Who doesn’t want to be someone’s precious “treasure”? Who doesn’t want to know that someone loves them more than life itself? No matter who you are, these two short parables are an invitation to both those gifts.
The problem of the “other” is one of the biggest problems in our world. How should we respond? Is it possible to embrace the other? These two short parables offer us a powerful answer.
We have a longing for something bigger than ourselves, and many people wonder if Jesus might play a part in it. In this parable, Jesus shows us what we’re longing for, and how it comes into our lives.
People with different worldviews nonetheless describe the same experience: We feel cut off from our true home. This passage shows us why that is and, more importantly, what God does about it.
“Whatever has your attention is shaping and directing your life. In the parable of the ten maidens, Jesus warns us not to give all of our attention to lesser things, lest we miss out on the best thing.”
The Day of the Lord. The end of time. Good news or not so much? This passage sheds light on the life-giving difference between threat and promise.
The most important conversations are the ones we’re least likely to have, because they’re most likely to go wrong. In this passage, Jesus models four things that help us walk through the most challenging conversations.
Human beings don’t just shape technology. Our technology shapes us. What is technology? How does it shape us? How should we use it? This passage is one of the best places to think about that.
Of all the topics that involve our body, abortion is one of the most notable. But it is fiercely debated. This passage helps us make sense of the debate and find a way through.
Our culture says the love, intimacy, and connection we need as human beings is only available through marriage, romance, and sex. The Bible says it’s available to everyone through the unique relationship called friendship. This passage offers us a beautiful picture of this.
Singleness is deeply misunderstood in both our culture and the church. It is often seen as a deficiency or something survivable only with a special gift. But this passage helps us with a radically different vision of what singleness truly is.
On the surface, this passage is a difficult and challenging read, especially in our modern world. But when we dig deeper, we find many surprises that offer us a fuller understanding and experience of marriage.
In week two of this conversation, we want to ask what it means to support and care for those who might consider transitioning. This passage helps us with this question
The conversation about transgender identities is challenging at multiple levels. But at the deepest level, it’s a conversation about what it means to be a human being.
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The church has not been a safe place for gay people. Can Christianity offer us a way to think about same-sex relationships that honors the full dignity of gay people?
There’s a picture of Christianity as being very rigid and repressive about sex. Sex is bad. Sex is dirty. What is a truer Biblical picture of sex? This passage shows us.
The daily hustle of our lives makes it difficult to pay attention to our longings, especially for God. The Song of Songs stirs our longings for God. Even more, it shows us God’s longing for us.
In our culture, we use identity language all the time. But what are we actually talking about? In order to have these conversations, we need a basic understanding of identity. This passage gives it to us.