After a couple weeks off, we're talking about how God uses the church calendar to help us enter into His story. As we enter Holy Week, we discuss Lent and its practices specifically. To do that we're joined by 3 NLCF seniors (Lilly Church, Greg Suliga, and Ben Fischer) to talk about how the Lord has met them and shaped them through the Lenten season.

Coming off NLCF's Shaped for Relationships series, Kristal Poff joins us for a conversation about a type of the relationship we didn't get to dive into during the series: friendship. Kristal highlights how crucial friendship was in Jesus's life and ministry. She also offers some helpful ideas about vulnerability and challenge in our friendships.

Questions for reflection:

What would it look like to take a step toward greater vulnerability in your friendships? Who can you let in on more of who you are?

When you consider encouraging and challenging your friends, consider this: are you doing this for their good or for your own?

This week we're talking about how we respond when we're BLASTED (Bored, Lonely, Anxious/Afraid/Angry, Stressed, Tired, Envious, or Depressed). The reality is we're going to experience some of these emotions at different points in our lives, but often times these emotions lead us to respond in ways that aren't in line with the abundant life that Jesus offers us. They can cause us to form bad habits in order to cope rather than allowing the Lord to meet us, comfort us, heal us, and guide us to walk in the way of Jesus. 

To help us talk through what it's like to be BLASTED and how we can respond with healthy, godly steps, we're joined by Curtis Goodnight. Curtis was a part of the NLCF staff team for 4 years before heading up to Penn State last year to help plant a new church there called Storehouse. 

Questions for reflection:

-When do I tend to get BLASTED? Are there seasons or situations that usually lead me to experience one or more of these emotions? Taking some time to consider these can help us understand ourselves and our tendencies so that we can walk with Jesus when they come in the future.

-What do I do when I get blasted? 

-Consider why am I choosing to do this?

-What would I like my response to be when I’m blasted?

-Who could I share this list with?

We're kicking off season 3 of Shaped! Today we're joined by Mady Farley. Mady describes her experiences over the past few years as she's tried to discern where the Lord was leading her. Along the way, she shares some helpful for all of us as we're discerning God's guidance in our lives, whether in huge life choices or even in rhythms of our everyday lives.

Questions for reflection:

-God, how are you directing me?

-Whatever you’re discerning, who are discerning it with? How are you walking with community in your discernment?

Resources on Discernment:

-Craig Robinson's calling talks from NLCF's 2019 Fall Retreat (https://www.nlcf.net/media_category/fallretreat19/)

-Hearing God by Dallas Willard

-Walking with God by John Eldredge

After Robbie's talk on marriage during NLCF's Shaped for Relationships series, he and Kristal have a conversation about some of the practices that the Lord has used to bless their marriage. Whether you're married, in a dating relationship, or even just living in community with others, these practices can help us walk in the way of Jesus together and step into more of the abundant life He has for us.

We're wrapping up season 2 by celebrating the ways we've seen the Lord come into our lives and our community this year. We're joined by some familiar voices from the first 2 seasons of Shaped to tell stories of God's Jubilee in 2020. Though it's been a crazy year, we proclaim together that 2020 is still the year of the Lord's favor, the year of Jubilee, just like it was when Jesus stood up and read from Isaiah 61 in Luke chapter 4. Jubilee guests in order of appearance are: 

Kristen Saia, Meg Hearl, Emma Rafferty, Sara Mathew, Margaret Davis, Wendy Chinn

Then we share a psalm that was written based on the 2020 celebrations of 10 NLCFers! You can find the full text of the psalm here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Dfl8KOyDdmum82dlxqBYrxsrToeOeBD4w5CnolLGn0/edit?usp=sharing)

Thanks to Anna Gibbs, Aislinn Grant, Kevin Moyer, Deena Hines, Devin Shephard, Emma Davis, Greg Suliga, Lilly Redman, Nate Usher, and Tabitha Ngo for sending us celebrations!

Shaped will be back in 2021!

We're joined this week by one of the pastors of our church, Jeanette Staats, to talk about the spiritual practice of celebration. Jeanette shares about celebrating the gifts of God, big and small, and rejoicing with others.

Questions:

We're wrapping our series on the ways that COVID life has shaped us. This week we are joined by Emma Rafferty! Emma is a senior at Tech. She's been a part of NLCF for four years and she's one of the parents of Maroon Fam in our church. In our conversation, Emma shares about finding joy in simple things during COVID, being vulnerable with Lord and with others, and the ways that she's been both challenged and blessed by an empty calendar.

Questions for reflection:

-What makes it hard for you to slow down? What emotions does the thought of a slower pace bring up for you?

-Who are you vulnerable with? Who do you share with about how you're really doing, about the things you're afraid of or ashamed of? What would it look like to take a step into greater vulnerability with the people around you?

This week, as we continue our series on the ways COVID life is shaping us, we're joined by Margaret Davis. Margaret is an NLCF alum and a current member of the Storehouse church plant team at Penn State University. In this episode, Margaret shares about the difficulties and blessings of enforced slowness during this season and the importance of remembering the Lord's work in the face of uncertainty.

Questions for reflection

-Where are you groaning? Where are you dancing?

-What am I feeling? What does that indicate?

Resources

The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

Psalm 46:10 prayer

     Be still and know that I am God

     Be still and know that I am

     Be still and know 

     Be still

     Be 

We're shifting gears this week to talk about the ways we've been shaped by the pandemic. The fact is, 8 months into COVID life, we're different people than we were back in March. In this episode, Jennie and Christian share their experiences and unpack the ways the pandemic has formed them, both positively and negatively. 

Share Shaped on your Instagram story to be entered for a chance to win a hacky sack!

Resources:

Managing Leadership Anxiety

Psalm 44 as a model for lament:

-Begin with praise of God's past work, His promises, and His faithfulness

-Be raw with how you're feeling

-Appeal to the Lord

Reflection questions:

-How has COVID life shaped you? How are you different today than you were back in March?

-As you consider the ways this season has formed you, what do you want to hold onto? What do you want to let go of?

-Is this season about running the race well or finishing the race?