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Topic: Relationships

Debt Free

When Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them …” he was expressing the radical love of the Father that extends forgiveness to all the world. While such an expression of forgiveness is far from typical, it contains the ability to heal, transform hearts and release people to forgive others. Read More 


Stories of Poverty

The Importance of Knowing Ernest: Sandra shares experiences and insights that have come from her family’s “unlikely” friendships with people on St. Paul’s East Side. In our movement toward the issue of poverty, it’s easy for the ‘haves’ to feel heroic for seeking to give to the ‘have-nots’. Through her relationship with Ernest, Sandra explains what can happen when we pursue relationships instead of responsibilities, or people instead of poverty. Read More 


Angry Love

It might surprise you to know that Jesus got angry enough to turn over tables! There are times when it is appropriate to boldly confront others in our community. Read More 


This Is What We Do

Christians are called to live generously all year round – not just at Christmas time. Jesus models four distinctives that we are to imitate in our lives and in our communities. We can easily get caught in the flow of our culture so these distinctives are challenging for us, but they’re crucial for expanding God’s Kingdom. Read More 


The Kingdom: It’s Really Upside Down

God’s unique way of growing his kingdom isn’t what we may expect from a king. In fact, many times he flips our expectations completely upside down. In a conversation with the Pharisees in Luke 14, Jesus demonstrates this beautiful uniqueness and reveals the impact it can have on how we relate to each other in our everyday activities. Read More 


The Evil of Religion

Religion or relationship? We need to be careful about which term best describes how we engage our faith. Through his actions and teaching, Jesus shows us clear distinctions between viewing Kingdom life as a religion or as a personal relationship. Read More 


Facing Reality

Jesus didn’t water down his message for the crowds or give them just what they wanted to hear. Jesus called them (and us) to repent – to face reality and turn from living in lies that hinder our ability to participate in what God is doing in the world. God’s Kingdom happens in our lives and in our communities when we repent and line our lives up with God’s way of looking at the world and God’s ways of living. Read More 


Beautiful Conflict

Personal relationships are central to our lives. They have the power to give us beauty and meaning. At the same time, there is also plenty of opportunity for misunderstanding and conflict. Because of the risky nature of relationships, it’s very important that we understand the nature of how we communicate so that we can continue growing into Kingdom ways of relating to one another. Read More 


Praying the Leper’s Prayer

Lepers in Jesus’ day were considered to be completely “untouchable” by mainstream society. They were excluded from the company of other “healthy people” and were forced to live alone or in leprous communities. Jesus, however, had no such limitations. When the leprous man came to Him to be healed, Jesus reached out to the man, touched him and made him well. In doing this, Jesus shows us how we are to minister to others. Read More 


Don’t Go Down with the Ship

Our world is often filled with stress and trials. As discouragement builds in our lives, we have a natural desire to build up defensive walls to protect ourselves from being hurt by a hurtful world. Unfortunately, these defenses can lead toward increasing self-centeredness, frustration, and even unbelief against God. The biblical author of the “Hebrews” letter understood this behavior pattern well. In chapter 3, the author uses a tragic story to speak a word about something important and urgent: the need for encouragement. Read More 


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"My almost-three-year-old asks every day if we can go to church. Thank you, Woodland Hills, and all the Heroes Gate volunteers for creating such a great environment for kids. My husband and I met at WH six years ago and now our son counts down the days until we get to go again. My heart could burst."

– Lindsey