Narrate Church

What does it look like to focus in a culture that seems to be doing all it can to keep us from doing so? We sit down to work on a problem or formulate an idea, only to find ourselves answering email. We go to dinner with a friend and spend time majority of the time tending to texts and social media pings. And then there's our kids! How do we help them navigate a world deeply influenced by constant connection and novel Internet stimulation? How is it impacting the way we think? What's it doing to all of our ability to relate? I think we all have a sense that the Internet in general and smartphones in particular have dramatically changed our lives. But have we stopped to consider how? What if there's a tremendous advantage to be found in engaging technology differently? In getting intentional by creating well researched boundaries. What if those healthy iPhone boundaries are certain to gain an advantage in creativity, productivity, and connection? This is a series about how the Internet and its myriad devices impact our ability to think and relate to others. It endeavors to delve into our need to create boundaries for iPhones, the Internet, and the vast array of web tools. What's the value of conversation?

What does it look like to focus in a culture that seems to be doing all it can to keep us from doing so? We sit down to work on a problem or formulate an idea, only to find ourselves answering email. We go to dinner with a friend and spend time majority of the time tending to texts and social media pings. And then there's our kids! How do we help them navigate a world deeply influenced by constant connection and novel Internet stimulation? How is it impacting the way we think? What's it doing to all of our ability to relate? I think we all have a sense that the Internet in general and smartphones in particular have dramatically changed our lives. But have we stopped to consider how? What if there's a tremendous advantage to be found in engaging technology differently? In getting intentional by creating well researched boundaries. What if those healthy iPhone boundaries are certain to gain an advantage in creativity, productivity, and connection? This is a series about how the Internet and its myriad devices impact our ability to think and relate to others. It endeavors to delve into our need to create boundaries for iPhones, the Internet, and the vast array of web tools. What's the value of boredom?

What does it look like to focus in a culture that seems to be doing all it can to keep us from doing so? We sit down to work on a problem or formulate an idea, only to find ourselves answering email. We go to dinner with a friend and spend time majority of the time tending to texts and social media pings. And then there's our kids! How do we help them navigate a world deeply influenced by constant connection and novel Internet stimulation? How is it impacting the way we think? What's it doing to all of our ability to relate? I think we all have a sense that the Internet in general and smartphones in particular have dramatically changed our lives. But have we stopped to consider how? What if there's a tremendous advantage to be found in engaging technology differently? In getting intentional by creating well researched boundaries. What if those healthy iPhone boundaries are certain to gain an advantage in creativity, productivity, and connection? This is a series about how the Internet and its myriad devices impact our ability to think and relate to others. It endeavors to delve into our need to create boundaries for iPhones, the Internet, and the vast array of web tools. What's the value of focus?

What does it look like to focus in a culture that seems to be doing all it can to keep us from doing so? We sit down to work on a problem or formulate an idea, only to find ourselves answering email. We go to dinner with a friend and spend time majority of the time tending to texts and social media pings. And then there's our kids! How do we help them navigate a world deeply influenced by constant connection and novel Internet stimulation? How is it impacting the way we think? What's it doing to all of our ability to relate? I think we all have a sense that the Internet in general and smartphones in particular have dramatically changed our lives. But have we stopped to consider how? What if there's a tremendous advantage to be found in engaging technology differently? In getting intentional by creating well researched boundaries. What if those healthy iPhone boundaries are certain to gain an advantage in creativity, productivity, and connection? This is a series about how the Internet and its myriad devices impact our ability to think and relate to others. It endeavors to delve into our need to create boundaries for iPhones, the Internet, and the vast array of web tools. What does it mean to love God with your mind?

Are we who we set out to be?

What is the difference between members and owners? What does a community of owners look like?

What causes you financial angst? A lack of a plan? The sheer weight of responsibility? What if the angst prompted by the sheer weight of responsibility honors God?

There is a tension between how the world is and how we want it to be. Look to any news source for even a moment and this thought reconfirms itself as a reality. More personally, individuals can look at their own lives and find a relationship, a decision, an occupation, a long-term habit, or a decisive moment as a situation in which circumstances aren't what are hoped for. For many, the path to getting better is to eradicate that personal stumbling block, to reach a decisive moment when the relational conflict is resolved, to find the spouse, have the children, not be sick any longer, or get the dream job. The list of solutions is near endless and each item involves an "over the mountain" or "next step" component. Jesus entered a culture paining for change, a people oppressed and in need of justice, a society wrecked with inequality, and individuals who knew the dynamics of suffering and patience at the depths of their hearts. Jesus, being a candidate for change, spoke of a Kingdom. Yet, this Kingdom was not over some mystical barrier and often did not include easily observable change. This Kingdom was available now and was to be realized as within you. So, it begs the questions: Did Jesus let these people down? Does God still do this today? Is God even worthy of trust? Even if certain parts of life aren't perfect, is hope and peace still accessible? If so, how? What if one of the best means to being inwardly stable is to be outwardly focused?

There is a tension between how the world is and how we want it to be. Look to any news source for even a moment and this thought reconfirms itself as a reality. More personally, individuals can look at their own lives and find a relationship, a decision, an occupation, a long-term habit, or a decisive moment as a situation in which circumstances aren't what are hoped for. For many, the path to getting better is to eradicate that personal stumbling block, to reach a decisive moment when the relational conflict is resolved, to find the spouse, have the children, not be sick any longer, or get the dream job. The list of solutions is near endless and each item involves an "over the mountain" or "next step" component. Jesus entered a culture paining for change, a people oppressed and in need of justice, a society wrecked with inequality, and individuals who knew the dynamics of suffering and patience at the depths of their hearts. Jesus, being a candidate for change, spoke of a Kingdom. Yet, this Kingdom was not over some mystical barrier and often did not include easily observable change. This Kingdom was available now and was to be realized as within you. So, it begs the questions: Did Jesus let these people down? Does God still do this today? Is God even worthy of trust? Even if certain parts of life aren't perfect, is hope and peace still accessible? If so, how? What if sometimes the most helpful solution to a difficulty is far different than thought of, planned, or expected?

Few words buzz more than the word anxiety. Rarely used ten years ago, today anxiety is common place in the English lexicon. But why? Why does anxiety so efficiently capture our struggles? What role do our thoughts play in our anxiety? From this question, we can begin to explore what happens when we learn to monitor our thoughts in order to reject what is toxic and more fully dwell on what is helpful. What if anxiety isn't a new phenomenon? What if dealing with dread is as old as the human experience? What if those of us who struggle mightily with anxiety have failed to develop certain skills that promote thriving? What if we normalize fear?