Commons Church Podcast

Toward. Away. Against: This is a really simple way to think about our default reaction to conflict, our stress reaction to conflict, and how as healthy humans we can choose to respond with the strategy that is most appropriate in any given encounter.

The experience of the global pandemic has changed us. And it has changed our friendships. Some may have deepened, while others have dwindled without getting a solid chance to take root.

Let's begin the new year with a conversation on that deeply personal connection with others we all long for but often struggle to cultivate.

Friendship is essential to our humanity. It is also a gift that we are free to receive and to offer. Some friendships help us become our true selves.

You might remember with fondness the name of your childhood buddy. You know what it feels like to let your guard down with that one person in your life. After

all, they really care. And you are most certainly familiar with the pain of broken trust.

So join us to take another look at friendship together. Let's discover more about ourselves and what it means to cultivate friendships in a world that feels increasingly lonely and polarized.

The experience of the global pandemic has changed us. And it has changed our friendships. Some may have deepened, while others have dwindled without getting a solid chance to take root.

Let's begin the new year with a conversation on that deeply personal connection with others we all long for but often struggle to cultivate.

Friendship is essential to our humanity. It is also a gift that we are free to receive and to offer. Some friendships help us become our true selves.

You might remember with fondness the name of your childhood buddy. You know what it feels like to let your guard down with that one person in your life. After

all, they really care. And you are most certainly familiar with the pain of broken trust.

So join us to take another look at friendship together. Let's discover more about ourselves and what it means to cultivate friendships in a world that feels increasingly lonely and polarized.

The experience of the global pandemic has changed us. And it has changed our friendships. Some may have deepened, while others have dwindled without getting a solid chance to take root.

Let's begin the new year with a conversation on that deeply personal connection with others we all long for but often struggle to cultivate.

Friendship is essential to our humanity. It is also a gift that we are free to receive and to offer. Some friendships help us become our true selves.

You might remember with fondness the name of your childhood buddy. You know what it feels like to let your guard down with that one person in your life. After

all, they really care. And you are most certainly familiar with the pain of broken trust.

So join us to take another look at friendship together. Let's discover more about ourselves and what it means to cultivate friendships in a world that feels increasingly lonely and polarized.

The experience of the global pandemic has changed us. And it has changed our friendships. Some may have deepened, while others have dwindled without getting a solid chance to take root.

Let's begin the new year with a conversation on that deeply personal connection with others we all long for but often struggle to cultivate.

Friendship is essential to our humanity. It is also a gift that we are free to receive and to offer. Some friendships help us become our true selves.

You might remember with fondness the name of your childhood buddy. You know what it feels like to let your guard down with that one person in your life. After

all, they really care. And you are most certainly familiar with the pain of broken trust.

So join us to take another look at friendship together. Let's discover more about ourselves and what it means to cultivate friendships in a world that feels increasingly lonely and polarized.

Try this thought experiment. What moments in your life do you consider pivotal? Maybe it’s a big trip, grad school graduation, or the birth of a child.

Now, imagine yourself taking ten minutes to write from memory what happened, how you felt, and who said what. Next, imagine someone else who was with you writing down what they saw, how they felt, and who said what.

Can you imagine the differences? One story feels intimate, the other distant. One story catches a mortifying detail, the other only fondness. One stirs sadness, and the other stays upbeat. There are so many angles to the same story. It’s true in life, and it’s true in the scriptures.

This Advent, we go back to the moments just before Jesus was born. We trace tragedy in a genealogy. We find comedy in Joseph's confusion. We see fairytale in Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy. We stumble through mystery as Mary gets the news of a baby soon born to change the world.

Try this thought experiment. What moments in your life do you consider pivotal? Maybe it’s a big trip, grad school graduation, or the birth of a child.

Now, imagine yourself taking ten minutes to write from memory what happened, how you felt, and who said what. Next, imagine someone else who was with you writing down what they saw, how they felt, and who said what.

Can you imagine the differences? One story feels intimate, the other distant. One story catches a mortifying detail, the other only fondness. One stirs sadness, and the other stays upbeat. There are so many angles to the same story. It’s true in life, and it’s true in the scriptures.

This Advent, we go back to the moments just before Jesus was born. We trace tragedy in a genealogy. We find comedy in Joseph's confusion. We see fairytale in Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy. We stumble through mystery as Mary gets the news of a baby soon born to change the world.

Try this thought experiment. What moments in your life do you consider pivotal? Maybe it’s a big trip, grad school graduation, or the birth of a child.
Now, imagine yourself taking ten minutes to write from memory what happened, how you felt, and who said what. Next, imagine someone else who was with you writing down what they saw, how they felt, and who said what.
Can you imagine the differences? One story feels intimate, the other distant. One story catches a mortifying detail, the other only fondness. One stirs sadness, and the other stays upbeat. There are so many angles to the same story. It’s true in life, and it’s true in the scriptures.
This Advent, we go back to the moments just before Jesus was born. We trace tragedy in a genealogy. We find comedy in Joseph's confusion. We see fairytale in Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy. We stumble through mystery as Mary gets the news of a baby soon born to change the world.

Try this thought experiment. What moments in your life do you consider pivotal? Maybe it’s a big trip, grad school graduation, or the birth of a child.

Now, imagine yourself taking ten minutes to write from memory what happened, how you felt, and who said what. Next, imagine someone else who was with you writing down what they saw, how they felt, and who said what.

Can you imagine the differences? One story feels intimate, the other distant. One story catches a mortifying detail, the other only fondness. One stirs sadness, and the other stays upbeat. There are so many angles to the same story. It’s true in life, and it’s true in the scriptures.

This Advent, we go back to the moments just before Jesus was born. We trace tragedy in a genealogy. We find comedy in Joseph's confusion. We see fairytale in Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy. We stumble through mystery as Mary gets the news of a baby soon born to change the world.

Try this thought experiment. What moments in your life do you consider pivotal? Maybe it’s a big trip, grad school graduation, or the birth of a child.

Now, imagine yourself taking ten minutes to write from memory what happened, how you felt, and who said what. Next, imagine someone else who was with you writing down what they saw, how they felt, and who said what.

Can you imagine the differences? One story feels intimate, the other distant. One story catches a mortifying detail, the other only fondness. One stirs sadness, and the other stays upbeat. There are so many angles to the same story. It’s true in life, and it’s true in the scriptures.

This Advent, we go back to the moments just before Jesus was born. We trace tragedy in a genealogy. We find comedy in Joseph's confusion. We see fairytale in Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy. We stumble through mystery as Mary gets the news of a baby soon born to change the world.