Engage God Daily

Crossing Every LineScripture: John 4:4–9 Runtime: ~6 minMost people take the long way around to avoid an awkward conversation. Jesus did the opposite. This week we watch him walk straight into a place his culture told him to avoid, sit down with someone he had every social reason to ignore, and start a conversation that would change her life — and her whole town's.In this episode:Why Jewish travelers usually went around Samaria, and what it means that Jesus chose to go straight through itThe depth of the ethnic and religious hostility packed into one ordinary moment at a wellHow Jesus put himself in the position of needing something from the woman, rather than approaching her from a position of powerA first look at a woman the rest of the world had already written off — and the conversation that was about to upend every assumptionReflection: What assumptions do we make about people based on their background, ethnicity, or neighborhood — often without even realizing it? When was the last time you let someone you weren't close to help you, and how did that change things between you?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Come and SeeJohn 1:35–51 + Psalm 66:1–5 | ~5 minThis week's passage traces a chain reaction: John points to Jesus. Andrew finds Simon. Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathaniel. Nobody in the story is a professional. Nobody has a platform. They're just people who knew each other, passing along what they found. And every single person who came looking — found something.In this episode:A look back at the full chain of John 1:35–51 and the ordinary, relational pattern underneath itWhy Psalm 145:18 matters here: The Lord is near to all who call on him — God is not hiding, and he still responds when people seek himHow your own story of God showing up — in doubt, in need, in quiet searching — is exactly the kind of invitation someone in your life needs to hearThe encouragement of Psalm 66: Come and see what God has done — this is still the messageLive It Out: This week, think of one person who might need to hear your story. You don't need to have a polished testimony or all the answers. You just need to know what God has done for you — and be willing to say, come and see.Tell the Story: Who first invited you to come and see? Take a moment to thank God for whoever that person was — and ask him to show you who you might be that person for.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

You Will See Greater ThingsJohn 1:47–51 | ~5 minWhen Jesus sees Nathaniel coming, he says something strange: Here is a true Israelite — no deceit in him. It sounds like a compliment, but it's a loaded reference. The original Israel — Jacob — was famous for scheming and trickery. Jesus is saying Nathaniel is what an Israelite was always supposed to look like. And then he makes a promise that echoes all the way back to Jacob's dream of a ladder between heaven and earth.In this episode:What Jesus' description of Nathaniel as "an Israelite without deceit" reveals about how he sees people — and how he sees youThe connection between Jesus' promise and Jacob's dream at Bethel: Jesus himself is the place where heaven and earth are open to each otherWhy this flips the assumption that God is distant, inaccessible, or locked behind the right religious credentialsWhat it really means to invite someone to "come and see" — not to a building or a club, but to a personReflection: What would it look like to live this week as if heaven and earth were actually open to each other — right where you are? And where are you tempted to settle for what you can see, rather than trusting that God is doing something bigger than you realize?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Can Anything Good Come From There?John 1:43–46 | ~5 minNathaniel's first response to the news about Jesus was pure skepticism: Nazareth? Really? It's the kind of dismissal we all recognize — a snap judgment based on where someone's from or what we think we already know. But Philip doesn't argue. He doesn't pull out a list of prophecies. He just says: Come and see.In this episode:How Jesus finds Philip with two words — follow me — and Philip's first impulse is to go find a friendWhy Nathaniel's skepticism about Nazareth almost caused him to miss Jesus entirelyWhat Philip's response teaches us about engaging doubt: you can't argue someone into the kingdom, but you can extend an invitationWhy "come and see" is still the most disarming thing you can say to someone who isn't sure they believeReflection: Are there people in your life you've written off because of where they're from, what they believe, or what crowd they run with? Is there someone skeptical in your circle who might respond better to an invitation than an explanation?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

When You Find the OneJohn 1:40–42 | ~4 minWhen Andrew spent the day with Jesus, the first thing he did wasn't write a blog post or map out a strategy. He went and found his brother. That instinct — share it with the person closest to you — is still the most natural form of mission there is.In this episode:How Andrew's response to meeting Jesus models the simplest form of evangelism: go tell the person you already knowWhy Andrew didn't try to explain everything or answer every question — he just brought Simon to JesusWhat happens when Jesus looks at Simon and gives him a new name: Cephas (Peter), the Rock — seeing who he's becoming before Simon sees it himselfHow Jesus' view of your future changes the way you see the people around youReflection: Who is the one person already in your life — a family member, friend, neighbor, coworker — you could nudge one step closer to Jesus this week? And what does it mean to you that Jesus sees your future, not just your present?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

What Do You Want?John 1:35–39 | ~6 minJesus' first words in John's Gospel aren't a sermon or a command — they're a question. What do you want? It's simple, but it opens up everything. This week we're watching how Jesus launched his movement not through programs or mass events, but through ordinary people inviting each other to come and see.In this episode:Why John the Baptist pointing his own followers away from himself — toward Jesus — is one of the most countercultural acts in the GospelsWhat it looks like when Jesus responds to curiosity with an open invitation rather than an argumentHow the first disciples simply spent a day with Jesus, and why that was enoughThe difference between mission as cultural distance and mission as relational intention — and why your next-door neighbor countsReflection: If Jesus turned to you today and asked, What do you want? — how would you answer? And is there someone in your life who's quietly searching, waiting for someone to notice?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

UnashamedScripture: Romans 1:16–17 Runtime: ~5 min"I am not ashamed of the gospel." It's one of the most quoted lines in Romans — and one of the most quietly challenging. Because the question isn't whether we'd say it out loud. The question is whether our daily choices back it up.In this episode:What it cost Paul to declare allegiance to a crucified Jewish Messiah in the capital city of the empire — and why "unashamed" wasn't a small claimThree ways we communicate shame in the gospel without saying a word: when we're afraid to tell it, too intimidated to uphold it, or too selfish to live worthy of itThe power of the gospel unpacked: salvation from sin's penalty, power, and ultimate presence — for everyone who believes, without exceptionThe righteousness of God: a characteristic of God, a status he gives us, and an activity in which he rescues and restores — all by faith, from first to lastLive It Out: This week, identify one moment where you held back from saying something about your faith — a conversation, a situation, a relationship. Bring it to God honestly. Then ask him for one specific opportunity to be unashamed this week, however small. Courage is built one small act at a time.Tell the Story: Paul summarizes the gospel in Romans 1:16–17 in two sentences. Try writing your own two-sentence version — what is the gospel, and why does it matter to you personally? Write it down. Memorize it. Be ready to say it.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

I Can't Wait to Get ThereScripture: Romans 1:8–15 Runtime: ~4 minPaul desperately wanted to visit Rome — one of the most powerful, cosmopolitan, morally complicated cities in the ancient world. But his reason wasn't tourism. It wasn't networking. He wanted to share the gospel, see people come to faith, and encourage the believers already there. What would it look like to bring that posture to your next trip?In this episode:What ancient Rome looked like: immigration, inequality, political intrigue, moral chaos — and a small community of Jesus followers trying to live differently in the middle of itPaul's prayer life as a model: constantly thankful, constantly interceding, always asking for gospel opportunitiesThe Greek verb behind "eager to preach the gospel" — euangelizō — which covers both evangelism and discipleship, finding and followingA convicting question: do you approach your travels — business trips, vacations, summer road trips — with any thought of what God might want to do through you there?Reflection: Do you pray for gospel opportunities the way Paul did? Ask God to increase your eagerness — and to show you one place this summer where he might want to use you.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Trust and Obey, There's No Other WayScripture: Romans 1:5–7 Runtime: ~4 minPaul says he received grace and apostleship to bring about "the obedience of faith" — a phrase he uses to bookend the entire letter to Rome. It's not obedience instead of faith, or faith without obedience. It's both together, inseparable. The whole Christian life, condensed into four words.In this episode:What "the obedience of faith" actually means — and why it's not legalism or works-righteousnessWhy genuine faith always produces obedience, and why attempts at obedience without faith are ultimately fruitlessThe scope of the gospel in Paul's mission: all people, all Gentiles, everyone — for the honor of Jesus's nameA practical question: who are you helping find or follow Jesus right now?Reflection: Where is the Spirit most pressing you to grow in obedience? And who in your life could you take one step toward this week — helping them find or follow Jesus?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Remember Who He Really IsScripture: Romans 1:2–4 Runtime: ~3 minPaul packs an entire theology of Jesus into three verses — so tightly arranged that many scholars think he's quoting an early Christian hymn or creed. Before we can share the gospel with anyone, we have to make sure our picture of Jesus is big enough. And for most of us, it isn't.In this episode:Why the gospel isn't a new idea: it was promised centuries earlier through the prophets in the holy scripturesThe two natures of Jesus held together in these verses: descended from David as the human Messiah, appointed Son of God in power through the resurrectionWhat it means that Jesus is Lord — the Greek word that translates the Hebrew name Yahweh, the covenant name of GodA direct challenge: our gospel has been too small. Our Jesus has been too small.Reflection: Which of the descriptions of Jesus in these verses hits you freshest right now? How does a bigger view of Jesus change how you think about sharing his gospel?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The Power of the GospelScripture: Romans 1:1 Runtime: ~5 minHow do you introduce yourself? Most of us lead with what we do — our job, our role, our title. Paul opens the book of Romans with a three-part introduction that has nothing to do with his resume: servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. This week we're slowing down in Romans 1 to see the gospel with fresh eyes — bigger, richer, and more powerful than we've let ourselves believe.In this episode:The three identity markers Paul leads with — and what it would sound like to describe yourself the same wayThe word doulos (slave/servant): a term of both humility and honor — and why being a slave of Christ carries far more dignity than it might soundWhat it means to be called as an apostle — not just for Paul, but for every follower of Jesus who has been sent into the worldWhy the gospel is bigger than most of us have realized — and what it would mean to truly live "set apart" for itReflection: How do you typically introduce yourself? What would shift in how you move through the world if you genuinely saw yourself as a servant of Jesus Christ, sent as his representative?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The Holy Spirit at WorkScripture: Acts 10:44–48 Runtime: ~3 minPeter was still mid-sentence when it happened. The Holy Spirit fell on everyone in the room. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished — this wasn't supposed to happen to Gentiles. But God doesn't ask permission before he moves. That's the moment the gospel crossed a wall it had never crossed before.In this episode:The Spirit's arrival at Cornelius's house — and why it shocked the Jewish believers who witnessed itBaptism following immediately: Peter's instinct was not to gatekeep but to ask, "Who could possibly stand in the way?"Cornelius as a picture of the believing father who leads by going first — trusting, being baptized, setting the exampleThe summer challenge: how might God use you to gather your family and friends around the gospel this year?Live It Out: Think of one family member or friend who doesn't yet know Jesus. This week, pray for them by name every day. Then take one small step toward them — a text, a phone call, an invitation to something. You don't have to have a plan. Just move toward them the way Cornelius moved toward Peter: expectantly.Tell the Story: Peter summarized the gospel in a room full of strangers and the Spirit showed up. Practice telling your own version of Peter's message — who Jesus is, what he did, and what it means — in under two minutes. Share it with someone this week, even just to practice. Confidence comes from repetition.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The Good News of PeaceScripture: Acts 10:34–43 Runtime: ~4 minPeter walked into a room full of Gentiles — people he had been raised to consider off-limits — and opened his mouth with this: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism." Then he told them everything. This is what the gospel sounds like when it's freed from cultural gatekeeping.In this episode:Peter's summary of the gospel: Jesus was anointed by the Spirit, went around doing good, was killed on a cross, and raised from the dead on the third day — witnessed by hundredsThe central offer: peace. Peace with God, peace in your soul — available to everyone who believes, from every nationThe World Cup connection: God loves every nation competing on that field. And he sends us to bring this news to all of themA personal question worth sitting with: have you believed in Jesus and received God's forgiveness? If not, you can do that right now.Reflection: How would you explain the gospel to a family member or friend in your own words? Who in your life — perhaps someone from another country or background — needs to hear the good news of peace?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Gather the Family to ListenScripture: Acts 10:23–33 Runtime: ~5 minBefore Peter even arrived, Cornelius had already done something remarkable. He called together his relatives and close friends. He didn't wait to see if the meeting would be worth it. He gathered people around an expectation that God was going to say something worth hearing. That's leadership.In this episode:Cornelius as a model of spiritual initiative: a father who didn't wait for the right moment but created itPeter's declaration — "God has shown me I should not call anyone impure or unclean" — and what it cost a devout Jewish man to say that out loudThe diversity angle: Collin County is changing, and the World Cup is bringing the world to our doorstep. What prejudices might still be operating quietly in our hearts?Cornelius's stunning posture when Peter arrived: "We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us"Reflection: How could you gather your family or friends around something spiritually significant this summer? A church service, a worship night, a conversation over dinner — what might that look like for you?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

A Sheet Full of SurprisesScripture: Acts 10:9–23 Runtime: ~4 minWhile Cornelius's men were on their way to Joppa, God was busy rearranging Peter's assumptions. A vision of a sheet full of unclean animals — and a voice telling him to eat — wasn't really about food. It was about people. And it was about to change everything.In this episode:What the vision of the sheet meant: God dismantling the religious boundaries that had kept Jewish believers from eating with — and therefore truly engaging with — GentilesWhy Peter's hesitation ("Surely not, Lord!") is more relatable than we might want to admitThe Spirit's direct instruction: "Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them"An honest question: are there religious rules or unexamined assumptions that keep you from meaningfully connecting with people who don't yet follow Jesus?Reflection: Is there someone in your life the Spirit has been nudging you toward — someone you've hesitated to engage? What would it look like to go without hesitation?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

A Father Responds to an AngelScripture: Acts 10:1–8 Runtime: ~4 minMost of us would say we want to be spiritually open — ready to hear from God, ready to act. But when a moment like that actually comes, it's easy to rationalize, delay, or wonder if we imagined the whole thing. Cornelius didn't. This week in Acts 10, we meet a Roman centurion who built a reputation for faith before God ever asked him to do anything extraordinary — and when the extraordinary came, he moved immediately.In this episode:Who Cornelius was: a Roman military commander stationed in Caesarea, the seat of Roman occupation — and yet, a man who led his entire household to fear God and give generouslyThe vision at 3 p.m.: an angel appears by name, with specific instructions — and Cornelius doesn't hesitateWhy Cornelius's posture in prayer made him ready to receive and respondA reminder that God is already at work in the lives of people around you before you ever show upReflection: Have you ever sensed God communicating with you in an unexpected way? How did you respond? What would it look like to respond more quickly next time?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

JoyScripture: Acts 8:39–40 Runtime: ~3 minHe went on his way rejoicing. That's the last thing we're told about the Ethiopian eunuch — and it's enough. An encounter on the road, a conversation about a confusing passage, a profession of faith, a baptism in desert water, and a life changed forever. Philip never saw him again. Sometimes that's exactly how God works.In this episode:The contagious joy that comes from watching someone trust in Jesus for the first time — and the honor of being part of itWhy some of the most significant gospel moments are one-time encounters with people you'll never see againHow Philip kept moving — town to town, sharing the gospel wherever he went — and what that posture looks like in ordinary summer lifeA timely challenge: the World Cup is bringing people from around the world. Open your eyes to the Ethiopian eunuchs right in front of youLive It Out: This week, identify one person God may be placing in your path — someone you'd normally hesitate to approach. Take one step toward them: a smile, a question, a conversation. Follow the prompting before you talk yourself out of it.Tell the Story: If someone asked you, "What is the gospel?" — could you explain it clearly in two minutes? Practice this week. Tell a trusted friend or family member the good news about Jesus in your own words. The more you rehearse it, the more natural it becomes when the moment arrives.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

BaptismScripture: Acts 8:36–38 Runtime: ~3 minSomewhere on a desert road between Jerusalem and Gaza, a man trusted in Jesus Christ. And almost immediately, he was looking out the chariot window for water. Faith moved into action. This episode explores what baptism means, why it matters, and what it might mean for you — or someone you love.In this episode:What baptism symbolizes: cleansing, death, burial, and resurrection — the full arc of salvation in a single momentJesus's command to his followers to baptize as part of making disciplesThe joy of being present when someone rises out of the water for the first timeA personal reflection: have you been baptized? Have you ever had the privilege of baptizing someone?Reflection: If you've been baptized, take a moment to remember it. What did that moment mean to you? If you haven't — what's standing in the way?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The Best News EverScripture: Acts 8:34–35 Runtime: ~3 minThe Ethiopian eunuch asked a question: "Who is Isaiah writing about?" Philip didn't pivot to a different topic or a rehearsed presentation. He started exactly where the man was — and from that very passage, he told him the good news about Jesus. That's a skill worth having.In this episode:Why starting with the question someone is already asking is more effective than starting with the message you came prepared to giveThe gospel in one sentence: Jesus came from heaven, became a man, died on the cross, and rose again — so that anyone who trusts in him has eternal lifeHow to explain it simply enough for a child, clearly enough for a skepticAn honest challenge: do you know the good news well enough to share it from the Bible?Reflection: With whom could you share the good news about Jesus this week? Pray for a specific opportunity — and for the words when it comes.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Answering QuestionsScripture: Acts 8:30–33 Runtime: ~3 minThe official was reading Isaiah 53 — one of the most profound and confusing passages in the Old Testament. He understood the words but not what they meant. Philip didn't wait to be invited. He ran. What would change this summer if you moved a little faster when God nudged you?In this episode:Why Isaiah 53 was so puzzling to Jewish readers — and what the Ethiopian eunuch couldn't have known without helpThe "massive irony" at the center of the gospel: an unjust death that brings justice to the worldWhy not having all the answers doesn't disqualify you from entering a spiritual conversationThe practical move: a text message, a question, a willingness to sit with someone and open the Bible togetherReflection: Is there someone around you who's been asking spiritual questions? Who might God be nudging you to reach out to this week?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

An Unexpected Encounter, Led by the SpiritScripture: Acts 8:26–29 Runtime: ~6 minMost of us don't think of a summer road trip as a mission field. But what if the person sitting next to you in line, or parked beside you at the campground, or reading in the stands at your kid's game — what if that person was exactly who God had in mind when he nudged you this morning? This week we're in Acts 8, watching what happens when an ordinary believer says yes to a very unexpected detour.In this episode:Who Philip was — not one of the Twelve, just a faithful church member. Someone a lot like youWho the Ethiopian eunuch was: a high-ranking government official, likely one of the first Black converts to Christianity, and a man who had been excluded from the temple by Mosaic lawWhy God was already at work in this man's life before Philip ever showed up — and what that means for the people around you this summerWhat it looks like practically to "go up and stay near" when the Spirit prompts you — including a story from Bruce and his wife Tamara at an RV parkReflection: What kind of person do you sometimes hold back from engaging? What might it look like to follow a Spirit prompting toward them this summer?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The Story Isn't Over: Living the Big Story Right NowShow Notes:We made it to the end. But the story isn't finished — not for us.In this final episode of the Big Story series, Lisa brings the whole journey together and asks the question every good story demands: so now what?This week we saw Jesus revealed in his full glory. We stood before the great white throne. We watched the New Jerusalem descend from heaven and heard God promise to wipe every tear from his people's eyes. And we came home — to a river, a tree, the face of God, and a world made whole. What was lost in Genesis 3 has been restored in Revelation 22.That is the story. It is the truest story ever told. And it is our story.So now we live it.Lisa offers a set of practical anchors for carrying this week's vision — and this entire series — into everyday life. How do we live as people who know how the story ends? How do we resist anxiety when we remember what's coming? How do we bring previews of the new creation into the present through acts of generosity, reconciliation, beauty, and faithful work?And then there's this: the story is meant to be told. Not everyone knows that there is a God who created them on purpose, who has been pursuing them relentlessly, and who has made a way for them to come home. You don't need a seminary degree to share it. You just need to tell someone what God has done — in scripture and in your life.Live It Out:Live as someone who belongs to the King — trust him completely, obey him fully, seek his righteousness even when the world pulls in a different directionWhen anxiety creeps in, return to the promise: God will make all things new. Let that hope replenish what fear tries to takeLook for ways to bring glimpses of the new creation into the present — an act of generosity, a word of reconciliation, a moment of beauty, a display of creativity or faithful workWorship regularly — not out of obligation, but out of the overflow of knowing who God is and what he has doneTell the Story: Who in your world needs to hear that this story has a good ending — and that they are invited into it?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Back to the Garden: How the Story Ends Where It BeganScripture: Revelation 22:1–5Show Notes:If you've been with the Big Story since the beginning, today's passage is going to feel like coming home.In Revelation 22, John's vision takes us deeper into the new Jerusalem — and what he sees there is unmistakable. A river. A tree. The presence of God. No curse.We've been here before. This is the garden.In Genesis 2, God planted a garden with a river running through it and placed the tree of life at its center. He walked with Adam and Eve there — present, known, loving. Then it was lost. The curse fell. Cherubim with a flaming sword were stationed to guard the way to the tree of life.That was Week 1 of the Big Story.We have traveled the entire Bible since then. And now, at the end of all things, here is the river again. Here is the tree again — bearing twelve crops of fruit, its leaves for the healing of the nations. The cherubim are gone. The flaming sword is gone. The curse has been lifted forever.And they will see his face.No veil. No barrier. No mediator needed. Face to face with God — not the way Moses had to be hidden in the cleft of the rock, but directly, truly, without anything in the way.Lisa closes this episode with one of the most beautiful observations of the entire series: the Big Story begins with rivers and ends with a river. It begins with a tree of life and ends with a tree of life. It begins with God walking among his people and ends with God dwelling among his people forever. This is not a coincidence. This is what God has been doing all along.In this episode:How Revelation 22 mirrors Genesis 2 — and why that's intentionalWhat it means that the tree of life is no longer guardedWhy "they will see his face" is one of the most staggering promises in all of scriptureHow God's original design for humanity — to reign over creation — is fully restored in the new creationReflection prompt: Think back to where you were when this series began. What has changed in how you see God — his character, his faithfulness, his love — after walking the whole Big Story?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

He Will Make Everything New: The Promise of the New CreationScripture: Revelation 21:1–7, 22–27Show Notes:The Big Story has never been just about judgment. From the very first moment things went wrong in the garden, God has been working not only to hold humanity accountable — but to bring his people home.Today's episode is the one we've been building toward.In Revelation 21, John sees a new heaven and a new earth. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven from God — not built by human hands, but given as a gift. And then comes the voice from the throne:"Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people."He will wipe every tear from their eyes. No more death. No more mourning. No more crying or pain. The old order of things has passed away.Lisa reflects on why that detail — the city coming down — matters so much. This is not humanity climbing its way to heaven. This is God descending to his people. It's what he's always done: the tabernacle, Solomon's temple, the incarnation itself. And in the new creation, the distance closes completely. There is no temple, because God himself fills everything.The gates of the new city are never shut. The nations walk by God's light. The glory and honor of human culture — art, music, creativity, work — is gathered in and offered purely to God's glory. This is not the destruction of what humans have made. It is its redemption.In this episode:Why the New Jerusalem coming down is one of the most important details in Revelation 21What it means that there is no temple in the new creation — and why that's good newsHow God redeems human culture rather than discarding itWhat "sturdy, weight-bearing hope" looks like when you actually believe this is where the story endsReflection prompt: What is making you anxious, angry, or sad right now? Bring it before this passage. God has answered — and his answer is: "I am making everything new."Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Nothing Is Hidden: God's Justice and the Book of LifeScripture: Revelation 20:11–15Show Notes:We live in a world where it can feel like people get away with things. The powerful cover their tracks. The vulnerable are silenced. Justice gets delayed, diluted, or denied. And something deep inside us knows — this isn't right.That instinct is not just cultural. It's God-given. We are made in the image of a just God, and something in us knows that wrongs must be accounted for.Today, Lisa takes us to one of the most sobering scenes in all of scripture: the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20. The dead, great and small — powerful and forgotten, rich and poor — stand before the one seated on the throne. Books are opened. Every deed is recorded. Every wrong is laid bare.No justification survives this courtroom. No wealth buys a lighter sentence. No influence silences a victim's testimony.But this passage is not only about judgment. It's also about the mercy that runs alongside it. God's justice and God's mercy both find their answer at the cross — and in this episode, Lisa explains why the only thing that separates the condemned from the forgiven is whether a name is written in the Book of Life.The enemy who has been deceiving and destroying since the Garden of Eden also faces his final sentence here. He loses completely and permanently.In this episode:Why the human longing for justice is not a flaw — it's a reflection of the God we're made in the image ofHow God's mercy and justice both meet at the cross — and what that means for the great white throneWhy no "not guilty" verdict rings out for anyone, and what the Book of Life actually isThe question the passage leaves every listener with: who in your life hasn't heard the good news yet?Reflection prompt: Is there a situation in your life — or in the world — where you've struggled to trust that God sees and that justice will come? Let today's passage speak to that.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The King Revealed: Seeing Jesus in His Full GloryScripture: Revelation 1:9–18Show Notes:We made it. After months of walking through scripture from Genesis forward, we arrive at the final book of the Bible — Revelation. This week, Lisa opens the last chapter of the Big Story and what we find is breathtaking.In today's episode, the Apostle John — the same disciple who leaned against Jesus at the Last Supper, who stood at the foot of the cross, who ran to the empty tomb — receives a vision that changes everything. The carpenter from Nazareth is revealed as the risen, reigning King of the universe.Eyes like blazing fire. Feet like glowing bronze. A face like the sun shining in full brilliance. This is not the Jesus of a Sunday school flannel board. This is the Lord of all creation in his unfiltered glory — and John falls at his feet as though dead.But the king knows him by name. And his first words are: "Do not be afraid."In this episode, Lisa reflects on what it means that the Jesus we've followed through the Gospels — eating with sinners, weeping at tombs, holding children — has always been this. He is the First and the Last, the Living One who was dead and is now alive forever, holding the keys of death and Hades.Sin and death do not have the final word. Jesus does.In this episode:How John's encounter with the glorified Jesus fits a pattern seen throughout scripture (Moses at the burning bush, Isaiah in the temple, Israel at Sinai)What the symbols in Revelation 1 actually mean — the lampstands, the golden sash, the double-edged swordWhy the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3 could have been written to any church in any century, including oursWhat it means to give Jesus not just our affection, but our allegianceReflection prompt: The Jesus we've been following through the Gospels has always been this. How does seeing him in his full glory change how you relate to him today?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 3:14–21We've spent the week watching Paul build a case for the church's unity, image by image: shared grace, a demolished wall, a temple rising, a worthy walk. Today we step back, take in the whole picture, and let Paul's own prayer become ours.Because by the time Paul reached the end of chapter three, he couldn't keep describing. He had to stop and kneel.In this final episode of the week, Lisa guides us through Ephesians 3:14–21 — one of the most breathtaking prayers in the New Testament — and closes the week with a call to live the story, not just study it.In this episode:A recap of the week's four theological images and why they build on each otherWhy Paul prays that believers would grasp Christ's love together with all the Lord's holy people — because none of us can take it in aloneThe doxology that closes Ephesians 3 and what it means for the church's witness in the worldScripture: Ephesians 3:14–21Live It Out — three ways to practice unity this week:Pick one virtue. Choose humility, gentleness, patience, or bearing with one another in love — and ask the Spirit to grow that in you this week in one specific relationship.Pray beyond your circle. Pray for a believer from a different tradition, generation, or background, and ask God to bless them.Show up. Be present with your church community this week. The body of Christ is built together, not alone.Tell the Story: When the watching world sees believers who refuse to be divided by the things that divide everyone else, it sees something only God could have made. Who in your life needs to see a Christian who doesn't fit the divisive patterns they expect? Who needs to hear that there's a community where the ground is level at the foot of the cross?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 4:1–6For three chapters, Paul has been telling the Ephesians what God has done. Now, with a single word — therefore — he turns the corner. Everything that's true about who we are in Christ becomes the foundation for how we live with each other.In today's episode, Lisa walks through Ephesians 4:1–6, where Paul names four virtues that make community possible (none of them flashy) and then gives us one of the most important distinctions in the whole letter: unity is not something the church has to manufacture. It's something the Spirit has already given. Our job is to stop tearing it apart.In this episode:Why Paul opens by reminding his readers he's writing from chainsThe difference between earning a calling and living worthy of oneWhy humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance are the unglamorous habits that hold community togetherThe seven "ones" of Ephesians 4 — and why none of our differences is bigger than any of themScripture: Ephesians 4:1–6Reflection questions:Think of one believer in your life whose presence regularly tests one of Paul's four virtues in you. What is the Spirit asking of you in that relationship?What would it look like this week to make every effort to keep the unity the Spirit has already given — rather than waiting until the relationship feels easy?What is one small step you could take toward that person this week?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 2:19–22The wall is down. But Paul isn't finished. Tearing something down is only half the work — something new has to be built in its place. So Paul reaches for three images, stacked on top of each other, each one going deeper than the last: citizens, family members, and a temple under construction.In this episode, Lisa walks through Ephesians 2:19–22 and explores what it means that the church isn't just a gathering of people who got the same rescue — it's a dwelling place. God's Spirit has moved in. And the stones being fitted together to form that dwelling? That's us.In this episode:What Roman citizenship meant — and why Paul's use of it would have floored his Gentile readersThe difference between citizen (rights) and family member (a place at the table)Why the temple metaphor is the climax of Ephesians 2, and what it meant in a city defined by the temple of ArtemisHow division in the church isn't just a relational problem — it's a structural oneScripture: Ephesians 2:19–22Reflection questions:Picture yourself as one stone in a massive building, with millions of others fitted in around you by the same architect. What would it feel like to try to remove yourself — or push out the stone next to you?Whose place in the wall have you been quietly questioning?What would change if you saw that person not as someone whose membership is in doubt, but as a fellow stone already fitted in, already indwelled by the same Spirit?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 2:14–18Yesterday we stood at the ground floor: all of us were dead, and God made us alive by the same grace. Today, Paul turns that vertical reality horizontal. If the same mercy saved every one of us, what does that mean for how we relate to each other?His answer is one of the most powerful images in the New Testament: a wall coming down.In this episode, Lisa unpacks Ephesians 2:14–18, where Paul tells a mixed Jewish-and-Gentile church in Ephesus that Christ has already demolished the barrier between them — not just spiritually, but structurally. The hostility is gone. The fences are already down. What remains is for us to stop rebuilding them.In this episode:The historical backdrop: what it meant to be "near" or "far" in the ancient worldThe literal dividing wall in the Jerusalem temple — and why Paul knew it personallyWhy peace in Ephesians means reconciliation, not just the absence of conflictWhat it looks like to live as if a wall Christ already tore down is still standingScripture: Ephesians 2:14–18Reflection questions:Think of a Christian whose culture, politics, worship style, or theology makes you want to keep your distance. What fence are you maintaining that Christ already dismantled?Where is the Spirit inviting you to stop treating a fellow believer like an outsider?What would change this week if you started from the assumption that Christ has already made peace between you — whether you feel it or not?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 2:4–10Pentecost lit the fuse — now comes the hard question: how do people this different become one? This week in the Big Story, we land in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where he lays out the only foundation that can hold a divided world together: grace.Before Paul ever talks about unity in the church, he makes sure we understand what saved us. And the answer is the same for every single person who has ever walked through the door: but God.In today's episode, Lisa walks through Ephesians 2:4–10, where Paul piles up words — glory, grace, mercy, love, riches, kindness — because no single word is enough. We were dead. God made us alive. We were raised up with Christ, seated with Christ, joined to Christ. None of it was earned. All of it was gift.That's not just good theology. It's the ground floor of Christian unity.In this episode:Why Paul starts with our condition before talking about the church's conditionThe three "with Christ" verbs that show salvation is more than rescue — it's unionWhat theologian Michael Gorman calls "cruciformity" and why it mattersHow shared grace — not shared preferences or politics — is the only real foundation for onenessScripture: Ephesians 2:4–10Reflection questions:Where have you started to believe that your standing with God has something to do with you?Where have you quietly ranked yourself against other believers — or assumed your convictions are the better ones?What would change if you returned to the ground floor, where we are all simply people made alive by a God rich in mercy?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

We've arrived at the You Are Here dot on the Big Story timeline — and it turns out, we're still standing on it. This week's journey through Acts 1–2 wasn't just history. It's our story. In this wrap-up episode, Lisa invites us to reflect on the week, celebrate the God who keeps every promise, and consider how the four rhythms of the early church can take root in our own lives today. The same Spirit who launched the church at Pentecost lives in you.Scripture: Acts 1–2 (Week Review)Live It Out — Four Practices for a Spirit-Filled Life:Open your Bible daily. Let the apostles' teaching shape how you see the world. (You're already doing this — keep going.)Pursue real fellowship. Invite someone to coffee or into your home. Join a life group. Move past surface-level connection into honest, life-shaping community.Practice generosity. Find a need around you and meet it — not out of obligation, but out of the overflow of what God has given you.Pray with others. Find a friend, family member, or small group and pray together. A community at prayer seeks God's direction together.Tell the Story: The mission Jesus gave his disciples in Acts 1:8 is ours too. You don't have to preach a sermon. Share something you learned this week, or simply tell someone what God has been doing in your life. The Spirit who gave Peter boldness in front of thousands can give you courage in a conversation with one.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Three thousand people just said yes to Jesus. Now what? Luke gives us a six-verse snapshot of the early church that is one of the most beautiful pictures of community in all of Scripture. In this episode, Lisa explores Acts 2:42–47 and the four practices that shaped the first believers: teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. This wasn't a burst of enthusiasm — it was devoted, sustained, Spirit-filled life together. And the result? The Lord added to their number daily.Scripture: Acts 2:42–47Key Themes:The meaning of devoted — persistent, focused commitment, not spiritual enthusiasm that fadesKoinonia: fellowship as shared life, not just shared spaceRadical generosity as an overflow of love, not obligationThe early church as attractive — people wanted what they hadThe Spirit-filled community as what God has been building toward since GenesisReflection Questions:What does your own experience with Christian community look like right now — does it resemble what Luke describes, or is that something you're still longing for?What's one step you could take this week to move deeper into the kind of fellowship Acts 2 pictures?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The crowd at Pentecost is confused and divided — some are amazed, some think the disciples are drunk. Then Peter stands up and does something remarkable: he weaves together Joel, the Psalms, and the life of Jesus to show that everything the Scriptures promised has just been fulfilled. In this episode, Lisa walks through Peter's sermon in Acts 2:14–41 — one of the most important theological declarations in the New Testament — and explores what it means for us to share the same story today.Scripture: Acts 2:14–41Key Themes:Peter's use of Joel 2 and Psalms 16 and 110 to explain PentecostThe argument that Jesus is both Lord and MessiahThe crowd's response: "What shall we do?" — and Peter's gospel invitationThe promise extending to "all who are far off" — the Abrahamic blessing going to the nations3,000 respond and the church is bornReflection Questions:Peter connected his message to what his listeners already knew and were experiencing. Who in your life is asking — even in their own way — what shall we do?How might you share something from this week's study with them?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Everything changes at Pentecost. The sound of rushing wind, tongues of fire, and suddenly the disciples are speaking in the native languages of people from every nation gathered in Jerusalem. In this episode, Lisa unpacks Acts 2:1–15 and traces the deep biblical echoes behind every detail — wind, fire, and language — showing how Pentecost begins to reverse what went wrong at the Tower of Babel. God's presence, once confined to a building people traveled to, now rests on every believer individually.Scripture: Acts 2:1–15Key Themes:The wind, fire, and languages as echoes of Genesis, Ezekiel, and ExodusPentecost as God's reversal of Babel — scattered nations beginning to be reunitedThe Spirit moving from the temple to the peopleThe crowd's mixed reactions: amazement and mockeryReflection Questions:How aware are you of the Spirit's presence in your daily life?What would change if you began each day asking the Holy Spirit to guide your words, decisions, and attention to the people around you?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

After the resurrection, the disciples were riding an emotional high — Jesus was alive. Then he told them he was leaving. Before he ascended, he gave them something to hold onto: a mission and a promise. In this episode, Lisa walks us through Acts 1:1–11, the moment Jesus redirected his disciples from asking when the kingdom would arrive to what they were called to do in the meantime. The ascension wasn't a departure — it was a coronation. And the charge he left behind still belongs to us.Scripture: Acts 1:1–11Key Themes:The disciples' question about the kingdom and Jesus's redirectionThe ascension as coronation — Jesus taking his seat at the Father's right handActs 1:8 as the mission statement for the entire book of ActsLiving faithfully in the "in-between" of the kingdom now and not yetReflection Questions:The disciples wanted the whole story to resolve right then. Where in your own life are you tempted to stare at the sky and wait instead of engaging the mission in front of you?Who do you know who needs to hear that Jesus reigns — especially in a difficult or chaotic season? Take a moment to pray for them today.Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

We close out the week by stepping back and letting the whole conversation with Nicodemus settle in. From a late-night encounter with a confused religious expert to one of the most sweeping declarations of love in all of Scripture, John 3 tells one coherent story — and it's been the story God has been telling since Genesis. This wrap-up episode gathers the week's threads, invites reflection, and points ahead to what's coming next in the Big Story.Key Takeaways:The God of John 3 is not distant or waiting for us to clean ourselves up. He is the God who comes down — the Son descended, the light entered the darkness, the Spirit moves like wind.The new birth isn't a past event only. The Spirit who brought us to life continues working — convicting, comforting, redirecting, transforming.The good news of John 3 isn't for people inside the church. God's love is for the world — unrestricted by background, history, or how far someone has wandered.Next week: the promise of John 3 is fulfilled. The Spirit is poured out at Pentecost, and the kingdom begins to grow.Live It Out This Week:Reread John 3:1–21 in one sitting. After studying it piece by piece, let the whole conversation wash over you and invite the Spirit to speak through it.Bring something into the light. If you've been keeping a struggle, doubt, or sin in the dark, bring it to God in prayer — or share it with a trusted friend or mentor.Memorize John 3:16–17. You may already know verse 16, but adding verse 17 changes everything. God's purpose is rescue, not condemnation.Tell the Story: Think about someone in your life who might assume God is against them or that they've disqualified themselves from his love. You don't need all the answers — Nicodemus didn't either. What would it mean to point them to Jesus and let them wrestle with him the way Nicodemus did?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

The conversation with Nicodemus ends with a choice. Jesus shifts from the language of birth and belief to light and darkness — language that echoes the very first act of creation. The light has come into the world, and everyone must decide what to do with it. This final passage clarifies something important: staying in the dark isn't passive. It's a decision. And the great irony is that the thing people fear most about the light — exposure — is actually where grace is found.Key Takeaways:Condemnation in verse 18 isn't a new sentence God imposes. It's the condition humanity is already in — and what Jesus came to rescue us from."Hating" the light in verses 19–20 isn't primarily an emotion; it's an action of distancing, of choosing not to come.The person who comes into the light isn't displaying their own righteousness — they're discovering that whatever good exists in their life has been done through God.The purpose of these verses isn't to sort people into fixed categories. It's urgency: the light is here.Reflection Questions:Is there something you've been keeping in the dark — a struggle, a failure, a doubt? What would it mean to bring it into the light?Where have you feared that honesty with God would bring judgment, rather than grace?What does it look like practically to "live by the truth" and step toward the light today?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Jesus stops talking about what the kingdom requires and starts talking about how God makes it possible. He reaches back to a story Nicodemus knew well — a bronze snake lifted up on a pole in the wilderness — and tells him the same pattern is now unfolding on a far larger scale. Then he gets to the reason behind all of it. This episode sits with one of the most quoted verses in the Bible and tries to hear it fresh — not as a slogan, but as the climax of everything Jesus has been building toward all week.Key Takeaways:Jesus claims to be not just a messenger from heaven, but the message itself. He didn't ascend to bring revelation — he descended as the revelation.The Greek word hypsoō ("lifted up") in John's gospel deliberately carries a double meaning: physically raised on a cross and exalted in resurrection.John 3:16 is not a standalone promise. It's the summit of a whole conversation about new birth, the kingdom, and why any of it is possible.Verse 17 reframes verse 16: God's purpose in sending his Son was not to deliver a verdict, but to absorb one.Reflection Questions:What happens when you set John 3:16 back inside the full conversation with Nicodemus? Does it land differently?Where have you let familiarity drain the weight out of what God has actually done?Who in your life might assume God is against them — and what would it mean to tell them the truth of verse 17?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Jesus reaches for a metaphor from outside the window — the wind — to describe the Spirit's work. You can't see it, control it, or predict it, but you can't miss its effects. Nicodemus pushes back. And Jesus's response is pointed: You are Israel's teacher, and you don't understand these things? The rebuke cuts deep because the problem wasn't intellectual. The Old Testament prophets Nicodemus had devoted his life to studying had been pointing toward this all along. He just hadn't followed where they pointed.Key Takeaways:The Hebrew word ruach means both wind and spirit — Jesus is playing on that connection deliberately.Nicodemus's failure wasn't that he lacked information. It was that he hadn't believed Jesus's testimony about who he was.The prophets — Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah — had all anticipated this moment. The knowledge Nicodemus possessed should have led him here.Bible knowledge, church involvement, and spiritual practice can become things we trust instead of God rather than pathways to him.Reflection Questions:Is there an area in your faith where familiarity has quietly replaced genuine trust?Where might God be inviting you to move from understanding about him to actually depending on him?What might it look like to let what you already know lead you somewhere new?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

A respected religious expert comes to Jesus with questions — and walks away with his entire framework upended. In this opening episode of the week, we listen in on Nicodemus's nighttime visit to Jesus and hear something that challenges anyone who has ever tried to earn their way into God's favor: the kingdom of God can't be entered by achievement, knowledge, or religious pedigree. It requires a completely new kind of life — one only God can give.Key Takeaways:The Greek word anothen (translated "born again") carries a double meaning: again and from above. Nicodemus hears one; Jesus means the other.The Kingdom of God is not a future destination but an active reign — and with Jesus's arrival, it has already begun breaking into the present."Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit." No amount of moral effort or religious expertise can produce the new birth. Only God's Spirit can.Nicodemus arrived with credentials and genuine curiosity. Jesus told him neither was the point.Reflection Questions:What are you most tempted to trust — your track record, your knowledge, your effort? How does Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus challenge that?Where have you treated faith as something you achieve rather than something you receive?What would it look like to come to God today the way Nicodemus came to Jesus — with real questions, and open hands?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: John 11–12 (recap) | John 12:1–8 (Mary's anointing) Runtime: 8 minIt's Friday — time to pull the week together and ask what we're going to do with it. We've walked with Martha and Mary through the worst days of their lives. We've watched Jesus weep, and then we've watched him speak death into retreat. This episode recaps the week's arc and then zooms out to what happens next: a dinner party in Bethany, Lazarus at the table, and Mary pouring out a year's wages worth of perfume on Jesus's feet. Her extravagant, reckless worship is the response of someone who has just discovered that the one she thought abandoned her had been moving toward her all along.Key Talking Points:A full recap of the week's arc: the message, the silence, the delay, the road, the tomb, the grave clothesMary's anointing in John 12 — what it means after everything she's just been throughThe God the Big Story has been revealing from Genesis to Bethany: the one who keeps his promises and enters the messTwo ways to bring grief to God (Martha's way and Mary's way) — and an invitation to consider which one is yoursA Mother's Day application: who in your life needs your presence more than your answers this weekend?Preview: Next week — Jesus and Nicodemus, and what it means to be born againAction Items for the Week:Reflect on what you'd do differently the next time disappointment or grief comes — Martha's way, Mary's way, or something in betweenLook for someone in your life for whom Mother's Day is complicated — and simply show up for themShare what you learned this week with someone who is carrying grief. Tell them about a God who stood at a tomb and wept before he commandedHear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: John 11:38–44 Runtime: 8 minJesus arrives at the tomb still full of emotion. He doesn't compose himself before he acts — he acts from the middle of real anguish. And then he speaks four words that death cannot refuse: "Lazarus, come out." This episode walks through the miracle itself — the prayer, the stone, the grave clothes — and traces what it means in the larger arc of the Big Story. Because the act of love that gives Lazarus back to his sisters is the same act that sets Jesus on the road to his own death.Key Talking Points:Why the tomb detail matters: four days in ancient understanding meant death was final, undeniableWhat's striking about Jesus's prayer — no petition, no request for power, just gratitudeThe paradox at the center of this miracle: life for Lazarus triggers the plot to kill JesusHow this miracle connects to the Big Story thread running from Genesis 3 forward — death entering, shadowing, and finally being confrontedWhy the road to resurrection goes through the cross, not around itReflection Question: Is there something in your life that feels sealed — final, beyond hope? What would it mean to believe that the voice that called Lazarus out of a tomb can reach whatever you're staring at today?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: John 11:28–37 Runtime: 9 minMary stayed home. When Jesus didn't come, she went quiet — and that silence was its own kind of statement. When she finally comes to Jesus, she falls at his feet and says the same words as Martha, but everything around them is different. No follow-up. No hint. Just the wound, laid bare. And then something shifts in Jesus. This episode looks at what grief does to the Son of God — and what his tears mean for anyone who is carrying something heavy today.Key Talking Points:Two sisters, two responses to pain: Martha confronts, Mary withdraws — both are real, both are recognizableWhat the Greek word embrimaomai actually conveys — and why Jesus's emotional response is stronger than most translations let onWhy Jesus weeps even though he knows what's about to happenWhat his tears tell us about what God thinks of our griefThe crowd's two reactions — and why both of them miss the pointReflection Question: Are you more of a Martha (you push through, ask hard questions, need to do something) or a Mary (you go quiet, feel it in your body before you have words for it)? Jesus met them both on that road. Where do you need him to meet you today?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: John 11:17–27 Runtime: 8 minMartha doesn't wait at home. The moment she hears Jesus is coming, she goes to meet him on the road — and the first thing out of her mouth is both a confession of faith and an accusation of absence. "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." This episode sits with Martha's complicated, honest, deeply human response to Jesus — and what Jesus does with it.Key Talking Points:What Martha's opening line really is: faith and hurt woven together, not one or the otherWhy the fact that she goes straight to Jesus — even in her pain — tells us something about the kind of relationship she had with himThe hint buried in "but I know that even now…" — Martha fishing, not asking outrightThe I AM statement that shifts everything: "I am the resurrection and the life"How Jesus moves Martha from abstract theology to personal encounter — and why that matters more than getting the doctrine rightReflection Question: Is there an area where you believe the right things about God, but that knowledge feels distant from where you actually are? What would it look like to bring Jesus the whole truth of where you are — not just the parts that sound like faith?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: John 11:1–16 Runtime: 11 minThere's a particular kind of pain that comes not from a stranger's silence, but from someone you trusted — someone who knew and didn't come. That's exactly where Martha and Mary find themselves when Jesus stays put after hearing that their brother Lazarus is dying. This episode opens the week in John 11 with a question that still hits hard: What do you do when God's timing doesn't match your crisis?Key Talking Points:Why John places Jesus's love and his delay side by side — and what he's asking us to holdWhat "God's glory" actually means (hint: it's not spectacle — it's the visible manifestation of God's character)The connection between kavod (Hebrew for glory) and God's declaration to Moses in Exodus 34Why the sisters didn't ask Jesus to come — and what that tells us about how much they trusted himThe double perspective John builds into the story: we know the ending, but Mary and Martha are walking through the darkReflection Question: Have you ever been in a season where God felt silent — where you prayed, you trusted, and the wait stretched on? What would it mean to hold the delay and the love as both being true at the same time?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: Matthew 5:17–20; Luke 4:14–30 (Week in Review) Series: Big Story, Part 3 — Week 4 Estimated Runtime: 8 minutesIt's Friday — time to step back and take in the full arc of what this week revealed.We started on a mountainside where Jesus told His followers He came not to throw out the story but to fulfill it. We moved to a synagogue in Nazareth where He read Isaiah's words of jubilee and declared them fulfilled — today. We watched the crowd shift from wonder to rage. And we saw Jesus walk right through them, unhurried, unmoved, on His way to a cross where He would fulfill the law and the prophets in the costliest way possible.This wrap-up episode calls us to celebrate the God who made a promise to Abraham and never broke it across 42 generations — and to find our place in the story He's still telling.Live It Out This Week:Re-read Matthew 5:17–20 or Luke 4:14–30 and ask the Spirit what it means for your life right nowIdentify one tangible way to participate in the kingdom Jesus declared — good news, freedom, sight, releaseConsider someone in your life you've been treating as an outsider, and let this week's study challenge thatTell the Story: The God of the Bible made promises, kept them across thousands of years, and fulfilled them in a person — in Himself. And the grace that person announced is for everyone. Who in your life needs to hear that? You don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is: "I've been studying this story, and it's changing how I see everything."Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: Luke 4:24–30 Series: Big Story, Part 3 — Week 4 Estimated Runtime: 8 minutesJesus could have performed a miracle. He could have healed someone in the synagogue, silenced the doubters, won Nazareth over. Instead, He told two stories from Israel's own history — and the room went from amazed to furious.Why? Because the stories He told made the same uncomfortable point: God's grace has never been limited to the people who expected it. In Elijah's day, God sent help to a Gentile widow. In Elisha's day, God healed an enemy commander. And Jesus was saying the same pattern still holds.In this episode, Lisa traces the scandal of grace throughout the Big Story — from Rahab to Ruth to Malachi — and names the hard question every one of us has to answer: Have we been drawing lines around God's mercy that He never drew?Key Takeaways:Jesus intentionally chose stories He knew would provoke His hometown crowd — He wasn't trying to win them over, He was revealing their heartsGod's wider grace is not a new development in the New Testament — it runs all the way through the Old TestamentThe rejection at Nazareth (and the dramatic escape) foreshadows the cross and resurrectionEvery person who hears Jesus' claims faces the same choice Nazareth didReflection Questions:Is there someone in your life you've quietly assumed doesn't belong at God's table?How does it feel to remember that you are the outsider God welcomed in?Where have you been placing limits on God's grace that He never placed there Himself?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: Luke 4:20–23 Series: Big Story, Part 3 — Week 4 Estimated Runtime: 7 minutesThe scroll is rolled up. Every eye in the synagogue is fixed on Him. And Jesus says one sentence: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."Not someday. Not when the Messiah eventually arrives. Today.In this episode, Lisa slows down to sit with one of the most extraordinary sentences in the Bible — and what it reveals about the nature of faith. The crowd in Nazareth heard Jesus' words and were initially amazed. But amazement isn't faith. Almost immediately, doubt crept in. Isn't this Joseph's son? They wanted proof before they would believe. And Jesus recognized exactly what that was.Key Takeaways:In first-century synagogue practice, you stood to read and sat to teach — the room knew something significant was comingJesus said "in your hearing" — not your seeing. Fulfillment begins with a word that must be received by faithThe crowd's amazement and their doubt weren't opposites — they were steps in the same direction away from trustFaith trusts the Word before the evidence is fully inReflection Questions:Where are you waiting for proof before you'll trust God with something?What would it look like to take Jesus at His word today — not when things make sense, but now?What's the difference between being amazed by Jesus and actually trusting Him?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.

Scripture: Luke 4:14–19 Series: Big Story, Part 3 — Week 4 Estimated Runtime: 8 minutesJesus walks into a synagogue in His hometown. The scroll handed to Him is Isaiah. And the passage He reads — Isaiah 61 — wasn't just a scripture. It was the passage. The one that carried centuries of exile, longing, and hope. Every phrase was loaded: good news for the poor, freedom for captives, sight for the blind, the year of the Lord's favor.In this episode, Lisa explores what the Isaiah 61 passage would have meant to a first-century Jewish audience — and why the moment Jesus chose to read it was itself a declaration. This wasn't a prophet pointing to someone coming. This was the Messiah announcing He had arrived. And the gospel He came to bring isn't just spiritual — it's total deliverance: personal and cosmic, physical and spiritual.Key Takeaways:Isaiah 61 carried the full weight of Israel's messianic hope — it wasn't a random scripture passageThe imagery of Jubilee (Leviticus 25) is embedded in the passage: debts cancelled, captives freed, everything lost restored"Anointed" in Hebrew = Messiah; in Greek = Christ. Jesus is claiming that title by reading this passageThe good news was always for those who know they need it — the poor, the captive, the crushedReflection Questions:Which phrase from the Isaiah passage lands most personally for you right now — good news, freedom, sight, or release?Where in your life do you need to stop pretending you can save yourself and bring that need to Jesus?What does it mean that Jesus doesn't just announce these things — He is the one who makes them real?Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinneyGet the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGDIf you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org.