We have been teaching through the seven “I am…” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John with the youth group at our Church on Sunday evenings. Jesus speaks these words in John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

As we pass the midway point of the year it can be natural to feel the weight of what’s behind while at the same time feel the uncertainty of what’s ahead.

June often feels like a month of transition as the school year ends, routines shift, and summer gets into full swing.

As spring settles in and creation bursts with new life, Jesus’ words in Luke 6 feel especially vivid. He reminds us that “each tree is known by its own fruit.” No matter how impressive a tree may look from a distance, its true nature is revealed by what it produces.

In Psalm 1 God chooses a tree—not a fast‑growing weed or a fragile flower—to show us what a blessed life looks like.

In Philippians 1:12–18, Paul gives a surprising report:

“VISION” is a catchword in ministry circles. It’s a good word, one that Webster defines as

Thomas O. Chisholm, born in 1866, certainly had his share of disappointments in life. He aspired to be a preacher but had to resign after one year of ministry due to poor health. He wrote poetry but various Christian magazines continually rejected his work

The story is told that one day Augustine was walking along the seashore when he saw a little boy digging a trench in the sand. When asked why he was doing this, the boy replied, “I’m going to empty the sea into my trench.”

In John Bunyan’s classic book, Pilgrim’s Progress, we are introduced to the pilgrim, whose name is Christian, on his quest for the celestial city. Do you know what Christian’s original name was?