Blog

We moved from the Chicago Suburbs to Houston two and a half years ago. The hardest part of our decision to move, was leaving a community that literally took 15 years for us to build.

Building meaningful, enjoyable, and trustworthy relationships is not easy. There are so many things that make it hard. Starting off, there is the question you might find yourself asking when you meet a new person: “Will be able to connect? Can I be authentic with this person? Is this person someone I can laugh with and also be able to connect with on a deeper level?”

Welcome to 2022! A new year brings excitement and thoughts of new beginnings, and it’s exciting to think about how the Lord will work at City Church this year. But new years can also feel overwhelming or isolating, particularly as we begin another year in a pandemic. However you are feeling, know that at City Church, we want to be in community with you and meet you where you are.

This Sunday we launch Part II of our series Light of the World, an extended study on one of the most memorable, beloved, and stirring sections in all the Bible. Regarded by many as the greatest sermon ever delivered, the Sermon on the Mount showcases Jesus’ countercultural vision for a new way of being human–one that leads to flourishing and the discovery of happiness.

This advent my two-year-old, Penny, and I have started a new routine in the wee hours of the morning. Penny says, “Good morning, tree!” I plug in the Christmas tree lights, drop a couple octaves, and declare, “Good morning, Penny!” The tree’s glow lights up her face and for a moment she looks like an angel, completely transfixed. Before the moment’s gone, I regard her as free from the burden of life and unaware of the certainties of pain and death ahead. I wonder what she could be thinking and it dawns on me: just the tree, the object that casts light on her face.

This one is for my fellow logic-brained thinkers, who feel lost amidst a sea of seemingly random and disconnected words when reading poetry, who wondered—much to your teacher’s pain—“If that’s what the author meant, why didn’t the author just say it?!”, and who haven’t picked up a fiction book since … well, let’s just say since another decade. Come with me; there’s no shame here. We’ve been missing a lot, it turns out.

Loyalty. Webster’s defines loyalty as “faithfulness to commitments.” It’s a simple word and idea. It’s a trait we all appreciate when we see it, especially if we’re the beneficiary of someone’s loyalty. And it can be exceedingly difficult to practice.