Before God moves the Church, He moves hearts. To experience God’s purposes, we must first let go of the lie that we can be in total control of our outcomes, that a tight grip on our lives can keep us safe and self-determined. Our God is a generous God, and calls us into a life of generosity by opening our hands, trading that which is temporary for that which will endure, so that we can live the life God has designed us for. When we open our hands in generosity, we don’t lose our lives; our hands are freed to take hold of the real thing. Generosity is God’s love in you, calling us to stop defending and protecting our lives, and to start living them.

How we understand the Bible comes from how we understand Jesus. Just as Jesus was fully human and fully God, so the Bible is a fully human and fully divine book. Through the Holy Spirit, the Bible serves as a means of recognizing the risen Christ much like the disciples on the Emmaus road. And when we do, our hearts are set ablaze. May we fall in love with the Bible—a people eager to wrestle, weep, question, and feast on the sacred page. When we approach the Word with open hands and burning hearts, the Spirit breathes life into dry places and equips us to participate in Christ’s redemptive work right here in our community.

The same creative Word that spoke the universe into being is actively shaping our lives. Jesus calls this “sanctification.” True sanctification isn't about mere moral self-improvement; it is God’s lifelong work of remaking us from the inside out as we are changed by His Word. Through the Scriptures, we hear, “You are welcome. You are forgiven. You are new. You make a difference,” and those words change lives. As we engage with Scripture with open hands and expectant hearts, we can trust the Word to sanctify you and make all things new, starting right within your soul.