We concluded our Ancient Words series on Resurrection Sunday with a special service all about how God causes us to rise up out of suffering and to overcome. Not only does He do this, but the whole time He is with us and He is for us.

Every language has their own idioms, and Hebrew is no exception. Listen as Gene lays out some important perspective on the classic phrase, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".

Rabbi Gene dives into a subject that has a lot of nuance, but a lot of impact as well. When we think about the holiness of God, attitude is very important. Hopefully this will clarify a few things..

The story of Jacob becoming Israel is a powerful one and one that is full of meaning for us today. Something powerful happens when we go from wrestling against others and against ourselves and, instead, choose to step into the circle with God. As Brian shares in his message this week, when we step into that circle we win because it is only when we engage with God that we truly discover who we are. Not only that, but when we discover our identity in that place, we become a new person... just like Jacob becoming Israel.

In this part of our Ancient Words series Brian takes a look at three different words that all speak about ways that God leads us. Whether God is showing us the way, holding our hand, or pushing us forward, He tailors His leadership to be appropriate to our current season.

Shamar is the next word in our Ancient Words series meaning to guard, to keep, or to protect. Sometimes it's a hard word for us to read because even as we see God's promises of protection in Scripture, we also see that the stories of God's people are full of all kinds of grief and oppression. In fact, Jesus Himself said that in the world His disciples, "will have trouble". What appears to be a contradiction turns out to be something beautiful and powerful about our relationship with God.

The Ancient Words series is all about digging into these ancient words and wisdom from God so that we can hear His voice in our lives today, and the word "Yada" is particularly powerful in that regard. More than just information about something, Yada refers to the experiential, interactive engagement where we truly know the other. Nowhere is this seen better than in the way that we make covenants...

Ancient Words is a returning favorite series around here, and Gene kicks it off this Sunday with a look at "Shalom". Many know that this word is translated as "peace", but it's about much more than the absence of conflict and even about more than a sense of personal wholeness. In action, it contains all this as well as a core motivation: to be those that impart peace into the world. Gene outlines several practical ways to be this kind of a person and to participate in Shalom.