St. Andrew UMC Podcast

At the End of the Day: 7 Questions for Mindful Living

May 4 – June 22

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence… that Christ is in you. Test it out” (2 Corinthians 13:5, The Message).

With those words, Paul urges us to take inventory of our lives daily—to “review the tapes” to see where we might have lived up to our faith, and where we might have fallen short. In this series, we’ll put a new twist on an old form of prayer called “The Examen” which gives us a formula for intentional self-examination at the end of each day. How can we yield our own will to God’s purposes if we are not conscious of our own shortcomings? How can we see where God has shown up in our lives if we do not reflect on the experiences and encounters of our day? 

At the End of the Day: 7 Questions for Mindful Living

May 4 – June 22

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence… that Christ is in you. Test it out” (2 Corinthians 13:5, The Message).

With those words, Paul urges us to take inventory of our lives daily—to “review the tapes” to see where we might have lived up to our faith, and where we might have fallen short. In this series, we’ll put a new twist on an old form of prayer called “The Examen” which gives us a formula for intentional self-examination at the end of each day. How can we yield our own will to God’s purposes if we are not conscious of our own shortcomings? How can we see where God has shown up in our lives if we do not reflect on the experiences and encounters of our day? 

Every day, we must choose: will we live half alive and preserve the illusions of a Good Friday world; or will we live fully alive, astonished that the risen Christ is all around us, that love wins and life prevails and what we always assume is the end is actually just the beginning.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.

The Beautiful Empty: Lent 2025

March 9 – April 13

Blaise Pascal once spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum” in the heart of every person that can only be filled by God. Yet we spend so much of our lives trying to fill that vacuum with everything but God. When we feel worthless, we seek validation from our work. When we suffer from loneliness, we turn to relationships to save us. When we experience boredom, we binge on entertainment. When we feel overwhelmed or self-conscious, we reach for altered states.  

The God-shaped hole only grows deeper and wider as we fill it with the things that do not satisfy. But the season of Lent invites us to let go of our attachments and dependencies, emptying ourselves of all our cheap substitutes for God, so we can finally see ourselves for who we really are—needy, imperfect, unfinished, still-becoming people in need of a tender, patient, gracious God. It’s only by experiencing our emptiness that the God-shaped hole can finally be filled, healed, and blessed by that which truly satisfies.