99 CHURCH

Starts and ends. Why is it so important to start and end the day with God? When we feel stuck in our faith, we must make space for God to move our hearts once again.

When we started sheltering in place, we hoped it would only be for a short season. But with a recent spike in COVID cases in California, it's looking more and more like this will be our new normal for longer than we expected. As we head into the summer season, we feel Holy Spirit inviting us to change our posture. Listen in as we go through 99's Rule of Life for the summer as we rest in Jesus, rest in one another, and bring rest to the weary.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by life? We remember that Jesus too was overwhelmed. He responded by running to the Father. When our hearts are overwhelmed, we are called to run to the rock that is higher.

For every struggle we face in life, there is a "... but God." In this season, many of us feel tired on the inside. Tired from processing what's going on in our world, tired from sorting through our emotions, and tired of being tired. But God comes to meet us in that place to give us rest and renew our strength.

Only a united Church can heal a divided nation. There is power when believers come together in agreement, lifting their collective voice to the world and to the Heavens.

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. As we turn on the news, we're confronted once again with the sad reality that racial injustice continues to persist in our nation. When will enough be enough? While the Church has offered plenty of thoughts and prayers, we must see that it's not enough. Faith compels us to action. How does the Gospel compel us to respond to racism?

What if singing was more than just an expression of worship? What if singing could also be an expression of prayer? We see a beautiful connection between worship and prayer found all throughout Scripture. This week, we explore the practice of singing prayer.

We assume information will lead to transformation. Right now, disciples of Jesus have access to more information than ever before, yet so many of us feel no less closer to being transformed than when we first began. Information doesn't transform us, encounter does. One of the places God chooses to encounter us is in our imaginations. This week, we dive deeper into the practice of imaginative prayer.

Have you ever felt like your prayers to God were "left on read"? This week, Pastor Christa reminds us that God is moved when we are persistent in our prayers. There are realms of Kingdom authority that require us to do the time.

Intercession is the place where we join with Jesus in praying for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We see that our prayers can move God's heart, and with it God's hand.