It was amazing getting to experience Easter with SO many of you this year! It hardly seems possible that just 1 year ago there was only 4 of us in the worship space trying to put together an online experience! So grateful that this year we have gotten to learn and grow as a community EVEN with the extenuating circumstances of life!

This Easter we focused on how the resurrection of Jesus gives each of us NEW IDENTITY! And actually, for the next three weeks will be leaning into how our identity is deeply wound together with Jesus and what he did for each of us! I have been reflecting a lot lately about how ONE decision can make long lasting implications in our lives. My cousin and I were raised in the similar life circumstances and recently our family needed to admit him to a rehab facility that will be a 13-month commitment. He has had an extremely difficult life and has RUN from God the entire time. I remember the moment in my life when I decided to make a choice to follow Jesus and how that has moved my life down such a different path than it could have been. I chose to let Jesus’ life and ministry on earth shape how I would react to situations; family, hardship, and plenty. I chose to read the Bible and commit what it said to my daily life and I am so thankful that I did that! Because of what Jesus did on the cross I can have a NEW IDENTITY and not be tied to past shame, guilt, judgements or addictions!

How do we accept and take on this NEW IDENTITY that we are offered as followers of Jesus? What does that really mean? How can we develop new responses to old habits when it’s pretty complicated to even stick to our New Year’s resolutions? You guessed it; my answer is LOOK TO THE BIBLE! Believe it or not, the Bible is choux full of words of encouragement in this area…

2 Corinthians 5:17…Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!!

Ephesians 4:21-22….Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception

Ephesians 4:23….let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes!

And that’s just scratching the surface! The Bible is SO full of practical wisdom sometimes it still surprises me! Digging in and reading the Bible and praying for the Spirit to help you understand it can revolutionize YOUR life! If you haven’t spent a lot of time reading the Bible…I challenge you to grab one of our Life Transformation Bibles and follow along with the daily readings, we mapped out in this Bible for you! Then, when you finish, start at the beginning again!

Choosing to accept Jesus and then take on this NEW IDENTITY does take work. It would be like if you decided to Climb Mt. Everest but had never even hiked in the Rockies! One step at a time, reading the Bible is such a great tool, being in community with other people who believe in Jesus, asking questions of a more seasoned follower, praying, and then reading the Bible some more are your “training ground” for finishing the race well!

Check out our first talk in the series by clicking here