We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Where do you tend to carry fear, pressure, or uncertainty by yourself instead of bringing it to God in prayer?
2. Think about a burden that keeps showing up in your thoughts this week, and discuss what it would look like to turn that burden into an alarm to pray.
3. Look up Philippians 4:6 to 7, and talk about why God’s peace is promised before the circumstances are necessarily changed.
4. Consider the teaching that petition comes after alignment, and discuss how your requests might change if you first prayed, “Father, align my heart with yours.”
5. What is one thing you cannot control right now, and what would it practically look like to release it to God rather than obsess over the outcome?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

Welcome to The After Sermon by Plum Creek Church.

This bite-sized discussion is where we get to sit down with our communicators and ask a few follow up questions connected to the weekend message, unpack it on a deeper level, and explore how it all relates to our journey of following Jesus more fully.

In this episode of The After Sermon, Eric sits down with Michele Cushatt to continue the conversation from her message on prayers of thanksgiving. Together, they unpack the important difference between being thankful for every circumstance and being thankful in every circumstance.

Michele reflects on why gratitude is not about denying pain or pretending suffering is good, but about anchoring ourselves to a reality bigger than what we can see right now. Through her own experience with cancer, loss, and permanent physical limitations, she shares how the hope of resurrection changes the way we face the brokenness of the present. Eric and Michele also talk about why remembering God’s past faithfulness matters so much, how easily we forget what God has already done, and how practices like storytelling, prayer, and reflection help tether us again to what is true.

This conversation is also available on our YouTube channel along with the full message that this discussion is based on.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plumcreekchurch

You can learn more about Plum Creek Church by visiting our website as well.

Website: https://plumcreek.church/

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Where do you notice your gratitude rising and falling with your circumstances, and what would it look like for Thanksgiving to become more steady in your life?

2. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and discuss the difference between giving thanks in all circumstances and giving thanks for all circumstances.

3. Think back over a hard season you have already survived. What evidence of God’s faithfulness can you see now that may have been hard to notice at the time? 

4. The teaching invited people to remember, celebrate, and anticipate. Which of those three practices feels most needed in your prayer life right now, and why?

5. How might seeing communion as a Thanksgiving table change the way you remember Jesus, celebrate his presence, and anticipate his return? 

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

Welcome to The After Sermon by Plum Creek Church.

This bite-sized discussion is where we get to sit down with our communicators and ask a few follow up questions connected to the weekend message, unpack it on a deeper level, and explore how it all relates to our journey of following Jesus more fully.

In this episode of The After Sermon, Daniel sits down with Eric to keep talking about the prayer of lament and why it matters for anyone trying to follow Jesus through real pain.

Together, they unpack the difference between simply getting through pain and learning to honestly bring it to God. Eric shares why lament is not wallowing, weakness, or a pointless spiritual exercise, but a structured prayer that helps us address God, name what hurts, ask boldly, and trust him with what we cannot fix on our own.

The conversation also explores why many of us struggle to believe God can handle our frustration, questions, or grief. From Hannah’s story to Psalm 22 to the wilderness imagery of Scripture, Daniel and Eric reflect on how lament gives us a way to be with God in the desert, not just rush toward the promised land. They also talk about what it means to sit with others in their pain without rushing to fix it, explain it, or cover it with spiritual platitudes.

Lament does not pretend everything is resolved. It gives us language for honesty, a path toward healing, and a way to trust that God is present with us in the middle of what still hurts.

This conversation is also available on our YouTube channel along with the full message that this discussion is based on.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plumcreekchurch

You can learn more about Plum Creek Church by visiting our website as well.

Website: https://plumcreek.church/

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Think about the ways you tend to cope with pain (bury it, numb it, stay busy, blame, or spiritualize it) and discuss which one shows up most in your life and why. 

2. How might your relationship with God change if you practiced bringing raw, honest emotions to Him instead of filtering or avoiding them?

3. Reflect on a time when you avoided dealing with pain and consider what healing might have looked like if you had addressed God, named it, asked for help, and chosen to trust Him. 

4. Look up Psalm 22 and discuss how the movement from honest questioning to asking and trusting can shape the way you pray during difficult seasons.

5. In what ways could learning to lament actually deepen your worship and trust in God rather than weaken your faith?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

Welcome to The After Sermon by Plum Creek Church.

This bite-sized discussion is where we get to sit down with our communicators and ask a few follow up questions connected to the weekend message, unpack it on a deeper level, and explore how it all relates to our journey of following Jesus more fully.

In this episode of The After Sermon, Daniel sits down with Doug to continue the conversation around prayer, confession, and the freedom that comes when we bring the real us before God.

Building from last week’s focus on adoration, Doug shares how remembering who God is helps us come honestly before him with the places we have fallen short. Together, Daniel and Doug talk about Psalm 51, David’s honest prayers, the way unconfessed sin can quietly block us from rearranging our lives around Jesus, and why confession is not about shame or performance but relationship.

This conversation is a reminder that God does not ask us to come to him already fixed. He invites us to come honestly, trusting that his mercy is greater than what we carry.

This conversation is also available on our YouTube channel along with the full message that this discussion is based on.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plumcreekchurch

You can learn more about Plum Creek Church by visiting our website as well.

Website: https://plumcreek.church/

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Doug said he wanted the relief of confession without the honesty of confession; where do you see that same instinct show up in your own life?

2. What hidden thing, unresolved thing, or normalized pattern might God be inviting you to bring into the light instead of carrying it alone?

3. Look up Psalm 51:10 through 12 and notice that David asks God to create, renew, and restore. Which of those words feels most needed in your life right now?

4. How does it change your view of confession to hear that God does not call us to confession to shame us, but to free us?

5. Where might you be managing the image of being okay instead of letting God deal with the real you?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

Welcome to The After Sermon by Plum Creek Church.

This bite-sized discussion is where we get to sit down with our communicators and ask a few follow up questions connected to the weekend message, unpack it on a deeper level, and explore how it all relates to our journey of following Jesus more fully.

In this episode, Daniel sits down with Doug to unpack a simple shift that can reshape how we experience prayer.

Doug reflects on why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray—and how that same tension still exists for many of us today. From there, the conversation moves into why this season isn’t meant to be a just a weekend series, but something we actually practice and grow into over time.

They explore how easy it is to treat prayer like a reaction to pressure, and why Jesus intentionally begins with adoration instead. Not as a rule to follow, but as a way to re-center our attention, reconnect our hearts, and remember what’s true before we bring what we need.

If you’ve ever felt unsure where to start in prayer—or found yourself defaulting to quick, reactive prayers—this conversation offers a simple, practical next step to begin again.

This conversation is also available on our YouTube channel along with the full message that this discussion is based on.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plumcreekchurch

You can learn more about Plum Creek Church by visiting our website as well.

Website: https://plumcreek.church/

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. What would change in your prayer life if you began with adoration before bringing God your needs?

2. Think about the idea that many of us treat prayer like a spiritual 911 call. Where do you see that pattern in your own life?

3. Look up Matthew 6:9 to 10 and notice the order Jesus gives. Why do you think He starts with the Father’s name, Kingdom, and will before daily needs?

4. When your soul starts spiraling toward worry, resentment, or fear, what would it practically look like to pray, “Father, lift my eyes”?

5. Consider the phrase, “healthy prayer doesn’t just ask for God’s activity. It yields to God’s authority.” What is one area where you may be asking for help while still white-knuckling control? 

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

Welcome to The After Sermon by Plum Creek Church.

This bite-sized discussion is where we get to sit down with our communicators and ask a few follow up questions connected to the weekend message, unpack it on a deeper level, and explore how it all relates to our journey of following Jesus more fully.

In this episode of The After Sermon, Daniel sits down with Tomy right after kicking off the Prayer series to explore the deeper why behind prayer before the series moves into the how.

They unpack the tension between knowing something matters—like prayer—and actually building a life around it, and why that gap is often harder to close than we expect. The conversation also leans into the humanity of Jesus, exploring how his rhythm of prayer wasn’t just natural—it was intentional and often costly.

Along the way, they reflect on prayer as the “language of abiding,” what it means to stay aware of God’s presence in everyday life, and why prayer might be less about getting what we want and more about aligning our hearts with God’s. If you’ve ever felt the disconnect between wanting a deeper relationship with God and actually living it out, this conversation helps name that tension and gently reframe it.

This conversation is also available on our YouTube channel along with the full message that this discussion is based on.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plumcreekchurch

You can learn more about Plum Creek Church by visiting our website as well.

Website: https://plumcreek.church/