Own Your Faith Phil Allen, Jr.

Even while we face trials of all kinds one thing we do not lose is agency: our ability to do, to cause something to happen, to influence. As long as we have breath we have agency because it is God-given, God-sustained, God-affirmed, and God empowered.

Jesus was political. Many voices in the church have politicized Jesus to support their politics. The response is generally that Jesus was not political. This is not true. Jesus was political in the sense that he addressed the issues that affected all areas of individuals and the community's lives. Listen to this message about the politics of Jesus. Matt 25:34-40

As we begin this advent season anticipating celebrating the birth of Jesus we do so with a spirit of gratitude. We begin this series taking a look at the value of Jesus's genealogy in Matthew 1. It should cause us to reflect on our own heritage or family. We have something in common with Jesus here. We all, like Jesus, have a family line that has both great and deeply flawed people that make it up. The good news is God preserves (the greatness) and redeems (the sinful). | Matt 1

How do we follow the instructions found in the James 1:2-4 to "consider/count it (trials) all joy?" How do we at times like what we've all collectively experienced in 2020 still find joy in the midst of it? This message unpacks how that is at all possible.