Messy Christianity

Once you've involved yourself and your family in a church body, how do you stay? Conflicts come and personalities clash. Congregations are full of people, and people aren't perfect. How do you stay when things get tougher?

Choosing a church family is a big decision. What factors should you be looking for? What is most important?

In this episode we each picked out 5 books that have had a major impact on us. There was some overlap, and we also struggled keeping the list to "just 5".

We are to be encouragers and life-givers. Is what we say and what we do helping or hurting others? Does this mean we always have to be positive? How do we have the hard conversations, and how does this fit into giving life? We explore these questions and more in this podcast.

God still speaks today. For those of us that have been around church life for any period of time, this is not breaking news. We have heard this message many times. But, how does God speak? How do we hear from Him? How do we know it is God speaking?

Busy, Busy, Busy. Schedules are hectic. Our lives are full. We run from one meeting to the next appointment. Calendars and planners are a tool to keep us on track. But, are we a slave to our day or is it a slave to us? How in the world can we get everything done that needs to be done, while still saving time for family, self, exercise, and rest?

Giving God a blank check is scary. He has a plan, but we don't always know what that plan is. How do we give God an open-ended "yes"? The Christian life requires faith, sometimes a blind faith. In this episode we discuss how this practically plays out.

Cluttered. For many of us, that is a description of our lives. We have busy schedules, we have more than enough stuff, we have learned to fill every single second of our lives. But, what if the whole secret is having less? Less stuff, less entertainment, less clutter, less to do. Could this be the path to fulfillment?

Life can be discouraging. Situations come at us everyday. Everyone is busy and trials and challenges abound. Bad work environments, disobedient children, financial struggles, relationship problems. It is so easy to be overwhelmed. Meanwhile, everyone else seems to be content and happy. So, what about us? How can we stay encouraged in this tough world?

What expectations are placed upon us as Christ followers? God pursues us and desires relationship with us, but what does He want from us in return? People are wired to be "doing" people. We love tasks and checklists. But, as we discuss in this episode, going through the motions and performing isn't God's desire for us.