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You Matter There is something strange happening in America. We are more connected than any generation in history, yet many people have never felt more alone. We can communicate instantly with people across the world. We can see photographs of their families, read their opinions, and follow their daily lives. Yet millions of people quietly wonder if anyone truly knows them, notices them, or would miss them if they disappeared. Loneliness has become one of the defining experiences of our age. That should not surprise us. America inherited much from the ancient Greeks, including a strong emphasis on individual freedom, personal achievement, and self-determination. We value freedom, independence, self-reliance, and individual achievement. We are taught to stand on our own feet, think for ourselves, pursue our own dreams, and create our own identity. These are not bad things. They have contributed greatly to human flourishing. There is a hidden danger. When life becomes centered on the individual, people can become isolated from one another. We may be surrounded by people and still feel unseen. We may achieve success and still wonder whether our lives matter. The ancient Greeks understood this tension. They pursued wisdom, knowledge, virtue, and human flourishing. Yet they also recognized the tragedy of human existence. Life was often fragile, uncertain, and brief. Death eventually claimed everyone. Meaning could be difficult to find. It was into that world that the Apostle John wrote his Gospel. He did not write primarily to people asking how to become Jewish. He wrote to people asking how to live. His answer was not a philosophy. His answer was a person. Again and again, John tells the story of ordinary individuals whose lives were changed by an encounter with Jesus. A respected religious leader named Nicodemus discovered that knowledge alone could not satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. A Samaritan woman carrying shame discovered that she was fully known and still loved. A disabled man who had spent decades waiting beside a pool discovered that his future was not determined by his past. A woman facing public condemnation discovered grace. A blind man discovered both sight and purpose. A grieving family discovered that death does not have the final word. What is striking is that Jesus never treated people as crowds. He met individuals. He listened. He asked questions. He saw people others overlooked. In every encounter, Jesus communicated the same message: You matter, not because you are powerful, or successful, or wealthy, educated, attractive, or influential. You matter because you are loved by God. Many people spend their lives trying to prove their worth. They seek recognition, accomplishment, status, possessions, or approval. Yet even when these things are achieved, the emptiness often remains. Why? Because human beings were created for relationship. We were created to know God and to know one another. The loneliness that many people experience is not simply the absence of company. It is often the absence of being truly seen, known, and loved. Jesus consistently moved toward people who felt forgotten. He noticed those sitting alone. He welcomed those others avoided. He restored dignity to people whose lives had been reduced to labels, failures, disabilities, or mistakes. He treated people as persons rather than problems. That is why so many people remain fascinated by Jesus even when they have become disillusioned with religion. Jesus has a way of making people feel seen. The Gospel of John calls this eternal life. For many people, eternal life means life after death. John certainly includes that hope. But he means something more. Eternal life begins now. It begins when a person discovers that life is more than survival, more than achievement, more than success, and more than the fear of death. It begins when a person discovers that they are known and loved by God; when people learn to love God and their neighbors; when communities are shaped by grace instead of condemnation, service instead of status, and compassion instead of indifference. In other words, eternal life begins when people start treating one another as if they matter. That is why loneliness is such a serious problem. Loneliness is not merely the absence of relationships. It is the feeling that no one sees you. The answer is not simply more activity, more entertainment, or more social media. The answer is community. It is friendship; hospitality; learning to notice people; taking time to listen; remembering names; asking questions; making room at the table. Every person you meet is carrying burdens you cannot see. Some are grieving. Some are afraid. Some feel forgotten. Some wonder whether their lives have significance. A simple act of kindness may mean far more than you realize. A conversation may change someone's day. An invitation may change someone's future. A friendship may change a life. The Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed and the eternal life John described become visible whenever people treat one another with dignity, compassion, and love. That is how Jesus changes the world. One person at a time. One conversation at a time. One act of grace at a time. Because every person you meet matters. And so do you.

Welcome to Gary's Condorance Filter by Keyword Select Keyword A concordance is an index that helps readers find where a topic is discussed. This concordance searches my entire library—not just one book. Select a topic from the list, and you'll see every place I've written about it, whether in a book, article, devotional, or book summary. As new resources are published, the concordance continues to grow. Keyword PAGES SOURCE CATEGORY Link

Jesus Matters Something remarkable is happening; it is reported that many people are leaving the church in yet are still fascinated by Jesus. Some have been disappointed by religion. Some have been hurt by Christians. Some have walked away from church altogether. Yet they still find themselves thinking about Jesus. Part of the answer is that Jesus has a way of pursuing people long before they understand what is happening. People assume that faith begins when a person starts searching for God. Sometimes that is true. But many followers of Jesus tell a different story. Looking back, they realize that before they were searching for God, God was already searching for them. Perhaps that has happened to you. You cannot explain why Jesus continues to capture your attention. You have questions about Christianity but remain curious about Him. You have left the church but cannot completely leave Jesus behind. What you are experiencing may be more than curiosity. You may be discovering that God has been drawing you all along. What is it that Jesus offers that continues to attract people generation after generation? He speaks to two realities every human being eventually encounters. First, you want to become the person you were created to be. Like the Greeks of the ancient world, you long for a life that is authentic, meaningful, and whole. You want healthy relationships, purpose, integrity, and peace. You want your life to matter. You want to become the best version of yourself. Yet you have probably discovered that some obstacl es cannot be overcome by determination alone. Fear, selfishness, resentment, anxiety, addictions, wounds, and destructive habits often prove stronger than our best intentions. You know who you would like to become. The challenge is becoming that person. Second, like every human being, you carry things that cannot simply be forgotten. You may carry guilt for things you have done. You may carry shame for things that have been done to you. You may carry regret over opportunities lost, relationships damaged, promises broken, or years wasted. No amount of success, achievement, distraction, or self-improvement completely removes these burdens. The Bible calls these realities sin. However, as the Bible explains, sin is more than breaking rules. It is everything that damages our relationship with God, with others, and even with ourselves. It is what keeps us from becoming fully human. The Hebrew prophets understood this. They challenged people who carefully practiced religion while neglecting justice, mercy, and compassion. John the Baptist called people to repentance through honesty, generosity, and fairness. Jesus welcomed outsiders, healed the broken, confronted injustice, and restored dignity to those who had been pushed aside. Jesus understood the hunger beneath our struggles. When he said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” he was speaking to people who knew something was wrong and longed for life to be made right. Perhaps that describes you. So, what is Jesus’ answer to these two human problems? It is not a philosophy, a self-help program, or a set of religious rules. His answer is Himself. Through His crucifixion, Jesus confronted everything that separates us from God and diminishes our humanity. He bears our sin, our guilt, our shame, and our failures. The cross is God’s declaration that no person is beyond forgiveness, beyond mercy, or beyond redemption. The cross reveals the depth of God’s love. It shows that God does not stand at a distance from human suffering and brokenness. God enters it. Jesus willingly entered the worst that human beings could do—betrayal, violence, humiliation, and death—and responded not with hatred or revenge, but with forgiveness and self-giving love. But forgiveness alone is not enough. You and I need more than a clean slate. We need a new life. That is why the resurrection matters. The resurrection is God’s declaration that sin, evil, despair, and death do not have the final word. It is the beginning of a new creation. It is the promise that people can change, wounds can heal, relationships can be restored, and hope can be renewed. Jesus not only forgives us for what we have done. He begins transforming us into the people we were created to be. The earliest Christians called this grace. Grace is not God’s overlooking our failures. Grace is God’s active presence working within us. It forgives. It heals. It restores. It strengthens. It empowers. Left to ourselves, we remain trapped between our aspirations and our limitations. We know what kind of people we want to become yet repeatedly fall short. Jesus enters that struggle and offers both forgiveness for our failures and power for transformation. This is why Jesus matters. He matters because he addresses the deepest needs of the human heart. He matters because he offers forgiveness where there is guilt. He matters because he offers healing where there is brokenness. He matters because he offers hope where there is despair. He matters because he shows us what true humanity looks like. And He matters because through his death and resurrection. He makes that new humanity possible for us. Those are the reasons Jesus continues to fascinate people—even those who have left the church—is that He has not left them. Long before many people begin searching for God, they discover signs that God was already searching for them. The invitation Jesus offered two thousand years ago remains unchanged today. When Jesus met people wrestling with life’s deepest questions, searching for meaning, purpose, truth, and hope, he did not begin with a theological system. He began with an invitation. “Follow me.” “Come and see.” That same invitation extends to you. If you are weary from carrying burdens you cannot seem to lay down, if you are searching for forgiveness, longing for authentic life, or hoping that change is still possible, listen to the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus matters because he still offers that invitation today. BACK TO TOP

This site helps people understand and adopt a Christian Worldview and become a Matthew 25er, who, tell the truth, love their neighbor, and plant for a better future. OurBooks Coming Soon BACK TO TOP

People who wish to purchase a book can click on the book cover displayed and be taken to Amazon, where they can buy the book, which will be shipped directly to them. Shipping Policy A legal disclaimer The explanations and information provided on this page are only general and high-level explanations and information on how to write your own document of a Shipping Policy. You should not rely on this article as legal advice or as recommendations regarding what you should actually do, because we cannot know in advance what are the specific shipping policies that you wish to establish between your business and your customers. We recommend that you seek legal advice to help you understand and to assist you in the creation of your own Shipping Policy. Shipping Policy - the basics Having said that, a Shipping Policy is a legally binding document that is meant to establish the legal relations between you and your customers. It is the legal framework for presenting your obligations to your customers, but also to address different possible scenarios that may occur, and what happens in each and every case. A Shipping Policy is a good practice and it helps both sides - you and your customers. Your customers may benefit from being informed about what they can expect from your service. You may benefit because people may be likely to shop with you if you have a clear Shipping Policy in place since there won't be any questions about your shipping timeframes or processes. What to include in the Shipping Policy Generally speaking, a Shipping Policy often addresses these types of issues: the timeframe for processing orders; the shipping costs; different domestic and international shipping solutions; potential service interruptions; and much, much more.

Gary C Fairchild Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with an illustration of two builders, two foundations, two houses, and one storm. The whole sermon builds toward the stormy finale. His teaching is about spiritual formation, from the inside-out, preparing Christ followers for a blessed life when storms come--which they always do. This book is a 30-day devotional on the Sermon on the Mount from the Beatitudes to the final the storm. Watch for its release later this summer. BACK

< Back Title You can get more out of your site elements by making them dynamic. To connect this element to content from your collection, select the element and click Connect to Data. Once connected, you can save time by updating your content straight from your collection—no need to open the Editor, or mess with your design. Add any type of content to your collection, such as rich text, images, videos and more, or upload a CSV file. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Collaborate on your content across teams by assigning permissions setting custom permissions for every collection. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Ready to publish? Simply click Publish in the top right of the Editor and your changes will appear live. I'm a paragraph. I'm connected to your collection through a dataset. Click Preview to see my content. To update me, go to the Data Manager. I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Previous Next