"As we emerge from General Conference, we will be different," writes Rev. Tim Overton-Harris for the CrossOver Blog. "I, for one, am not willing to give up hope that the new cosmos birthed in the life and teachings of Jesus will continue to grow and expand..."

"Violence and Power – we are hard-wired for them," writes Rev. Mary Huycke in her post for the CrossOver year study. As she looks toward the 2019 General Conference, she considers instead the model of Jesus and the harder but better way of "vulnerability in the face of conflict and difficulty."

Growing up, OR-ID Conference Lay Leader Jan Nelson describes herself as a "nerdy church kid." Like many devout young people, she wrestled with deep questions about life after death, and, over the years, has found better questions.

For Marie Kuch-Stanovsky, January was a month of huge transitions. Not only did she and her husband move into a new home, their church, Trinity United Methodist, Ballard also moved out of its home of 90 years. In her devotion for the CrossOver study, Marie finds inspiration and connection in Marie Kondo's practice of gratitude and decluttering, and Jesus' own practice of letting go.

In this week's CrossOver post, Rev. Dan Wilcox shares how a memorable scene from Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian,’ illuminates the challenge of distance. As we seek to "hear" what Jesus taught to his first disciples and understand what those teachings mean for us today, there are obstacles, some dear to us, that can get in the way.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's creative adaptation of the story of Alexander Hamilton is one that should challenge and inspire us. Rev. Jeremy Smith challenges us to look to the Bible with such creative eyes. Are the stories we are seeing the "ones we want to see, the ones we are trained to see, or the ones we need to see?"

"I have done a lot of wonderful things I never anticipated doing and I have failed in unexpected and unimaginable ways." In a post for the CrossOver study, Rev. Daniel Miranda shares how our openness to adventure introduces risk, and great opportunities to learn, grow and love.