Matthew 5:1-7

"Dear Beloved, Many mortals chase after so many things thinking that a fulfilling life will be found in those things... those pursuits... those..."

God promises us a sacred blessing and a sacred delight in these words of Jesus! Max Lucado reminds us that while the Beatitudes are demanding, they are also life-giving and a privilege to live as an answer to God's call in our lives.

Do you want to be lucky or blessed? Luck has many definitions depending upon those with whom you visit; but Christians are blessed!

Does it matter if we don't do some things that are hard Imagine that we all approached life with the attitude of, "If it's not on the test then I'm not going to learn it."

"One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them."

When's the last time you felt the joy of being truly thankful? We need to recover the lost art of giving thanks and there are some steps we can take to do just that.

"[Jesus continued:] "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.""

"[Jesus continued:] "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.""

"[Jesus taught:] "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.""

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

"[Jesus continued:] "God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.""

"[Jesus continued:] "God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.""

Are you lucky or just blessed? We don't like being passive, so we have a hard time recognizing that we have what we have because we are blessed.

A King headed to a cross, the foal of a donkey, and a formerly blind man who followed along the way. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that many were blind to Jesus as the Messiah because he refused to be the kind of Messiah they expected; he was the upside down Messiah.

The power of grace, the gift of life in marriage. Phil Ware continues his series called 50 shades of grace that focuses on the intimacy between a husband and wife in marriage.

Our groups and our churches must be the arenas where Jesus' upside-down kingdom comes to life. Phil Ware shares Jesus' teaching that is upside-down to the world around us in terms of status, wealth, power, position, achievement, and importance.

Can you think about nothing but God? Can we spend any special, focused, time thinking about nothing but God? It is hard, but we must learn to do so.

What do you do when you don't feel like you have anything to offer? Tom Norvell reminds us to listen to God when we feel like we have nothing to offer, and if we do, we will realize that is enough.

What blessing can there be in powerlessness? Life is full of events that make us feel and actually be powerless, but that is exactly where God can work in our life the most.

They laugh because they have given up hope, and hope born anew is always funny before it is real.

He was nitroglycerin; if you bumped him the wrong way, he blew up. Max Lucado reminds of what is necessary when we have failed publicly and why it is necessary.

Our ToGather time today focuses on God's great promises to bless us, but also challenges each of us to ask: What is the true source of my delight? Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to recognize God's greatness and his desire to bless us with every good thing we need.

Jesus didn't pray for unity just so Christians could sit in a happy circle, hold hands, and sing Kum Ba Yah around the campfire at church camp. Phil Ware reflects on the words of Jesus, the actions of the apostle Paul, and the example of a couple of men in his life, all focused on the theme of reconciliation.