The Communi---K

There’s a phrase I’ve come to use with a smile and a sigh: Christian shenanigans. It’s the term I use when we, as believers, forget who we’re supposed to represent. When our zeal turns into pride. When our worship is loud but our witness is weak. When we know Scripture but forget compassion. We’ve all been there — saying one thing, living another. Proclaiming love while withholding forgiveness. Praising God publicly but wrestling privately with jealousy, offense, or self-righteousness. The truth is, Christian shenanigans happen whenever we let our humanity overshadow His holiness. The Church Isn’t Perfect — and That’s the Point The Church has never been made up of perfect people. From Peter’s denial to Thomas’s doubt, from Martha’s busyness to Paul’s temper — the saints of old had their fair share of holy mishaps. Yet God didn’t discard them. He developed them. Our imperfections don’t disqualify us; they reveal our need for grace. Every inconsistency, every failure, every “what ...

  When Adam and Eve walked in the Garden, they enjoyed intimacy with God that was unbroken, pure, and constant. But once distraction entered—through deception, worry, comparison, busyness, noise, and self-sufficiency—that intimacy was shattered. The story of humanity could have ended there: lost focus, lost presence, lost hope. But the good news of the Gospel is this—God made a way back. Jesus, the Restorer of Focus Through Jesus, the intimacy Adam and Eve forfeited has been restored. On the cross, Jesus took the weight of sin and the cost of distraction. In His resurrection, He opened the door for us to walk once again in fellowship with the Father—not as strangers, but as sons and daughters. Where the serpent’s lie pulled humanity away from God, Jesus’ truth pulls us back in. Focus Is More Than Saying “No” Often, when we talk about distractions, we think the answer is discipline. Say “no” to temptation, say “no” to the noise, say “no” to busyness. But focus is not just...

From the very beginning, God designed humanity to live in dependence on Him. Adam and Eve were given authority over the Garden, but that authority came from God’s provision. They didn’t plant the trees. They didn’t create the rivers. Everything they needed flowed from His hand. Yet when the serpent whispered the lie— “You will be like God” —self-sufficiency was born. Suddenly, instead of trusting God’s Word, Eve and Adam chose to rely on their own judgment. What was meant to be a partnership with God turned into independence from Him. And the result? Separation, striving, and struggle. The Modern Lie of Self-Sufficiency Fast forward to today, and the lie hasn’t changed—it’s just louder. Our culture celebrates the mantra: “I got this. I don’t need anyone. I can do it myself.” But here’s the truth: Self-sufficiency may look like strength, but it often masks pride. It convinces us we don’t need God until everything falls apart. It distracts us from the peace that comes from s...

  In Eden, after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, Scripture tells us they “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). But instead of stepping into His presence, they hid. The voice of God that once brought comfort now stirred fear—and the noise of guilt, shame, and confusion drowned out the peace they had once known. From that day forward, humanity has wrestled with a problem: learning to hear God’s voice above all the noise. Living in the Age of Noise Today, our world is louder than ever. Not just literal noise, but digital, emotional, and mental noise: The endless buzz of notifications. The constant chatter of opinions on social media. The inner noise of doubt, worry, and comparison. We live in a culture that fears silence. We fill every empty moment with sound—music, podcasts, scrolling—anything to keep us from sitting still. But here’s the truth: if the enemy can keep us drowning in noise, he can keep us from hearing God. ...

  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they needed. Their work wasn’t toil—it was purpose. But after sin entered, their work became heavy, stressful, and consuming. What once connected them to God’s presence now became a burden that often distracted them from it. Busyness has been stealing peace ever since. The Trap of Busyness Busyness isn’t just about having a full calendar—it’s about having a cluttered heart. It whispers: “If you’re not doing more, you’re not enough.” We equate activity with value. We confuse productivity with purpose. We mistake noise for progress. But in all the rushing, striving, and running, we can miss the one thing that matters most—God Himself. A Story We Know Too Well Think of Martha in Luke 10. She welcomed Jesus into her home, but instead of sitting at His feet, she became distracted by much serving. Meanwhile, her sister Mary chose to rest, listen, and receive. Jesus didn’t rebuke Martha for working. He rebuked her for ...

  In Eden, the serpent whispered a lie: “You will be like God.” Eve already bore God’s image, yet that whisper made her believe she was lacking something. It wasn’t hunger that pulled her toward the fruit—it was comparison. She began to see herself through the lens of what she didn’t have, rather than who God already made her to be. That’s the power of comparison—it shifts our eyes away from gratitude and fixes them on what we think we’re missing. How Comparison Shows Up Today We may not stand beneath a tree with forbidden fruit, but we feel the same tug: Scrolling through social media, wishing our lives looked like theirs. Measuring our worth by someone else’s success. Believing God is blessing everyone but us. Comparison whispers: “You’re not enough… unless you have what they have.” And if we’re not careful, it distracts us from the truth of who we already are in Christ. The Truth That Sets Us Free The apostle Paul said it clearly: “We do not dare to classify o...