99 CHURCH

With every new year comes new resolutions. But instead of forming resolutions around activity, what if we formed them around identity? Instead of asking, "What do I want to do?" we asked, "Who do I want to become?" This week, we look to writer and theologian Henri Nouwen, to guide us on our journey of becoming, as we center our lives on one word that captures the heart of our faith: Beloved.

When most of us read the story of Zechariah, we assume that his muteness was a punishment for his unbelief. But what if silence wasn't a punishment from God?What if it was a gift? What if silence is an invitation for us to experience God in greater measure?

Many of us have lost the wonder of the Christmas story because we've sanitized all the humanity out of it. We don't see the fear in the eyes of a Middle Eastern teenager dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. We don't picture Mary hunched over the side of the road, throwing up because of morning sickness. We don't imagine baby Jesus, fresh out of the womb, covered with goopy fluids, blood, and hair. God isn't afraid to get messy. And we see this no more clearly than the way He chose to enter our world, through the womb.

There is faith after doubt. We conclude our Falling Upward collection by talking about some helpful ways to get us started on our journey of rebuilding and reconstructing our faith.

In the last decade, the term "deconstruction" has spread through the church like wildfire. And depending on who you talk to, or how your social media feed is curated, that's either a good thing or a bad thing. Deconstruction has become a buzzword, that often says more about the person using it, than what it actually means. What is deconstruction? Is it something to be feared or embraced? This week, we explore the deconstruction phenomenon in the church and how God calls us to respond to it.

In the wake of another volatile, polarizing election, many people are feeling anxious, sad, angry, and troubled. But often times, church seems to be the last place we want to go when we're carrying these things. Perhaps it's because we've lost confidence that the church can be a place where we can mourn and sit in our sadness without someone trying to rally us out of it in the name of Jesus. This week, we explore the spiritual practice of lament, as we make space to process our grief with God.

The Kingdom of God doesn't come pre-assembled. It's built up brick by brick, stone by stone, person by person. Paul says we are living stones, building up the house of God. What does it look like to be a living stone? This week, on this very special 6-Year Anniversary Sunday, Pastor Mickey shares his heart for our community in this season.

Sometimes, we make the mistake of thinking faith and certainty are the same thing. But there's a kind of certainty that becomes the opposite of faith, even a sin. It's the kind of certainty that needs to desperately hold onto our pre-conceived beliefs about God, rather than being open to what God is doing or saying. This week, we continue exploring doubt, as we talk about the sin of certainty.

Many people who enter seasons of doubt often feel like they're outgrowing faith. But what if you're not outgrowing faith, but growing out of one stage of faith into another? This week, we explore Brian McLaren's "Four Stages Of Faith Development," as we try to make sense of our journey through faith and doubt.

We don’t talk much about doubt in the church. Yet, the reality is, many followers of Jesus wrestle with doubt every single day. Doubt is often seen as the opposite of faith, but what if it’s actually a key component of faith? What if doubt isn’t an enemy of faith, but a companion of faith? This week, we begin a new collection of teachings exploring doubt, and how it can actually teach us more about God.