MVT: Rewind

Loneliness not only affects our mental health, it affects our physical health as well. In his greatest expression of creativity, God made us; and He made us to be with one another. It takes intentionality and being present is one of the greatest ways to push back against loneliness. For extroverts this might feel easy, and for the introverts it might feel hard. But God wants every single one of us to seek unity!

3 in 10 people experience loneliness daily- before COVID. Our guess is that that number has only grown in the last few years. Whether it’s something you experience every day, every week, or only sporadically, loneliness has affected all of us in some way. One of the enemy’s greatest weapons against us is making us believe we’re isolated from the love of God and people. How do we move from loneliness toward community? We begin by having honest conversations.

Jesus was the model of sacrificial generosity. Not only did he willingly submit his actual life for us, but his time on earth was spent seeing the needs of people and ministering to them. We are given daily opportunities to follow His example. Jesus was the model of sacrificial generosity. Not only did he willingly submit his actual life for us, but his time on earth was spent seeing the needs of people and ministering to them. We are given daily opportunities to follow His example. Often that involves us taking a risk!

We all want to use what we’ve been given with wisdom. We want to steward our resources well. Ignoring, overlooking or mismanaging what we have can lead us to places we don’t want to be. Stewardship requires action and intentionality to make sure we’re showing up in a way that aligns with God’s heart and our own! When we act as wise stewards, our impact is multiplied.

It doesn’t have to hurt! We are in our second week of talking about money, and it’s already getting easier, isn’t it? This week Brandon taught us that everything we have belongs to God. For some of us, it might be easy to acknowledge this with our words, but our practices might tell a different story. Let’s work together to explore whether we are following the god of money, or following the God of the universe (spoiler alert - it can’t be both!)

Most of us think about money multiple times throughout the day, but rarely do we have honest conversations about it! Talking about our finances can be uncomfortable, but this is something Jesus discussed ALL. THE. TIME! We want to create a community where we’re able to have safe, honest conversations about the things that matter most to us and to God. God cares deeply about our trust and so often the way we spend our dollars reflects where we put our security.

The empty tomb shows us that even when we grieve, even when we are disappointed, even when we feel lost - the light will overcome our circumstances. The light of Jesus has no limits. Even when we don’t feel a desire to acknowledge His light, it is still there, ready to shine on the darkest parts of our lives and our hearts. The light of Jesus is transformational. Because of Jesus, we have hope for now, and hope for later.

None of us can keep our promises perfectly, as much as we might try. God knows this and that’s why he sent Jesus- to fulfill every promise on our behalf. Palm Sunday reminds us that our best attempts at saving ourselves can never measure up, but Jesus already has. We get to rest in his grace and salvation.

Peace making is not for the faint of heart. Listening just to listen, not to reply is hard. Speaking gently instead of letting the first words that come to mind fly out of our mouths is hard. It’s hard and holy work that sanctifies us and helps us look more like Jesus. Not only that, but listening humbly and speaking gently leads to peace in our souls and in our social lives. Peace making is not for the faint of heart. Listening just to listen, not to reply is hard. Speaking gently instead of letting the first words that come to mind fly out of our mouths is hard. It’s hard and holy work that sanctifies us and helps us look more like Jesus. Not only that, but listening humbly and speaking gently leads to peace in our souls and in our social lives. 

Losing isn’t just an effective strategy, it’s a requirement for living in the footsteps of Jesus. Let’s take steps towards peace by laying down our own pride, and believing that our relationships are more important than being right!