City Church Houston

How do we change? What do we do with competing desires within us? Here we'll consider different paradigms for spiritual growth and what a healthy and hopeful way forward might be. 

Grace is a radical concept. If it grabs hold of us, it will absolutely change us--not making us different versions of ourselves, but new people altogether. This new identity means we're no longer struggling to be free, but free to struggle.

While suffering is often listed as the reason why people struggle to believe or disbelieve in God, it's curious that for the Apostle Paul it is central to spiritual growth and what it means to flourish in life.

Jesus came to serve not the religious, but the relegated, not those in possession of might, but those in want of mercy. The figure "Blind Bartimaeus" provides us a model for how realizing our need for Christ's mercy lies at the very root of our faith transformation.

How do we know if we can trust our desires and ambitions? How should we think about power? Here Jesus paints a counterintuitive and countercultural vision for dealing with these important dynamics.

Jesus' famous encounter with a rich young ruler teaches us important lessons about our relationship to money.

What makes us feel like we're somebody? Instead of tweaking our assumptions, Jesus turns things upside down and offers a radically different and refreshingly contrasting vision of life from what we're used to.

Faith cannot last without wonder. While our spiritual lives must be intellectually and emotionally satisfying, the Gospels remind us that Christ's love and glory are more than we can exhaustively describe or understand. Wonder leads to love, love leads to life.

Is it possible to be able to see but still be blind? Spiritually speaking it is. Jesus' healing of a blind man leads to an eye-opening moment with his disciples. Here we catch his vision for his mission and what it means to follow him. 

The persistent temptation of our spiritual lives is to choose momentary security over long-term flourishing. The story of exile and the people's return to the city of Jerusalem is a reminder—for any season of life—that true and lasting comfort is found in the presence of God alone.

Though one might not think of this as a Christmas passage, it captures the essence of Christmas, and Christianity for that matter. It's particularly suited to those who struggle with belief, loneliness, and happiness. 

Our lives are lived in between the two advents of Christ--his coming in humility in a manger and his future coming in great glory. What difference can this make in our lives? How might it help us face suffering, find purpose, and experience freedom regardless of our circumstances?

Advent cannot be understand; it can only be experienced. Like flipping on a light in a pitch-dark room, Christian hope is an awakening to the life that can be found only in Jesus Christ.

While we may tend to think of Advent as beginning in a manger in Bethlehem, the Apostle John reveals that it began much earlier--in the mystery of cosmic origins.

The power of grace does not eras our past, but rather re-forms it, transforming who we were into who we are called to be. Free from shame and redeemed by God's undying love, the chorus of scripture's song is that there are no lost causes with God.

With this mysterious story, our series reaches its dramatic climax. Jacob's wrestling with God encapsulates his life and signals his transformation. It also helps us appreciate how we can grow into healthier versions of ourselves. 

One of the most subversive elements of Scripture is the way the Lord elevates and cares for women. This passage might be read as a story about a man and his two wives; but it is also a story about God drawing a beloved daughter close, choosing her to serve his plan to redeem the world. 

Ever feel like your life is a mess and you're not sure what to do? In a timeless story of stunning hope we find Jacob on the run. His life had fallen apart and things were dark. Having burned bridges with his family and disconnected from God, he was all alone. Yet that's exactly where God met him and revealed to him realities that not only gave him hope to carry on, but changed his life forever.

All of us are impacted by our upbringing and families of origin. We may leave the nest, but we take a lot with us. Listen as Nancy Wilson, LPCS, and Leo Schuster discuss recognizing the brokenness in our family systems, including questions like: Why are friendships hard for me? Why do my spouse and I have the same fight over and over again?To visit with Nancy further, visit wilsoncounseling.org. City Church is also able to provide additional resources.

Jacob's deceitful disguises can only secure broken blessings, and by lying to others, he is really lying to himself. The path to true self-knowledge runs through the cross, where we see the depths of both the need for mercy and the free gift of God's endless love.