Success is an powerfully attractive siren call in our lives—if only we could get a little further ahead in our careers or studies, our lives would be much better, or so we tell ourselves.  But at what cost?

Ray Ortlund, pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville, has some great words on the allure of sucess and how it gets in the way of our more fulfilling pursuit of Jesus:

In a world of secrets, outward success is everyone’s goal.  If we can just succeed, we won’t have to face ourselves.  No wonder that doesn’t work.  It can’t work.  The reality of what we are will always topple this house-of-cards persona we so earnestly wish were true.

The gospel is not God’s way of giving us an even better self-improvement goal.  The gospel is God’s judgment on our better selves and his replacement of it all with Jesus.
Every one of us thinks, “If only I could do __________ or be __________, then I would arrive.”  So, what does “arrival” look like to you?  If it isn’t Jesus, the risen Lord himself, every arrival you achieve is only another set-back.

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We just added a new page to our website dedicated to Verve, our college community at The Vine. To learn more about this ministry go here. Also, please join us in praying for students at UW Madison and other area colleges. Young men and women are an essential part of our vision to mobilize future leaders for the planting of churches and building of God's kingdom here and around the world. 

This Sunday we will begin a 6 week series on the Vision of The Vine church. Please join us as we explore these important Biblical values that guide us as a church. 

The Vine Church Exists....

• Week 1: For Glory of God 
• Week 2: For the Local Mission of God 
• Week 3: For the Global Mission of God 
• Week 4: For the Community of God 
• Week 5: For the Transforming Gospel of Jesus 
• Week 6: For the Saving Gospel of Jesus