How do you stay away from negativity?

How do you not let other people’s negativity affect you?

How does gratitude impact your perspective?

Sunday, March 3, 2024

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Quotes

Walter Brueggemann: “There is a generosity of the spirit in the gospel, a generosity not overpowered by our fears… It is this gospel based generosity that will still our fears, curb our anger, quench our brutality, and make us new.”

Anne Lamott: “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.”

How does gratitude change what is important to you?

Sunday, February 25, 2024

1 Corinthians 10:14-33

Quotes

Psalm 24:1“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too.”

Henri Nouwen: “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

Harriet Ward Beecher: “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”

How do you practice gratitude when life is hard?

Sunday, February 18, 2024Matthew 15:21-39

Quotes

Henri Nouwen: “The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

“Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a perspective puts God in view in all of life, not just in the moments we set aside for worship or spiritual disciplines. Not just in the moments when life seems easy.”

Eckhart Tolle: “It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.”

Karl Barth: “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”

How do you not get stuck in drama?

Sunday, February 11, 2024Acts 8-26

Quotes

Viktor E. Frankl: “When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Chuck Palahniuk: “People don’t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas, their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.”

Don Miguel Ruiz: “Don’t make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.”

How do you not let things hold you back from a good life?

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Matthew 19:13-30

Quote

Henri Nouwen says: “To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer.”

How can you find more stability in your life?

James 1:5-6

Quotes

Ansel Adams: “In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”

Albert Einstein: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing… Never lose a holy curiosity.”

How do you let go of expectations?

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Genesis 17:1-22

Quote

Marcus Aurelius: “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

How do you get through the hard times?

James 1:2-4

Quotes:

Marcus Aurelius: “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

Virgil: “Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance.”

How do you recognize God's blessings when life is chaotic?

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Genesis 1:9-31

Ryan Holiday: “Like a virus, calm spreads by contact. It spread through the air. We exude it, shedding our excess strength onto others, infecting them as they in turn infect others - not with a degrading, harmful agent, but one that builds strength and purpose. When everything is charged with fear, a spark can ignite a panic. It can ensure demoralization and then defeat. But just as easily, one person can ground out this dangerous electrical current. One person can turn things around.”

How do you find motivation for a healthy life?

How do you know your motivations are healthy?

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Isaiah 60:1-6

Matthew 2:1-4

Quotes:

Ryan Holiday: “What I’ve found in my research is that realism and self-honesty are the antidote to ego, hubris, and delusion.”

Brené Brown: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”

William James: “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”