Jesus' parable of the workers demonstrates how normal and human it is to perceive new people or new situations as threats to us personally, but it also shows God's desire to help us navigate away from self-centeredness toward open-heartedness.
Read MoreWhether the Greco-Roman rat race of 1st century Colossae, or the modern American rat race of today, human beings have always been (and maybe always will be) surrounded by messaging and social pressure that is high-anxiety & soul-sucking. Maybe a way to regularly escape this messaging and pressure is one of the biggest benefits of following Jesus...
Read MoreFollowing the trail of where my money goes can, maybe surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), help me make self-discoveries about what sorts of things my heart is invested in. And, if that's true, maybe my money gives me an opportunity to awaken in me genuine passion and inspiration and spiritual alive-ness.
Read MoreFeeling recognized is an unavoidable need we all feel. Looking to other people or our a built-up image or reputation to meet that need sadly just never seem to fill the bill. Jesus' promise is that God wants to reward us with a sense of recognition in private that we could never get in public.
Read MoreConnecting with God as a mother is an often-missed opportunity. BLV's pastors share stories of their own mothers and the ways their mothers have reflected God's heart to them.
Read MoreWhen we've come to believe toxic things like "I'm on my own; friends will turn on me," Jesus has refreshing and smart suggestions on how we might change our minds.
Read MoreOur anxiety levels are not a secondary matter to God. Finding a happy, content, restful heart at any given moment seems to be a major player in life going well. But day-in, day-out, that is a fight! (As a day in the life of Vince proves...)
Read MoreA day in the life of BLV pastor Kyle Hanawalt, in which he realizes that God (brilliantly) wants to give him peace before giving him guidance. How? Through conversational prayer.
Read MoreLearning from the ahead-of-their-time progressivesness of the earliest church feasts and 12 practical ways to live out and enjoy the resurrection of Jesus
Read MoreIn his day, Jesus took aim at the Pharisees, who inflamed contentious attitudes through their removed analysis of society and their focus on holding the right opinions. The draw toward such attitudes is in us all, but Jesus modeled engagement with people that can break the power of those attitudes in us.
Read More
