotional chaos, stress, broken relationships, anxiety, grief, financial pressure, and hidden struggles can make this season overwhelming. We assume God only shows up when life is calm and put together—but the Christmas story reminds us that God steps into the mess, the fear, and the broken places to rescue us.
THE BIG IDEA: Christmas is the story of God entering our chaos to rescue us.
Jesus had some knots and nuts on His family tree, just like you and me. Could the Savior of the world be descended from liars, adulterers, criminals, prostitutes, and murderers? Absolutely. And that’s what makes God’s promise of grace even more amazing.
THE BIG IDEA: Jesus came from messed up people for messed up people.
We live in a world that thrives on fairness—“You get what you deserve.” If you do good, you should be rewarded. If you mess up, you should pay the price. But when it comes to our relationship with God, that idea breaks down. Because if we truly got what we deserve, none of us could stand before Him. The message of Jesus turns this whole system upside down: the innocent died for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent. Grace is not about fairness--it’s about freedom. It’s not earned; it’s given. And when guilt says, “You get what you deserve,” Jesus says, “Today, you’re Mine.”
THE BIG IDEA: Guilt says, “You get what you deserve.” Jesus says, “Today you’re mine.”
Have you ever felt like following Jesus should make life easier—but it hasn’t? Maybe you’ve done everything right, yet things still fall apart: you lose your job, your health fails, a relationship breaks down. It’s easy to think, “I tried Jesus, and it didn’t work.” The problem isn’t that Jesus failed us—it’s that we sometimes expect Him to promise things He never did. Jesus never said life would be comfortable. He never promised health, wealth, or hassle-free living. Instead, He told us that in this world we will have trouble—but that we can still have peace, because He has overcome the world.
BIG IDEA: A faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted.
Everyone wants to be happy. It’s built into us. But the problem comes when our pursuit of happiness leads us away from holiness. Culture tells us, “Do what makes you happy,” but Jesus never said that. He didn’t die on the cross to make us comfortable—He came to make us holy, whole, and free. When we chase happiness at all costs, we settle for momentary pleasure instead of eternal purpose. This week, we’ll look at one of the most powerful stories in Scripture—when Jesus meets a woman caught in adultery—and discover that the path to true joy is not through self-gratification but through surrender and grace.
THE BIG IDEA: Holiness is the pathway to true happiness and joy.
Forgiveness is one of the most difficult commands Jesus ever gave—and one of the most freeing. Yet, many of us carry deep pain caused by others’ betrayal, lies, or abuse. Forgiveness sounds great until it’s our wound that needs healing. Jesus challenges our assumptions and excuses about forgiveness. He never said, “You don’t need to forgive them.” In fact, He taught that forgiveness is not optional—it’s essential for our own freedom. So how do we forgive the unforgivable? And why would God ask us to?
THE BIG IDEA: Forgiveness for those who hurt you may not change them, but it always changes you.
We often pray small, safe prayers—but what if God is inviting us to pray bold, audacious ones? In Joshua 10, Joshua faces an impossible battle, yet he prays one of the boldest prayers in all of Scripture: “Sun, stand still.” It’s a prayer so big that, if God didn’t answer, Joshua would look foolish. But that’s exactly the kind of faith that honors God—faith that believes He can do what only He can do.
THE BIG IDEA: God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him.
We all face problems in life—walls that feel too big to climb and battles that seem impossible to win. Today, we find God giving His people one of the strangest battle plans in history: march, stay silent, blow horns, and shout. No swords. No siege. Just obedience and faith. Before the walls of Jericho ever fell, the victory was already secured—because God had declared it. This story reminds us that when we follow God’s plan, even when it doesn’t make sense, the victory is won before the battle begins.
THE BIG IDEA: When we follow God’s plan, the victory is won before the battle has begun.
We want God to do it all. We want God to do it all so that we won’t have to do nothing. But God will only move in
harmony with how we obey. God doesn’t speak until we start moving to obey. God doesn’t show us our next step to take until we step out and obey. We want God to show up and move for us. We want Him to obey for us. But that would alleviate our part in this process, because God only hits a moving target.
THE BIG IDEA: God won’t move to save until you move to obey.
Everything—even good things—have to come to an end. The death of Moses left a huge hole in the hearts of God’s people. Yet even though Moses is dead and gone, Moses did some very intentional things to make sure that his leadership left a legacy, long after he was pushing up daises. Moses replaced himself long before he ever died, so that God’s work never missed a beat.
THE BIG IDEA: Leaving a legacy involves replacing ourselves with Faithful, available, & teachable people.
Everything—even good things—have to come to an end. The death of Moses left a huge hole in the hearts of God’s people. Yet even though Moses is dead and gone, Moses did some very intentional things to make sure that his leadership left a legacy, long after he was pushing up daises. Moses replaced himself long before he ever died, so that God’s work never missed a beat.
THE BIG IDEA: Leaving a legacy involves replacing ourselves with Faithful, available, & teachable people.
Have you ever been so close to something amazing, only to walk away because you were too scared? Israel was just eleven days away from the land God had promised them—but they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Why? Because fear, excuses, and small thinking kept them from stepping into God’s best. Many of us settle for “good enough” instead of risking for “God’s best.” Are we content living on the edge of God’s promises rather than trusting Him fully to enter in?
BIG IDEA: Grasshopper Thinking is when we allow attitudes and problems to cause us to doubt what God can do.
Has God ever felt distant, as if something is blocking your connection with Him? Or maybe God feels distant even when you’re trying to do all the right things. You’re not alone. A truth that we sometimes overlook: What’s often missing isn’t more effort, but a reverent awe and worship of God.
THE BIG IDEA: A shallow view of God produces a shallow life. Awe of God is the key to meeting with God.
We often think of a “hard heart” as something only villains in the Bible had—like Pharaoh. But the truth is, a hardened heart can happen to any of us. Every time we know what God wants us to do but refuse to do it, our hearts grow a little harder. Pharaoh’s story in Exodus reveals a dangerous progression: stubbornness, pride, and resistance to God lead to devastating consequences. The good news is that God longs to soften our hearts and give us a new spirit. The question is—are we willing to let Him?
THE BIG IDEA: Our heart becomes hardened when we know what to do but don’t do it.
Have you ever wondered why life feels so dry, empty, or stalled—as if God hit the pause button on your
purpose? Desert seasons are confusing and lonely, and they often make us question if God has forgotten us. But what if the desert isn’t punishment, but preparation? What if the emptiness you feel is the very place where God is trying to speak the loudest?
Moses spent 40 years in obscurity before he ever heard God's voice from a burning bush. Sometimes the desert feels like wasted time, but it’s actually where God is shaping you for what’s next.
THE BIG IDEA: Don’t shortcut the desert, because that’s the place where God speaks.