A Fresh Take

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Today, Pastor Paul and Mark start looking at some of the most ancient biblical laws: the Ten Commandments. On the surface, it might seem like that list is the Bible's answer to every "Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Life" you see out there, but when you look closer, it's so much more. "Eat ice cream from the container" and "smile more" might be good ways to improve your happiness temporarily, but the Ten Commandments are more about becoming right with God than right with your own fleeting feelings. This episode serves as a fun introduction to a topic that is not only relevant to everyday life but truthful in its adherence to biblical principles, so yes--grab that ice cream (because it does make things better, of course), turn to Exodus 20, and get ready for a modern take on an ancient ten. 

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Welcome to the fourth and final part of our series on how to determine the health of your soul with Pastor Paul and Mark. We've looked at the disciplines of solitude and fellowship and now it's time to examine the last piece of the soul-health puzzle, service. Today, Paul and Mark start by looking at the example of one of history's great paragons of service, Mother Teresa. She incorporated the value of serving others into every fiber of her being and reaped great joy and fulfillment from her experiences. We can do the same.

What the world lacks in wholeness, the person of Christ provides. And we can grow in that relationship through our selfless service to others. Our souls become full alive when we are serving, not just because we are doing things for other people, but because we are doing things for God. We hear God's voice in solitude, we experience God's presence in fellowship, and we sense God's affirmation in service. Combined, these three disciplines contribute to overall health, growth, and well-being of our souls. 

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We're continuing our examination of three essential disciplines for the health of your soul with a deep dive into the topic of fellowship this week. Jesus set the example for us when he created a ring of fellowship around himself in the twelve disciples. Although it was a group made up of drastically different backgrounds, careers, and personalities, the disciples found common ground in their beliefs, their souls, and their community--which allowed them to grow in their relationships with each other and with Christ. 

When we build our fellowship around Jesus, we will see a flourishing of emotional health and a deepening of souls. The commonalities we discover through shared joy or sorrow will allow us to develop a healthy soul even in the midst of pain. Fellowship joins solitude and service as an imperative part of keeping our souls at their best in every circumstance. 

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Pastor Paul and Mark are continuing their quest to help us examine the conditions of our soul by looking at the first in a trio of topics all vital to our soul-health: solitude. The importance of solitude and its ever-present partner, silence, might seem counterintuitive in a world that so values and exalts being productive above all else. But solitude is a discipline that forces us to be present in the moment and face the truth of ourselves in a distraction-free environment. It allows us to press pause on our daily lives and start reflecting and reconnecting with the One whose voice can sometimes be drowned out by the chaos and cacophony of the world around us. In the practice of solitude, we follow Jesus' example in Luke 6 of taking time away to be with God. The seemingly unproductive nature of stepping away to do nothing actually helps produce a soul that is happier, healthier, and more grounded in Christ.

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It won't come as a surprise to anyone when we say that we are living in world full of strife right now. Between tensions at home and aggressions abroad, the world around us is coming up a bit short in the soul-comfort department. We look at those an ocean away who are suffering beyond belief and we feel guilt about the even minor blessings we experience each day. Our souls are in trouble, and it's time to find out why.

In today's episode of A Fresh Take, Pastor Paul and Mark will try to answer some of these questions about the condition of our souls:

When so much about the condition of our soul is based on the conditions around us, how can we ever hope to find inner peace? A Fresh Take will take you on a journey over the next few weeks to discover important steps to healing, comforting, and soothing your soul.

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After a four-month hiatus, A Fresh Take is finally back with the final chapter of our series on Job! As we turn the page on this series and look forward, we focus again on the topic of suffering--but this time, we're examining different vehicles outside Job's story. Suffering can look so unique for so many across the world, from the global impact of the pandemic or the Russian-Ukraine conflict to the intimately personal repercussions of a devastating medical diagnosis. Today, Pastor Paul and Mark examine what the sovereignty of God looks like in both large and small spheres of influence and how we can trust that no matter the suffering, God is still on the throne and still in control. In a world where we are limited by the scope of our understanding, we can rest in the limitless providence of God.

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Watch Nightbirde's powerful performance on America's Got Talent.

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We're three acts into one of the greatest tales of suffering ever told, and it's time to meet some new characters: Job's friends. While on the surface they display true commitment to their friend in the midst of his suffering (have *you* ever sat in complete silence with someone for an entire week?), their attempts at "helping" Job through his grief turns out to be anything but. This week's episode of A Fresh Take looks at how we can help others in times of pain and sorry--and it might not be exactly how you think. 

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Our story continues to unfold in the second act of this four-part series on Job, a "super saint" who finds himself in a super sad situation when a conversation between God and Satan turns to something unexpected. Job is faithful, hardworking, and committed to God, but Satan poses a thought-provoking question: Would Job still be as faithful if everything he had was stripped away? Take his animals, his home, his family, even his health from him, and would he still praise his Maker? God's response: Challenge accepted.

In a book that's named for its protagonist, the Book of Job is really more about God. Yes, God allowed Satan to torment Job, just as he allows hard things to happen in our lives. God does not always prevent pain or suffering. In fact, sometimes he uses it to teach us how to rely even more thoroughly on him. And as we examine the good God who loves us through the lens of Job, we have to ask ourselves: What is our image of God even in our pain? Is he worth our faith in times of trial? Let's see what Job has to say. 

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We open on Job, a prosperous man of faith who unknowingly becomes the center of an unfolding drama between God and Satan. And so begins one of the oldest and hardest stories in the Bible, a tale of suffering, counseling, and restoring that comes through finding meaning and purpose solely in our relationship with God. Today, Pastor Paul and Mark begin a new series that asks a question so relevant it hurts: How can a good God allow terrible things to happen? In the midst of pain, loss, grief, disease (we're looking at you, COVID), and other evils of the world--where is God? 

Over the next four weeks, we want to challenge our listeners to not only follow along with us as we uncover the drama of Job's pain, but to read his story as well in the Bible. The curtain rises this week on a powerful introduction to one man's faith in the midst of suffering and continues as we examine the conversation between God and Satan, the "counseling" provided by Job's friends, and ultimately the healing that is found in God alone. Can a person hold onto his faith in God when there are no benefits attached? Enter Job. 

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We're wrapping up our series on idolatry by taking a closer look at some of the more common idols we create in our lives--science, politics, nationalism, money, pastors, ministries, and even religion itself. But while it's helpful to identify our own idols, that's only the beginning of the process of defeating the problem. Today, Pastor Paul and Mark outline the steps needed when we are confronted with an idol of our own: identify it, name it, confess it, pray about it, and, ultimately, replace it. Because in the end, we created that idol, but it's God who helps us overcome it. 

We'll be back in a couple weeks with a new series. Stay tuned!

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