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Identity Inc.

We’re entering another New Year, the time when everyone is talking about how to create a better “YOU.” But before you dive into that frenzy, we’re going to pause and make sure you know who “you” are to begin with. When we try define ourselves by a single part of us, what we do for a living, what we’ve accomplished or failed at, who we love, and who loves us, we get an incomplete picture of who we are, but in this series, we’ll get back to the Biblical core of all the things that truly make up who we really are.

Identity Protection

Jan 28, 2024

Once you have a clear sense of who you really are, a really meaningful rich life can flow from it. It doesn’t work well when the flow is reversed. Otherwise, any changes in your career, your reputation, or your performance can rattle your sense of self. So once I know who I really am, what does that mean for the rest of life?

(Once I’m rooted in my true identity, then I can tackle matters like vocation—what am I called to do? and stewardship—what is my responsibility with the gifts, abilities, and personhood entrusted to me? These things are important questions to ask and answer, but only after we have a clear sense of who we are, because they flow from it, not into it).

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Hard Reset

Jan 21, 2024

One of the scary parts of getting closer to Jesus is that we are promised that we will change. But how do I know I’ll like the person I’m changed into?

(The change we experience in Jesus is less of a transformation into something else and it’s more of a reboot or factory reset, getting me back to who I was always intended to be. Sin and the world have a way of clouding who we really are. Over the course of life without Christ’s guidance, we become LESS of who we truly are. The life change that accompanies the life of faith means I become more of who I really am—I’m conformed into the likeness of Christ).

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Flip or Flop

Jan 14, 2024

Everything is for sale, and social media has shown that includes us. A sad fact of life on this planet is that our world values some people more than others. So what do we do when no one wants to buy what we’re selling? The choices are stark and simple, either morph yourself into something that’s more valuable in the eyes of others or fall into complete despair. Is there any other option?

(The other option is the Church of Jesus. The true, faithful church, where we ALL belong, where we’re ALL accepted, and invited to be family. Only in the faithful church of Jesus do we NOT have to be anything other than who we are in order to be valued).

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Jekyll & Hyde

Jan 7, 2024

We all have a couple sides to us. One is the presentable self, defined by our success and best qualities, the other is our hidden self, which shows up in our greatest shortcomings, struggles, and mistakes. How do we know who we are, when there’s so much conflicting data on who we are?

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Identity Crisis

Dec 31, 2023

Everything in God’s creation seems to understand and accept its place. Everything except us. Nothing else experiences the crisis we feel when we lose a job, a partner, success, or our health. Is there something special about being human that makes this more difficult? Or is there something flawed in our approach?

(Unlike everything else in creation, we try to construct an identity for ourselves. We see that from the beginning, our root problem is to try to define things for ourselves. Finding our TRUE selves begins when we decide to believe that whatever God says is true and we accept his word fully).

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