make room

Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24 // Inviting God to search us // Dale Piscura As we begin the season of Lent, our desire as a community of

Jeremiah 17:5–10 // The heart’s hidden loyalties // Raquel Schors What is in a heart? Look beyond the physical organ itself, rhythmically pumping lifeblood throughout

Psalm 42 // Disordered thirst and holy longing // Joe Valenti I was driving down the road today when I noticed a car, covered in

Luke 10:38–42 // Busyness vs. attentiveness // Kristy Klasa I can imagine being in Mary and Martha’s living room at that moment. Knowing me, I

Proverbs 4:20–27 // Guarding the heart // Dean Siley Proverbs 4 reads like a parent leaning in close, speaking with urgency but also with deep

Psalm 131 // Quieting the soul // Josh Hamm Beautiful pictures of the spiritual life are illustrated all around us. The Bible is replete with

Hebrews 4:12–16 // God’s Word revealing what lies beneath // Dahlia Orth The season of Lent invites us to slow down long enough to notice

Romans 12:1–2 // Transformation through surrender // Joe Valenti Paul’s letter to the Romans has been called his magnum opus. It is packed with theology

Luke 18:9–14 // Self-reliance vs. humility // Becca Ferguson In this story, Jesus gives His listeners the opportunity to reflect on two men. One of

Isaiah 30:15–18 // Salvation in repentance and rest // Tony Scialabba I recently watched a movie that told the story of the United States being

Psalm 20 // False confidence and true trust // Denise Petek We all face battles. Some are visible and public, while others are quiet and

Philippians 2:1–11 // The downward path of Christ // James Fruits I love the book of Philippians. It’s a goal of mine to memorize the

Matthew 6:19–24 // What we treasure shapes us // Brenda Leisinger What we treasure shapes us—and it reveals the condition of our hearts. You might

Psalm 37:1–9 // Waiting rather than striving // Hannah Defendorf “Don’t worry… just relax!” So cliché. And yet—easier said than done, right? Most of us

Deuteronomy 8:1–10 // God uses hunger to teach dependence // Chris Warszawski Moses speaks to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the

Psalm 63 // Longing for God above all else // Ron Dick David writes this psalm in the barrenness of the wilderness—a dry, exposed, and

Isaiah 55:1–9 // True satisfaction vs. cheap substitutes // Tate Stevens Isaiah 55 begins with an invitation, not a correction. God does not start by

Matthew 4:1–11 // Jesus fasting and trusting the Father // Rick Duncan Day 18: Make Room by Redirecting Desire Lent is an opportunity for us

Psalm 84 // Desiring God’s presence // Becca Mueller Psalm 84 is considered a pilgrimage psalm—it’s about a journey. The author expresses the tension of

Hosea 6:1–6 // Faithfulness over ritual // Steve James Right here, in the middle of the book of Hosea, we are given a moment that

Lamentations 3:19–33 // Hope in the middle of weakness // Gina Flower We don’t often hear the word lament in our modern vocabulary. It refers

James 1:2–8 // Testing that produces maturity // Dale Piscura In our Scripture today, James writes to believers who are experiencing many trials. As an

Psalm 66:8–12 // Refined, not rejected // Fred Defendorf A Call to Worship (vv. 8–9) The psalmist begins by inviting everyone to bless God. This

Zechariah 13:7–9 // Refining fire // Jeff Ziolkowski Think about precious metals for a moment. Gold bars are often stamped “99.9% Pure” and labeled 24

2 Corinthians 4:6–18 // Power through weakness // Joe Valenti As we’ve walked through the book of Mark, we’ve had the opportunity to watch how

Psalm 73:1–17 // When faith feels unrewarded // Rick Duncan Psalm 73 starts with faith and hope. “Truly God is good to His people.” But

John 15:1–11 // Abiding rather than striving // Sola Oshunniyi The Bible often uses things that are visible and familiar to us to describe realities

Hebrews 10:19–25 // Holding fast together // Becca Ferguson This passage is just three (long) sentences, but those three sentences are absolutely full of rich

Colossians 3:1–17 // Setting the mind on things above // Joe Valenti I don’t often get lost. I have a pretty good sense of direction,

Luke 24:13–27 // Slow hearts and patient teaching // Josh Hamm This week we are thinking about how we reorient our lives towards God and

Psalm 119:33–40 // Asking God for understanding // Tony Scialabba I don’t think the writer of this psalm could have imagined the kinds of distractions

Matthew 11:25–30 // Rest for the weary // Denise Petek “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you

Ezekiel 36:24–28 // New hearts, new Spirit // Chris Warszawski I remember visiting a friend in the hospital years ago, just before he underwent heart

Micah 6:6–8 // The kind of life God desires // Gina Flower The book of Micah captures a moment when God confronts the Israelites—not out

Psalm 118:19–29 // Entering with trust and praise // Joe Valenti At the center of this section of Scripture is verse 22 – “the stone

Isaiah 53:1–6 // The suffering servant // Joe Valenti During my years in youth ministry, I collected a handful of icebreaker questions that could be

John 12:23–26 // Life through surrender // Kristy Klasa I’ve heard it said about self-esteem that some people think too much of themselves, and others

Psalm 22:1–24 // Honest suffering before God // Dale Piscura The psalm represents a heartcry from the sufferer to His God. HIs agony and His

Romans 6:1–11 // Alive to God // Josh Hamm We have entered into a “death and life” situation! Not “life and death” – but “death

Lamentations 3:31–41 // Waiting with hope // Dean Siley Lamentations is not a book we rush toward. It speaks from the ruins—from grief that has