If you want to run away, ask yourself why. What motives you to want to run away? Sometimes, the things we try to avoid are areas where we can experience newfound freedom. Avoidance has a way of catching up on us. Lessons from Jonah Pod 206

If you are usually a good sleeper and something changes, you are probably worried or stressed about something. Waking up at night can be reframed as a potential opportunity to receive God's guidance. Today, we will hear about God's creative and unusual ways to get our attention. 1 Samuel 13 Pod 205

"You are my beloved," God says. The challenge is receiving this love when we don't feel loved or deserving of love. This is the big learning curve. Text Mark 1. Pod 204 

It’s common to go through seasons when we feel out of control. Most of us try to resist feeling vulnerable at all costs. Jesus addresses this dilemma in today’s teaching. Text Matthew 11 Cousin John’s Dark Night of the Soul. Pod 203

When you are entirely convinced of your life's direction, you don't need the affirmation, understanding, nor approval of others. Matthew 1. Pod 202 Lesson from the Christmas story, Joseph.

We all find ways of coping with the challenges and stresses of life. Jesus teaches that not all of the ways we cope with anxiety, fear, and grief are helpful. He teaches we must learn how to "guard our hearts." Luke 21.   Pod 201

A life playing it safe isn't a life, Jesus taught. There is too much to lose by simply not trying. We may be hesitant because we might fail or be misunderstood, and our ideas may not work, but that's no excuse for not moving ahead. After all, isn't that what trust is all about? The Parable of the Talents. Matthew 25. Podcast 200

When you think about it, life is one extensive, multilayered healing opportunity. Recognizing our need for help and healing is what it means to be human. The text is Luke 17.    The Parable of the Ten Lepers Pod 199

Is it possible to live without regret? In today's parable, Jesus reminds us that avoiding, ignoring, or procrastinating things we need to say or do ultimately diminishes us and holds us back. The text is Matthew 21—the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. Pod198

Mourning is the way to go, Jesus teaches. Don't deny it, shy away from it, stuff it, medicate it, grieve! Grief has many faces: unwelcome changes, a relationship ends, a loved one dies, we can lose a sense of purpose or sense we have no place in this world. The suffering of others around the world can take its toll. Today, Jesus teaches about the necessity of learning how to grieve well. Matthew 5 Blessed are those who mourn.