As Christians, we all want to grow closer to Jesus, but it doesn’t happen without some intentional training. Spiritual disciplines, according to Bishop Manny Carlos, are “habits or practices that are intended to help you grow in your relationship with God…and in Christlikeness.” Over the summer, we are going to cover one Spiritual Discipline a week as we attempt to use them in our lives to grow closer to Jesus and closer in likeness to the life He lived.

We can run, hide, avoid, or medicate ourselves to hide from sorrow, pain, and suffering but God has given a pathway to engage it with Him. When we Lament, we are taking hold of the tools God has given us to process the difficult seasons, unfortunately, we rarely use it in our culture today. How do we recapture the lost art of Lament and use it as a discipline today?

As Christians, we all want to grow closer to Jesus, but it doesn’t happen without some intentional training. Spiritual disciplines, according to Bishop Manny Carlos, are “habits or practices that are intended to help you grow in your relationship with God…and in Christlikeness.” Over the summer, we are going to cover one Spiritual Discipline a week as we attempt to use them in our lives to grow closer to Jesus and closer in likeness to the life He lived.

Nobody wants to talk about money in church! Yet, Jesus talked A LOT about money during his ministry on earth. Our desire to avoid the topic just reveals how strong our relationship with finances tends to be; it affects our lives, minds, hearts and actions. If we don’t look at what the Bible says on the topic of stewardship in our finances, then the world will shape our view of money for us.

As Christians, we all want to grow closer to Jesus, but it doesn’t happen without some intentional training. Spiritual disciplines, according to Bishop Manny Carlos, are “habits or practices that are intended to help you grow in your relationship with God…and in Christlikeness.” Over the summer, we are going to cover one Spiritual Discipline a week as we attempt to use them in our lives to grow closer to Jesus and closer in likeness to the life He lived.

Listening to God is a lost art in our culture yet we see constant example of it in the Bible. We are also aware that God has place the Holy Spirit in us for a reason. Yet, very few of us act like the Holy Spirit is involved in our lives, minds, hearts and actions. What do the scriptures say about this and how do we listen to the voice of God (and act on what we hear) in a responsible manner?

As Christians, we all want to grow closer to Jesus, but it doesn’t happen without some intentional training. Spiritual disciplines, according to Bishop Manny Carlos, are “habits or practices that are intended to help you grow in your relationship with God…and in Christlikeness.” Over the summer, we are going to cover one Spiritual Discipline a week as we attempt to use them in our lives to grow closer to Jesus and closer in likeness to the life He lived.

The Word of God is foundational to any believers walk with Jesus. It is the means by which God has given us specific revelation of who He is, what He is like, and how we are to follow God. There are many different ways to engage with God through His Word. The important thing is that we do it! Pick a method, get an accountability partner, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and listen to God’s word.

Dwayne Williams speaks about Race and the Church.

The debate about women and leadership in the church has caused a tumultuous rivalry in recent years. While the there seems to be strong prohibitions for women in ministry, there are some contextual questions that must be considered before we make a final conclusions. When the smoke is clear, we must be united as a church on issues that we cannot draw 100% conclusions on. Let us join together in rightly dividing the scripture and choose liberty in issues which are held in high debate among sincere, bible-believing, communities around the world!

In Ephesians, Paul compares the body of believers to a human body. It has many parts, systems, and appendages that must work in unison so that the body functions correctly. Each of us is different and each of us have been given a different “gift” of Christ wherein we excel. We are meant to share that gift, equip others with our gift, and work as a united body under one head which is Jesus Christ.

There are so many divisions in the midst of our culture today: denominations, ideologies, politics, preferences, doctrines, gifting, values, and the list goes on… Our natural tendency is to group up together with those who already agree with us. It is no wonder Jesus calls His followers to radical unity and places a weight of urgency on this topic. In fact, the very mission of God is at risk!

How do we place the same level of urgency Jesus places on unity without losing our distinct identity as christians?

There are so many divisions in the midst of our culture today: denominations, ideologies, politics, preferences, doctrines, gifting, values, and the list goes on… Our natural tendency is to group up together with those who already agree with us. It is no wonder Jesus calls His followers to radical unity and places a weight of urgency on this topic. In fact, the very mission of God is at risk!

How do we place the same level of urgency Jesus places on unity without losing our distinct identity as christians?

Cases of anxiety and depression are rising in the U.S. Most of us have encountered it personally or through someone we know. What does Jesus offer to those of us who suffer this side of eternity with issues of mental health?

Additionally, mental health can be a difficult topic for the Christians to deal with, but we have often stepped into territory that is not our expertise. It would be a huge disservice to leave Jesus out of the equation. He is called the Great Physician and our Wonderful Counselor!

How do we engage such a sensitive topic from a spiritual/biblical angle without doing damage along the way?

Join us as we take two Sundays to talk about this from two perspectives - clinical and spiritual. If you struggle with anxiety or depression, you are not alone, and the scriptures are not silent. We hope to see you over the next couple weeks as we tackle this difficult topic!