1 Kings 19:9-13; John 11:38-44

Funny thing about death – in our faith it contains the germ of the resurrection. As we come out of the valley season, we realize we were not abandoned. God was with us in the whispers. Like the womb, the cave and the tomb bring us back to life in our faith and call us back to relationship with God.

Jeremiah 7:32-34; Ezekiel 37:1-3

And now something has happened to drive us from God. Maybe it was failure at the revolution. Maybe we feel abandoned. Maybe we have had a loss that threatens to undo us. We are in the valley now. Valleys are where wars take place, and valleys are where the bones of the fallen are bleached in the sun. But is all hope lost?

Exodus 24:9-18; Mark 9:2-13

Our faith is deeper now, and it is inspiring us to take on the daunting challenge of organizing the world around the reign of God. We are ready to try to make the world in the image of God.

Numbers 14:26-35; Matthew 4:1-11

Something happens to drive us from the garden. Perhaps it is because we have encountered something in life that a simple, comfortable faith can’t address. We are wandering in the wilderness now. And remember – wilderness and desert are the same words in Hebrew. What does our desert season look like but one where our faith is being tried in the refiner’s fire?

Genesis 2:4-9; Revelation 21:22-22:5

We were created to live in a garden, and not just to live in a garden, but to walk in that garden with each other and with God. As we begin this exploration of faith geography, we start from a place where we are true companions of God and find comfort in God’s presence.

1 John 4:11-21

Love is risky these days. Well, love has always been risky. But if we can fully step into God’s invitation to love both God and neighbor, what do we truly have to fear?

Genesis 32:1-8; 33:1-4; Luke 4:16-30

We are raised these days to be afraid of the stranger. Why? Because we fear the harm they will do us. In these two stories, we see Jacob’s fear of Esau is unfounded. But Jesus is still having to correct that fear in people when they try to throw him over the cliff for lifting up the good example of the outsiders.

Daniel 10:1-12; Acts 4:23-31

Daniel is terrified by the vision he has, but ultimately it is a vision of the Son of Man coming to us. The believers in Acts know the Son of Man, and that inspires them to reject that fear, and pray for the boldness to share the vision of the reign of God.