We are getting into the theme of peace. We find talk of peace all over the first Christmas story. It’s in the messages of the prophets, it’s on the lips of the old priest, and it’s even sung about by a choir of angels. We all want peace, but what exactly is peace? This is important for us to get right because what we believe about peace will determine how we pursue it and as usual, God's idea of peace is way better than ours.

Joy is at the heart of what makes this season so great. You don’t just kind of feel joy. When it hits, joy completely takes over and leaves us better than it found us. We are going to talk about the joy that Advent offers and how we can facilitate a bit more of it in our lives.

For centuries, followers of Jesus have been using the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas to reorient themselves to the bigger story we are apart of and to remember that this story has a happy ending. We are going to have an old fashion sort of Advent and spend these weeks reflecting on the four traditional themes of the season-hope, joy, peace, and love. First up is hope. 

As we head into the week of Thanksgiving we are going to spend some time talking about gratitude. There are few spiritual disciplines as vital as giving thanks. 

When it comes to the topic of human sexuality and gender identity, the conversation is filled with nuance. That conversation becomes even more nuanced as it relates to the church. As followers of Jesus, how do we build community in the church amidst the theological, sexual, and gender diversity? How do we wrestle with the scriptures as well as the stories of our LGBTQ friends in such a way that honors both and still gives life? How can we begin to look more like Jesus in the midst of this potential difference? Apologies for the audio quality of certain microphones, those levels will improve around 32 min. Thank you!

In this message, we are wrapping up a 10 week series all about relationships. We will get into why it all matters so much. As followers of Jesus, how we people is about more than just getting our own relational needs met. How we people is how we spark change.

In this message, we are going to keep the conversation going by digging into one of Jesus’ most profound teachings about navigating conflict in our relationships. We will get into what to do with/about gossip, the need for a 3rd party, and when to let a relationship go.

If you are in a relationship with someone long enough, there’s bound to be some conflict. We can’t avoid it. Not if we want to have any relationships with some depth to them. In this message we will dig into one of Jesus most spicy teachings and learn a bit about how to navigate conflict the right way.

Last week we were challenged to begin exploring some of the baggage we have inherited from our family of origin. We are going to talk a bit about what to do next. Once we have started to unpack our wagon, how do we begin to move in a new direction?

So much of our people-ing is influenced by how we have been peopled. Often, the first step forward requires us to look back.