Light In Your Corner

• God works within His own order
• God looks at the heart
• Our genders work in conjunction with the gifts we have been given
• We don’t want to be told what to do
• “I heard that, God.”

Daily Bread: Table Talk Edition

We are all growing, but the real question is: in which direction? Justin Whitmel Earley’s book The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction is our starting point today as we continue our discussion on daily bread.  

Daily bread isn’t just something we receive; it’s something we share. It’s a “give US this day…” thing. And there is a word for that–hospitality. Hospitality doesn’t just bless our neighbor, it blesses us in the process. So what does hospitality look like and how can we make it part of our lifestyles? We pray this conversation inspires you in your own acts of hospitality.

Also:

• Habits as a trellis to guide our growth
• Curating responses vs. authentic conversations
• Dedicating your home to God
• Our tables and mandatory mealtimes
• Hospitality hope for the younger generations
• Our love for well-crafted commercials

https://www.thecommonrule.org

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table With Recipes by Shauna Niequist

#tabletalk #dailybread #hospitality #habits #Jesus #lightinyourcorner

• Naming our homesteads
• Nature and our moods
• 30-second smoothies in just 20 minutes
• Weeding, companion planting, and other metaphors
• Plant personality quiz
• Repotting revisited
• My limited capacity to determine what is deserving of my attention
• What gods do the gentiles have?
• Vacuuming mattresses
• Comfort-blanket books

A Good King and a Great Adventure

Hey, friends! We are back in the Lord’s Prayer today because it really is a practical daily prayer. Also, we have a bunch of questions, like:

• What does it mean to keep God’s name holy in my day-to-day life?
• How can I see God’s kingdom here today, and actually live in it?
• How is God’s kingdom the antidote for all my anxiety?
• Is excessive knee-jerk volunteerism a thing? (Asking for a friend…)
• And can Jesus show me what it actually means to walk through life seeking God’s will above my own?

It’s a packed episode, friends! There’s so much good stuff here and we hope you find that it makes your day just a little lighter. Enjoy!

ALSO:

• Books we really really get into
• The holy practice of walking your dog
• Gratefulness as a tool to keep God’s name holy AND see His kingdom come
• Rewriting old prayers
• Life with God is all adventure, even when we can’t see it
• Not just bringing the kingdom but also receiving it

#Jesus #TheLordsPrayer #Hallowedbeyourname #Thykingdomcome #Thywillbedone #faith #trust #abundance #loveyourneighbors

”For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A Dad Better Than Your Dad

Throughout time, people have had their ideas of what God looks like. What is His character? What does He think of me? And then Jesus steps on the scene and tells His disciples to call God “Father”. Jesus reveals the character of God the Father and we see something scandalous; we see that God is close. He is familiar.

This holy God, whose name we hallow, comes near. So the question is, what kind of father is He?

We know He is good, so what does that look like in terms of fatherhood? And how can our identity as His child inform how we live and love our neighbors?

ALSO:

• “Daddy God” prayers
• How familiar is too familiar?
• Scattergories Gratefulness Challenge
• We want a dad who fights for us
• A woman’s role in fatherhood

Bible references: 

Acts 28:1-6

Proverbs

Matthew 6:7-15

#jesus #lordsprayer #ourfather #light #lightinyourcorner #podcast #goodfather

Insta: @mosesandzippora

Insta: @tylercstaton

Insta: @branthansen

Insta: @joshgarrels 

Insta: @mattchandler74

Sunday Matters

Why does one Sunday a couple thousand years ago make a difference in how we view our neighbors, handle our problems, or just navigate the day-to-day demands of life? How does it become a lens by which we see the world? How can collecting stories and stones build a life that points everyone to God?

We have questions this week, as usual, but the big one is, “Why does this matter?” It’s a question we all need to ask because Resurrection Sunday really does matter. It matters every day and it matters for all of us. 

• “Being present” with a purpose
• Brain input and output
• Jesus shows up and serves
• Knee-jerk compassion
• Overcoming insecurities about our stories

#Jesus #lightinyourcorner #easter #compassion

#light #stories #resurrection

Scripture: Luke 24

Media: 
"Seamless" Bible Study with Angie Smith
"Redeeming Love" Book by Francine Rivers
"Passion of the Christ" Movie
"School of Rock" Movie

This One is Scary Good

Hook: Happy Holy Week, friends! Today we get to talk about the scariest day on the planet. But good news–it already happened!

Luke 22 and 23 have us asking a lot of questions, which is PERFECT because during this time of the year (Passover) questions are the name of the game. So here are just a few we tackle:

What happens when Jesus delivers something different from what we expect?

What scares us and how does God answer our fears?

How can we show up in our marriages and homes?

What’s the point of rereading and recounting stories?

How does praying help us face fear and temptation?

And are Lauren and Monica actually talking about the same song, or did two different songs make them bawl like babies?

We love you guys. Thanks so much for being here. We pray this conversation blesses you! Sunday’s coming!

ALSO:

• Good old fashioned cutthroat family game time
• Jesus has something in the works
• Fear and the scarcity mindset
• “Mean Girls” as a starting place for the Gospel
• Cutting Peter some slack (Cutting–get it?)

#jesus #fear #prayer #temptation #stories #deliverance #gospel #light #lightinyourcorner 

Scripture: Luke 22 & 23

Media:
Song: "Sunday's Comin'" by Zach Williams
Bible App Personal Study: "The Passover Experience"
Movie: "Mean Girls" the Musical
Book: "Recovering Our Sanity" by Michael Horton
Movie: "Passion of the Christ" 

Tell Your Story

Is it a problem or an opportunity? Sometimes it’s both! Problems are discouraging, they tempt us to give up UNLESS God opens our eyes to what He is doing. 

So what do we do when the odds are stacked against us? When people challenge our faith? When we are dismissed and disparaged?

Jesus tells us what not to do: don’t stress and obsess; because, in the end, God’s got this and He will bear witness to the truth.

Here’s another little Flashlight to encourage you today!

ALSO:

• Finding common ground in our stories
• Getting out of God’s way
• Rap battle advice
• The Francis Chan/Bob Goff personality spectrum
• 1 Peter 1=a good way to start your day

#light #lightinyourcorner #podcast #flashlight #stress #faith #testimony #story #jesus #encouragement #opportunity #holyspirit #bible #hope

Scripture: Luke 21:10-18

Bad things will happen in the earth and at the hands of humans

BUT THIS WILL BE YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BEAR WITNESS.

Why should we not meditate beforehand?

1. If you obsess you will rely more on yourself and mistakenly think it is up to you
2. you get in your way with your own agenda
3. you mistakenly think your did i on your own
4. in reality you will have no idea what God wants from the exchange anyway
5. God makes it His business to work through unqualified people
6. we aren’t married to the results
7. we see how God worked through it
8. we don’t make it about ourselves/skills/knowledge– God gets all the credit

Media:
TV Show: "Wheel of Freestyle" with Lin-Manuel Miranda

FLASHLIGHT! Offering Our Two Cents

How is generosity a liberating force? How can five dollars increase our faith?

This isn’t an ad. We aren’t asking for your money. We are just dipping our toes into Luke 21 because when Jesus stops to notice things, it’s a good idea for us to pay attention. 

It’s our first ever Flashlight–we hope you enjoy this briefer, but just as light, discussion!

ALSO:

• God doesn’t need you to fund His projects
• Having the hots for Luther
• Litter receptacles in Bible times?
• How giving isn’t just good for the recipient, it’s good for the giver

First steps to giving:

• Pray for the want to
• Be deliberate with your gratitude
• Pick something to give up for a time and use that money to be generous somewhere else

#giving #generosity #money #jesus #trust #faith #lightinyourcorner #light #gospel

Scripture:
Luke 21:1-4

On C.S. Lewis and giving: https://www.mogiv.com/2016/04/how-much-is-enough-c-s-lewis-one-rule-for-generosity/

Info about ancient offering boxes and more: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-95-giving-pleases-lord-luke-211-4

The Minimalists: https://www.theminimalists.com/

Mission https://www.lcms.org/makeagift/mission-

The Evil Farmers and The Cornerstone 

Authority. There, we said it. It's not a happy word, but keep listening because it is the Gospel word we need to hear!

We were made to submit to authority! But whose authority? And how is this good news?

It’s good news because today we talk about how the One who is in charge is the One who will prevail. The One who is in charge is the One who is patient with His people. The One who is in charge is the One who acts on our behalf out of love for us.

We face people and circumstances that are hard, sure. But this life is temporary. So how do we live this temporary life with an eye on eternity?

How do we participate in what God is doing when we aren’t sure exactly what He is doing?

How do we combat faith-crushing box checking and entitlement?

We will talk about all that, and much, much more. 

(ALSO)

• Please pray for Papa Princess. If nothing else, pray. for. him.
• Monica votes: thumbs up for Patagonia raincoats, thumbs down for the NLT.
• Please don’t make me the Next Big Thing, Galaxy AI.
• Laundry heroes weigh in on Lauren’s stains.
• Life is better if we assume Jesus knows better.
• Drive time with Monica and Brody.
• God is in the business of working through idiots.

#Jesus #evangelism #prayer #authority #faith #sanctification 

Scripture: 

Luke 20:9-18

Parable of the Sower: Matthew 13:1-17

”Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.“

‭‭John‬ ‭9‬:‭39‬-‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Outside Podcast: https://www.outsideonline.com/podcast/

Book: “Praying like Monks, Living Like Fools” https://www.amazon.com/s?k=praying+like+monks+living+like+fools&hvadid=617695327884&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9019035&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12449247854035345061&hvtargid=kwd-1730838115574&hydadcr=13131_13367718&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1kpqeawht1_e