Jesus flips the world’s idea of winning, showing that true life, peace, and belonging come to those the world considers ‘losers’ in God’s Kingdom.

Main Ideas: It feels like more people care about winning than about finding a way to live together. Jesus doesn’t step into our chaos with better arguments. He offers a better way to be human. The Kingdom of Heaven: God reigning as king in human hearts… restoring what humanity was always meant to be. Jesus isn’t against “winning.” He redefines it. The Kingdom belongs to people who know they need it. Jesus doesn’t offer “nice ethics.” He announces a rival Kingdom. What looks like losing in this world is often the clearest sign you belong to God’s Kingdom. The Jesus way transforms our view of God, the world, others, and ourselves. We are invited to experience the Kingdom of Heaven in our lives right now.

Invitation: Read these verses (Matthew 5:1-12) each day.

And ask: What one quality stands out to me? Where could I show that in a conversation or choice today?

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2026-02-15.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

#bible #biblestudy #christianity #christian #church #followingjesus #god #beatitudes #sermononthemount #religion #questions #jesus #christ #jesuschrist

Growth isn’t about perfection or performance, but about pursuing Jesus from a place of acceptance, freedom, and joy.

Main Ideas: There’s a real difference between “want to” work and “have to” work. Many of us feel the pressure to follow Jesus the ‘right’ way. real change flows from acceptance… not for it. Knowing Jesus is infinitely better than perfection. The pursuit of of God is the pursuit of joy. The point of following Jesus is Jesus. We don’t grow to be accepted; we grow because we already are. We don’t try harder to impress Jesus… we press on because Jesus already has us.

Invitation: Once a day, pause and pray: “God, thank you for loving me… all of me.” And then ask, “What would it look like to enjoy you right now?”

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2026-01-25.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Jesus frees us from shame and condemnation, replaces fear with freedom, and gives us a new identity rooted in God’s unconditional love.

Main Ideas: Our stories shape our identity and our life. Often, the stories that shape us the most are the ones forced on us. The Author of Life, is already at work, rewriting your story from the inside out. We can get stuck in the same broken story over and over. Jesus doesn’t erase our past chapters… he rewrites them into something beautiful. Jesus says you’re not just forgiven… You are rescued. The Holy Spirit of God is guiding you through your story, writing it one page at a time. Our setbacks and our struggles are real… but they are not our truest story. You don’t have to try harder because you’re already loved.

Invitation: Catch the old voices and replace them with truth. “I am not condemned. I am God’s beloved child.” Pray: ‘Holy Spirit, help me see myself the way you do.’

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2026-01-18.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Lasting spiritual change comes from identity in Jesus, not religious performance or self-improvement.

Main Ideas: The push to improve can leave us feeling like we’re never enough. Our value is received, not achieved. Our place in God’s family was his idea, not our achievement. When we become children of God, our identity fundamentally changes. God adopted us because it was the thing that would make him the happiest. Following Jesus starts by receiving, not achieving Belief is choosing to be confident that God can and will do what he promised. You can stop chasing a better you and rest in who you already are in Jesus.

Invitation: Remember who you are and speak your true name to yourself. I am a child of God. I have all I need in Jesus. I am chosen. I am adopted and accepted. I am saved, forgiven, and sealed.

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2026-01-11.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 | JOIN A GROUP → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#connect

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Jesus brings lasting peace (shalom), forgiveness, and freedom from sin—peace that goes beyond holiday cheer and transforms your life.

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Welcome to Crosscreek Community Church’s Podcast channel! Located in the Pacific Northwest, Crosscreek Community Church offers a welcoming online church community for those on a journey to discover their meaning in life, explore their doubts, ask questions, and discover more about God, Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, and more.

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Main Ideas: Christmas gifts are great, but they don’t usually last. Christmas is the promise of real lasting peace. We are imprisoned by sin, but the King came to set us free. Darkness can never extinguish the light, and death can never defeat life. Real peace is a gift. God loves you, and he’s inviting you into his family. Peace isn’t just a feeling. It’s a gift. And it’s yours to open this Christmas.

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2025-12-21.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 | JOIN A GROUP → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#connect

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Jesus brings true peace with God and with the people who drive you crazy, even in the midst of conflict, division, and holiday stress.

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Welcome to Crosscreek Community Church’s Podcast channel! Located in the Pacific Northwest, Crosscreek Community Church offers a welcoming online church community for those on a journey to discover their meaning in life, explore their doubts, ask questions, and discover more about God, Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, and more.

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Main Ideas: Sometimes it feels like life would be peaceful if it weren’t for all the people. Real peace comes from whole and healthy relationships. Jesus is the source of true peace Peace with each other begins with peace with God. Jesus tears down every wall we build to keep ourselves apart Loved and forgiven people love and forgive people. Peace is a gift. The closer we get to Jesus, the closer we get to each other. When we accept what Jesus has done for us, it sets us free to accept others… faults and all We experience God’s true peace when we offer it to each other.

Invitation: Identify your THEM. Ask God to show you one thing he enjoys about THEM. Then thank him that he lived, died, and rose for THEM… and for YOU.

Discussion Questions: What is your favorite part of the holidays? What is your least favorite? Why do you think relationships, especially with family, coworkers, or neighbors, so often disrupt our sense of peace? Read Ephesians 2:14. How do you think peace with God serve as the foundation for peace with others? How might viewing conflict as an opportunity for grace and peacemaking change your approach to relationships? Who is your “THEM” (someone you struggle to get along with) and how might Jesus’ love for them change your perspective?

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2025-12-14.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 | JOIN A GROUP → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#connect

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Jesus offers a deep, unshakeable peace you can feel even in life’s chaos, bringing wholeness, hope, and true peace this Christmas.

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Welcome to Crosscreek Community Church’s Podcast channel! Located in the Pacific Northwest, Crosscreek Community Church offers a welcoming online church community for those on a journey to discover their meaning in life, explore their doubts, ask questions, and discover more about God, Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, and more.

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Main Ideas: We long for peace in a chaotic world. We think of peace as the absence of trouble, but what if it’s the presence of something greater? The true peace of God is the wholeness of his people. Jesus is the Prince of Shalom who will bring shalom with no end Jesus doesn’t just give moments of calm… He brings true shalom Thankful prayer lets us be honest with God and experience his peace. God’s peace can outlast and overcome any chaos the world throws at you.

Invitation: Ask God: “Where do I need your shalom right now?” Read Philippians 4:6-7 and thank him.

Discussion Questions: When you think of “peace,” what picture or feeling comes to mind… and where do you think that expectation came from? Where do you feel the gap most between the “Christmas ideal” and your real life this time of year? Which title of Jesus in Isaiah 9 (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace) resonates most with you right now, and why? What’s one area of your life right now where you need God’s shalom—not just an easier circumstance, but real wholeness? Who in your life might need the peace of Jesus right now, and how might God be inviting you to be a source of calm, encouragement, or presence for them?

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2025-12-07.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 | JOIN A GROUP → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#connect

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/

Even in the most ordinary moments, God is working behind the scenes. You are placed right where you are, right now, on purpose.

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Welcome to Crosscreek Community Church’s Podcast channel! Located in the Pacific Northwest, Crosscreek Community Church offers a welcoming online church community for those on a journey to discover their meaning in life, explore their doubts, ask questions, and discover more about God, Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, and more.

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This series: Faith in Real Life: Stories of Hope in a Messed-Up World Each week, keep asking: What did this person discover about God in their mess that changes how we see Him today?

Main Ideas: We want significant lives, but most of life seems so insignificant. God created each of us on purpose for a purpose, Faith redefines significance. Sometimes God’s presence is most powerful in the silence. Even when we feel lost or insignificant, God is at work behind the scenes. It’s often in the very places that seem most ordinary that God works most powerfully. Faith is trusting God with your ordinary and your unknown. Faith redefines significance because with God, no act of love is wasted or unseen. God is always orchestrating for our good behind the scenes. Faith in real life makes every ordinary day significant.

Invitation: Pray this every day this week: God, thank you for putting me right here right now. Show me my significance and show me my next step.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think we often struggle to see significance in everyday tasks and routines?
2. How does Esther’s story challenge the way we define “important” or “significant” in life?
3. God’s name isn’t mentioned in Esther—yet his presence is felt. Can you think of ways God might be at work in ways we don’t notice?
4. What might it look like to live each day with the belief that God can use your ordinary life for extraordinary purposes?
5. How can your group pray with you this week?

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📜 |TRANSCRIPT → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/media/2025-11-23.pdf

✍️ | 5 DAY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE → https://substack.com/@crosscreeksalem

🍞 | GATHER TOGETHER → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#gather | 4:30pm on Sundays.

👋 | SAY HI → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/welcome/

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 | JOIN A GROUP → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/#connect

🤝 | DONATE TO CROSSCREEK → https://www.yourcrosscreek.com/donate/