Studying scripture can seem like a daunting task. There are so many ways to approach it!

But if we let ourselves get too overwhelmed thinking about studying the Bible, we'll miss the point. Studying scripture will always be worth it, because it builds a strong foundation for our faith and understanding of God that we can take into any job, life event, struggle, or celebration.

We're all kind of doing too much right now.

Every time we say yes to one thing, we're saying no to something else. And it's causing FOMO, commitment anxiety, and distraction from the present.

But what would it look like to slow it all down, be intentional with our choices and commitments, and limit what we do in ways that cares for ourselves and others better?

What does it look like to learn for the glory of God?

To serve God well in a specific place, we have to learn how to think critically about that area.

And we have to be discerning about them. This means putting in the work to come to our own conclusions instead of just taking someone else’s word for it. (And this includes professors, too!)

And this is where the act of reading books enters the chat. 

The Gospel tells us that our Creator God is sovereign over everything, and he is the ultimate good. He is love.

So why wouldn’t we want habits that point us towards that good love? As we build habits that point us towards God, we become formed and shaped by the Gospel. And that is some good stuff.

Close your eyes and imagine for a minute. What do you picture when you think about the Kingdom of God?

What do you see? Buildings, structures? How about nature…do you picture trees, waterfalls, rainbows, animals, or grass?

We walked through creation, fall, and redemption. We’ve now reached the concluding part of the four-part Biblical Narrative, and this is the part that requires some serious imagination. It requires imagination because we’ve experienced God’s restoration, but there is more to come.

Sin entered the world, and God’s very good creation was deeply fractured.

And it still is deeply fractured.

But thankfully, the story doesn’t end with our brokenness. There is redemption.

So God created this beautiful thing. He created the world and everything in it. He created two people to walk the earth and tend to it. He called it good—very good.

He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. There was closeness and there was intimacy. God was with them. With us.

And yet a decision was made.

It is a question worth asking. What were we made for?

Thankfully, we do have something we can point to in order to help us answer that question. We can look to our Creator. We read in Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth. He created the fish, the birds, the plants, the trees. He created the sky and the seas.

He created us—humans. He called us very good. He called upon us to steward His creation. He commanded us to be fruitful and multiply.

What do you think of when you hear the word "culture"? What do you think when you hear the words "interpreting culture"?

We wouldn't be surprised if most of you just lost interest after those questions. But don't click away!

Conversations about culture and how we interpret our world are not exclusively had by super intellectual people who write super intellectual books. Our job at Jubilee is to find people who take complex topics, discern where they see our Creator God in them, and then joyfully invite others into that conversation.

Smartphones make a great alarm clock, yes. But they certainly don't sustain us. They actually cannot sustain us. While they can give us access to food delivery and our bank accounts to pay for basic needs, they cannot actually feed us. They can't give us rest.

A story never fully makes sense until all of its parts are told. And we've reached the fourth and final part of the Biblical story: Restoration.

Let's recap, shall we?

We were created good. We messed it up. But there is one thing we want to make clear. After the fall is not where God's love enters the story.

God's love was ALWAYS a part of the story. Since the creation of our earth and skies, God's love has been present.

We are the ones who walked away from it. We read about Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, but we are in that story, too. We walk away from God's love in search of power and knowledge.

We were lost and dead to sin and suffering, but then God does something miraculous and literally enters the world in human form to walk among us and be crucified to buy us back.

So it all starts with us being created by the God of the universe. He called us very good.

So...what happened?

...how did we end up in these faulty bodies that experience sickness, pain, and suffering?

...how did we end up participating in systems that hurt others and rip away the Imago Dei (image of God) from them?

...how did once thriving ecosystems lose so much life?

...how did we stray so far from the God that loves us and created us?

“What is my purpose in this life?” or “What am I called to do?”

Have you ever asked yourself either of these questions? We have, too. But…both of those questions imply that someone is calling us. Someone is giving us purpose.

In order to figure out what we are meant to do during our time on this blue and green marble we call Earth, we need to start with creation.

Have you ever had an UNFORGETTABLE experience—like a trip to a different country, a hike up a mountain, or a summer spent at camp—only to return home and forget a bit of what happened? Daily life starts to sink back in and the incredible memories and moments with God can sadly start to fade from view. Yikes, right?!

Our hope is that doesn’t have to be the case with Jubilee, whether you attended this past February or 2, 5, 10, 30 years ago.

But what is Living Jubilee?? We’re so glad you asked!

Let’s talk about rest—specifically, the practice of Sabbath. One whole day of rest from work without obligation, every week, committed to God. Yep, that’s what the Bible calls Sabbath. Jesus is inviting you to enjoy a day of rest with Him.

Will you say yes to His invitation?

So how do we wait in active hope? Jubilee 2022 speaker Heather Strong Moore painted a beautiful picture for us of what it looks like to wait in hope. She gave us three things to do while we wait in active hope for God’s restoration.

We left off talking about who could restore this fallen world back to the beauty and goodness it once was.

Welcome to the third part of this great story called the Gospel: Redemption. In this part, everything changes.

There is just something not quite right about the state of humanity, about the brokenness we see everywhere around us—poverty, war, racism, sickness, crime… The list is too long to include in one email.

If you have ever told someone a story, you probably started at the beginning. After all, it’s a very good place to start…