Bear with Me: Integrating Belief and Practice in the Christian Life

Vanessa and Andy are back with a new season of Bear with Me episodes.

In this one they tackle love (not just the romantic kind) and why it can be SO SO hard to love others. The Bible surprises us with the answer - HINT: It's less about WHAT we're doing than it is about WHY we're doing it. Tune in to hear more!

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Thanks for listening and please look for us and Season 2 of the Bear with Me Podcast in September 2021!!!

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Vanessa connects with Liz and Anna K to think through how to spiritually prepare for summer both in general and specifically as women.

We can do a lot of reflection and mental and spiritual prep for the fall, winter and spring, but summer can catch us off guard. Can we be more prepared for the "Mountains are calling - I must go - YOLO!" season? Friends of the show, Liz and Anna, help Vanessa think through this HOT topic!

Resources Mentioned:

Vanessa's "How to Summer" PDF

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We take our recurring theme of Isolation and Community to a rural location featuring an interview with former Tabler Charis Zillman. 

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The Mission given to followers of Jesus encompasses ALL of Life. Andy and Vanessa explore some of the practical implications of how to take this seriously and what it means for us.

Resources and Links:

• The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society - Leslie Newbigin
• A Refutation of Moral Relativism - Peter Kreeft

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We take a break from our Discipleship Series to Return to the Last of our Rooted Focus on Every Member Mission.

We long for every-member mission, since all Christians form the body of Christ with each member using their gifts for His mission to the world.

How does diversity serve unity?

Should Jesus followers be open to a Religious Pluralism?

How will Jesus work out his rule and reign in a world so full of darkness, evil and hate?

Where SHOULD reconciliation happen??

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We continue our discipleship series by following up with last week's exploration of Matthew 28:16-20 - also known as the Great Commission. In this episode we get into the Meat & Potatoes of Discipleship (Apprenticing / Following). What is involved? What are we supposed to "make" exactly? And how do we do it?

Jesus calls us into a complete reorientation of our lives around him and then calls us to point others to that same allegiance. But he doesn't leave us alone, He is the Master and we are His apprentices. And the classroom is all of life every day!

Resources from the show:

• Testimony Worksheet
• Testimony Fill-in-the-Blanks
• Becoming Faithful Witnesses Worksheet

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Andy and Vanessa kick off their Discipleship Series with the last words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew.

Are all Christians disciples?

Is “doubt” a normal part of discipleship?

How does reading (or watching) Lord of the Rings tech me about discipleship?

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Josh Wilton is a pastor, church planter, photographer, and creative communicator who also wrote a novel. He takes us on a tour of his creative processes as a parable for our life with God and one another.

Josh talks about 5 guidelines for engaging the world around us and noticing God's Presence:
Show up.
Don't miss the Moment.
Chase the Light.
Pay attention to Shadows.
Attend to the Details

PSALM 19

Links to photos Josh refers to in this episode - 25:58

Resources:
Fiction: Is it True, Useful and Justifiable? - Josh's Masters Thesis

Art in Action by Nicholas Wolterstorff - Taking vigorous issue with the pervasive Western notion that the arts exist essentially for the purpose of aesthetic contemplation, Nicholas Wolterstorff proposes instead what he sees as an authentically Christian perspective: that art has a legitimate, even necessary, place in everyday life.

The Table's Easter Video

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Hunting for Jewels as the Creative Life. --> Matthew 13:44-46

At The Table Church we long to creatively engage with God, one another, creation and culture since we reflect the image of God who creates, renews and restores.

In this episode we explore 5 conditions for a Creative Life with God:

1. Alternative Morality
2. Alternative Time Zone
3. Alternative Knowledge
4. Alternative Expectations
5. Alternative Race to Run

Mentions and Resources from the Show:

Table Radio Podcast

Let Your Life Speak - Parker Palmer - “Is the life I am living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” With this searching question, Parker Palmer begins an insightful and moving meditation on finding one's true calling.

Makoto Fujimura - an artist and the author of Art+Faith: A Theology of Making (Yale Press).

A Royal Waste of Time by Marva Dawn - The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for the World

The Voice of Jesus by Gordon Smith - Discernment, Prayer and the Witness of the Spirit

Ministry of Insults - Vanessa's offering on Everyday me Everyday God - Our friend Elaine Pountney's YouTube channel.

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