Pastor Chad wants to be satisfied and content in life, he wants to be generous in supporting his neighbors, but  . . . too often a scarcity mindset takes over. When that happens he moves into conditional (If-Then) thinking: IF I get a raise, THEN I will be content with my income and give more to charity; IF I could retire, THEN I would have time to volunteer. In this week’s Gospel Jesus is encouraging his followers to stop waiting for the IFs and be generous with our time and resources NOW. When we make an effort to be generous NOW, our heart will follow and we can find true contentment living the way God intends.

Pastor Stephanie invites us to consider the big impact a small gift can make when offered out of love and compassion. A meager offering of 5 loaves and 2 fish rippled out across the crowd of 5,000. A simple gesture of caring, like returning a cherished blankie to a frazzled mom and fussy infant, can make a world of difference in the lives of our neighbors. And serving our neighbors from a place of love and compassion lightens the load of ‘Compassion Fatigue’ that comes from a place of obligation.

Pastor Chad invites us to consider the way our faith lives can flourish if we move from understanding of faith (church, religion, spirituality) as an obligation to something that is a lived out encounter of God’s love for us and our neighbor.

Pastor Stephanie shares a message for All Saints Day on finding comfort in grief as Jesus promised in the Beatitudes.

Pastor Chad hates having to say “I don’t know what to do” But sometimes you can’t escape it, no matter how much you prepare or research or train! That is especially true when facing the "hard things" in life, where we don't know the outcome of our decisions or actions. The Good News in the Story of Esther, is that it’s okay not to know the outcome when there is hope that God is with you even when you are uncertain. Esther is a reminder that faith is not built on certainty it is built on hope and trust.

Pastor Chad shares a message exploring the Calling of Moses. God called a reluctant Moses, who was happy being a shepherd, to be God’s messenger in Egypt even though he wasn’t an eloquent speaker or recognized as a powerful leader. Moses keeps insisting he is not the right person for the job even suggesting God "send someone else" but God has a role for Moses and equips him to make a difference. Over and over in the biblical story God is choosing the reluctant, under-qualified, politically weak, to leave the comfort of the cheap seats and get in the game!

Sometimes perfectionism gets in the way doing the right thing. Perfectionism demands we act & speak in line with society’s expectations but for change to happen sometimes we need to speak the truth to those in power. Society expected the Syrophoenician Woman to know her place and not interact with Jesus instead she puts perfectionism aside to remind Jesus that even the crumbs of God’s compassion make a difference for everyone! Pastor Stephanie offers up this an example of how we can reclaim words meant as insults to empower us to bring about God’s vision of compassion for all, even the little puppies picking up the crumbs under the table. 

There are so many words in use today. Unfortunately, sometimes we can’t trust words because the way they are being used doesn’t reflect reality. And when we can't trust words we tend not to listen. This week Pastor Chad invites us to listen to the story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha & Mary a little differently. With so many words to choose from what were the ones that caught the attention of Mary to the point where she stopped what she was doing, the tasks expected of her by society, in order to listen. By living out the words Jesus used to share God’s vision for Creation we can make sure our words and actions reflect a reality of grace, compassion, forgiveness, and love.

Throughout our lives we find ourselves trying to be grafted into a vine. Pastor Chad recalls trying to survive on the Cool Kids Vine in the 90’s, a vine that produced a very specific looking fruit with just the right style of the moment. Surviving on that vine was stressful and sapped all your resources trying to keep up with fleeting fashion. Then Pastor Chad invites us to explore what it means for us to be branches connected to Jesus the vine. Being connected to Jesus does not sap our resources, it offers nourishment and support as we are connected to a whole community that is seeking to bring about God’s vision for all of Creation.

An ad campaign for a candy bar coined it so well “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Pastor Stephanie admits she gets “hangry” when she hasn’t eaten or is overtired. Our focus text this week shows the prophets of the Bible got hangry, too. The Prophet Elijah is ready to give up after running for his life. God provides a shaded place to rest and an angel bring Elijah some food. Rested and fed he can carry on and complete the mission God had set for him. As we look to Flourish by “Letting Go of Exhaustion and Cultivating Balance” the story of Elijah is a reminder that God knows when we need a break to refuel and encourages us all to take time to find a better balance to our lives.