Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

So depending on who you talk to in the world of Spirituality, you can come away with differing ideas as to what it’s really all about. For some, it’s all about where you go in the afterlife – heaven or hell. For some, spirituality is a vehicle to experiencing a more abundant/prosperous life here on earth. For others still, it’s about living a more selfless life for the benefit of others. And there are more.

So which is it? Which expression or focus of spirituality has made the most sense to you and helped you experience transcendence, the “More”, or God?

Truthfully, we’re not sure what the right answer to this question is, perhaps there are many or it’s a combination of some…

This Sunday though, I want to explore another expression/focus that is resonating more and more with many of us and leading us to deeper/higher levels of transcendence.

I think it could do the same for you…if it hasn’t already.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

This Sunday is a public service announcement. Or maybe a Friends Church Service Announcement. Things you need to know if you are part of the Spiritual Gym.

I want to be honest with you. You all have picked a difficult path for your spirituality. Not a bad path, but a difficult path. There are many paths to spirituality that are easier than being here. And if you can make those work, I highly recommend them.

But if you are like us, those paths don’t work.

And so we are here.

And so are you.

And I want to warn you, or maybe help you set your expectations.

This isn’t the easy way to spirituality. It isn’t. But if you are willing to do this work, your spirituality will be of the kind that the easy path is totally incapable of giving you.

Let me say that again. You didn’t pick the easy path, but this path has the potential to give you a spiritual journey that far transcends what comes from the easy path.

And so Sunday, in order to encourage you to continue along your beautiful journey, I want to give you a heads up on what you can expect.

But more than that, I want to show you what the path of religious freedom can give to you.

And tell you why I think it’s all worth it.

Come on out this week, bring a friend, and let’s get at it.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

I don’t know how many times I’ve done it. After looking for 10 minutes for something, I yell out to Cathy to help me find it. What’s really annoying is when she says, from upstairs, “It’s right there, Jeff!”. Here’s the thing, I’ve looked everywhere and I know it’s not right there.

But then she comes down and finds it almost right where she said it was. But not quite…because there was a piece of paper lying over it. So technically I was right. 😉

The spiritual journey can be a lot like this. Many will go searching for experiences of the divine – to connect to something deeper – something More, but in the end give up trying – thinking the sacred is nowhere to be found.

This Sunday I’m exploring another ancient Jewish ritual. Though the ritual in and of itself isn’t earth shattering, the concept that lies underneath it has helped our ancestors recognize the divine that is often “right there”.

Link to the Ted Talk that was featured at the end of Jeff’s message: https://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

As we each explore our unique spiritual journeys, one of the things we probably all want to know is:

* How do we increase our connection to More – the divine, God, that ineffable connectedness between us all, etc.?

* How do we get more of More?

This week we are going to explore the ancient ritual of Sabbath, but this time it’s not focused on rest or not working. This week we are going to explore another aspect of the Sabbath that explores how we are living our lives, dealing with the chaos all around us, the unfinished things that weigh us down. All of this negatively impacts our ability to connect to More.

But there are ways through the chaos of our lives, ways of managing the unfinished things, such that we can find that space where the More often is found. That’s what we want to do this week. Come join us either in person or online.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

A lot of reflecting happens at this time of year. Over the next few days social media will be filled with people’s highlight reels from the past year. Places they’ve gone, things they’ve done, people they’ve spent time with. It’s really the ultimate bragging opportunity for those who want to show others how great their lives have been. [Note: hint of sarcasm] 😉

What is much less popular is the reflection on what went wrong over the past year. You know? The mistakes and misdeeds that we made over the last 365 days. How many of us will post stories about those things? The times we drank too much or spent too much. The regretful times when we said or did something that hurt someone. The truth is, reflecting on our mistakes is difficult, if not painful.

And yet, this difficult reflection is part of an annual ritual that the Jewish community has engaged in for 1000’s of years at the beginning of every year. It’s considered one of the most important rituals of their entire calendar.

This Sunday I’m going to talk about this ritual and elements within it that could be tremendously beneficial to all of us.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

We probably all have beliefs that don’t really work anymore.

Beliefs about us: I’m not enough, I’m too _____, etc.

Beliefs about others: they want to hurt me, they don’t like me, etc.

Beliefs about the world: its not safe, its out to get us, etc.

And while these beliefs might have once helped us, chances are they are no longer helping us in this life. Part of our Spiritual Journeys, we believe, is to become aware of these beliefs and change them when needed.

So this week, as our final service of 2021, we are going to explore together how to change these beliefs. And we are doing to do it by examining the evolution of the stories about Jesus over time.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

So what do you do when you can’t seem to escape a painful event from your past? For some, a haunting memory still causes anxiety, or feelings of being out of control, it can stir up self-loathing. For others, it causes them to constantly scan for danger or rejection. Some still have nightmares and flashbacks. Most will mention mental fog…lots of mental fog that makes focusing on the present moment so difficult.

What do you do? Where do you turn when a dark chapter seems stronger than your best efforts to heal?

This Sunday, in the final chapter of this series, I’m going to break down some of the options that are available for those who are still being controlled by something that’s happened. We’re talking about different types of therapies and even drugs that have helped people…of course, along with some cautions.

Whether it will be you one day who will need this or someone you love, you won’t regret knowing where to begin looking for help to face and conquer these ghosts from our past. See you in the gym this Sunday

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

I was walking down the sidewalk a few days ago, yelling at my phone. Literally yelling out loud at my phone. I was trying to pay for parking and the parking app wasn’t working and I lost it! Lost it!

O.K., I’m willing to bet you all know a little of what I mean? It’s maybe not on the parking app while walking down the road but…

Where do you lose it? When do you behave in a way, that when you look back, you are not sure what possessed you? And who has been hurt in the process? You? People around you?

Throughout this series, we have looked at the Cracks in our Foundations. From fears from our childhoods and from how we were raised. They all seem to be still in there ready to jump out and make us lose it.

But what if there was a toolkit that we can make use of that would help us avoid these moments when we snap? We can avoid saying that hurtful thing. We can not act like a crazy person. What if there were a series of things we could do to help us keep calm? Would that be valuable in your life?

It has been in mine and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. For all of us who have behaved, in a moment of high stress, in ways we are not proud of, this is a must attend event. Because we are going to learn the Toolkit of emotional regulation that you never learned when you were young, but have been paying for all along.

Come on out, as a way to get ready for the stress of the holiday season, and learn how to stay calm through whatever comes your way.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

After last Sunday’s message, I’ve been thinking a lot about the kinds of situations that trigger overreactions on my part.  Though there are a number that come to mind, there’s one I’ve been thinking a lot about…

It happens when I notice things left lying around in our home, especially when we’re about to have people over. This causes anxiety and stress to grow inside me. I start pointing blame, barking orders at family members, even saying mean things. It’s like I temporarily lose my mind and act out of character. I often don’t realize I’m doing it until it’s too late. By that point though, the insults and accusations have left their wounds. It’s a regretful and troubling pattern that’s been with me for a long time.

As embarrassing as that is to admit, I know I’m not alone. Many of us are being subconsciously triggered by things that others are doing and saying. Some of us will overreact, others will under react. Sadly, both patterns can create all kinds of relational damage in the process.

The weird thing is, I’ve never really thought about what’s behind my patterned behavior. What is my subconscious so concerned about to cause that reaction? Wouldn’t it be nice to understand what our minds, bodies, or brains are so fearful of or anxious about? Experts suggest that gaining this awareness is key to breaking free of these patterns.

So this Sunday I’m talking about some common drivers that perpetuate these sabotaging patterns in our lives!  Invite a friend and join us in the gym – either in person or online.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

We are just entering the holiday season. A time of festivities and gatherings (safely of course). And, often, family.

And there is nothing that can make us more crazy than our families. Love them (or not), a friend of mine says:

“Your family knows how to push your buttons, they put them there after all.”

So how do we ready ourselves for the inevitable stress of the holiday season? And maybe even further than that? How do we become healthy, whole human beings that are not triggered by life’s events?

This is the first week of the series entitled ‘Cracks in the Foundation’ where we will look at where these issues came from and start to understand how to be free of them. Our goal is to ready us all for the holiday season in a way that allows us to avoid those awkward family moments but also avoid them in all of life.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/podcast