UBC Wed For Life

  Across Scripture, history, psychology, and lived human experience, periods of deprivation and uncertainty consistently precede transformation. The settings in which these periods occur are both physical and psychological and are biblically referred to as the wilderness. The wilderness appears as a recurring environment in which control is removed and identity is clarified. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness of Midian before liberating Israel. Elijah fled to a cave when death threats stripped him of his prophetic confidence. Jesus Himself, immediately following His baptism and divine affirmation, was “ led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted ” for forty days (Matthew 4:1). This was not accidental wandering but intentional leading, suggesting that barren seasons function as deliberate mechanisms rather than random misfortunes. This observation raises a fundamental question: If wilderness experiences appear consistently in transformational narratives, what divine ...

                  The Story We’re Taught About Power Most of us grow up learning the same unspoken rule: if you want influence, take control. Climb the ladder. Guard your position. Don’t look weak. Over time, this story shapes how we understand leadership, success, and even our sense of purpose. Yet many discover a strange contradiction: the tighter we grasp for control, the more restless, disconnected, and exhausted we become. That inner tension opens the door to a deeper question: Is there another way to live and lead? When Power Fails to Deliver If power, as the world defines it, so often corrodes meaning and connection, is there an alternative vision for greatness, one that produces wholeness instead of harm? More specifically, does Jesus offer more than a moral challenge? Does He provide a workable redefinition of power and purpose that actually leads to life? Understanding True Power Jesus’ life and teachings exhibit a radical possibil...