Women play an important role in scripture. In the early part of the book of Exodus, the Hebrew midwives and the mother of Moses act in faith to preserve the lives of Hebrew babies and bring about the freedom of God's people.

Well into his ministry on Earth, there was still a lot of confusion about who Jesus was. In Matthew 16, he asked his disciples who people thought that he was and who they thought he was. Peter's response is the foundation of our beliefs. Who do we say that Jesus is, and how do we let the world around us know?

On a day when he just wanted to get away, the crowds had different ideas. In this story from Matthew 14, Jesus sets his own needs aside and does the impossible for others. Could he still accomplish the impossible in our lives?

Following his arrest, Jesus was questioned by Annas, Caiaphas and Pilate. In this lesson from John 20 and Matthew 26, we will look at these events and see what can be learned about Jesus and His accusers.

At a dinner gathering in Luke 7, a woman described as "a sinner" washes the feet of Jesus. Even though everyone must notice, He asks the question, "Do you see this woman?" I wonder if they see anything else. What grabs your attention in life? What are you looking for?

What is the best gift you have ever received? God give us something even greater: the gift of salvation. Along with that gift, He gave us the church. Do you think of church membership as a gift? Maybe it's time to think again. This is the last in a series of six lessons based on the book, I Am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer.

Being a church leader has its ups and downs. It can be a great blessing, but it also bring challenging days. What if we all took just 5 minutes each day to pray for our current and future church leaders? This is the fourth in a series of six lessons based on the book, I Am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer.

Think about the last 5 times you've been frustrated with church. How many of them are related to things not being exactly the way you like? Some of us have a tendency to want things with church to be done our way. This week, we will take the example of a petty argument among the disciples and see it in contrast with the servant attitude of Jesus. This is the third in a series of six lessons based on the book, I Am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer.

In Ephesians 4, Paul encourages us to keep the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Since unity doesn't just happen on its own, we probably do things daily that either encourage unity or cause division. What can we do to be unifying church members? This is the second in a series of six lessons based on the book, I Am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer.

The beginning of a new year is often the time to making a fresh start. In Ephesians 4, Paul writes about the need to be made new and put the old life behind us.

When we think about Jesus coming to Earth, we don't usually spend a lot of time thinking about the huge change it was in the lives of two people: Mary and Joseph. As we look at their individual encounters with angels, we will consider the messages they hear and their reaction. As a result, we will learn a little more about what kind of people God chose to provide a home and family for His son on Earth.

A little something different this week. Rather than a single message, we read several Psalms and add some comments along the way. We give thankgs today because we serve a great God who is faithful and worthy of our praise.