Swimming in the Deep

The question for this episode comes from Hebrews 10:24 says “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works”  What does that look like for believers and how do we get really good at this?

We will look at questions that we have received over this next season.  In this episode we answer the first question that we received for this upcoming season.  Dan and Josh share their testimony and their call to ministry.  

As with work, rest has meaning because God gives it meaning. He creates people who need rest and who have it in their nature to rest.
In this final episode, we look at rest.  What is it? Why is it hard for us to rest?  We also will hear a little bit from Pastor Dan about the sabbatical he recently had.  

Parenting is not easy at all.  Then add in the mix of everything the world throws and it just got harder. Parenting is exhausting and overwhelming, don't go at it alone. 
What are some struggles in Parenting? 
What can we do as parents?

Today, we are going to look at the struggles we face when it comes to technology and how to be wise with it and see God’s grace to help us

As we go through this episode I would like to keep in mind a definition that Tony Reinke gives in, God, Technology, and the Christian Life, he says that “technology is applied science and amplified power. It’s art, method, know-how, formulas, and expertise.” he goes on to say that we, “amplify our native power through new techniques.”

Join us as we look at the struggles we face when it comes to prayer and the things that we can remember to help us as we overcome those struggles.
What Are Some Of The Struggles

• Knowing how to express our hearts in prayer 
• Waiting to see the answer - waiting on God’s timing 
• Trusting God even when we feel like the answers to our prayers aren’t meeting our expectations 
• Lamenting the answers from God - the answers of wait, or the answer that we don’t need what we have asked for - 
• Tim Keller in his book “Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering” when he says “we must avoid extremes of either not asking God for things or thinking we can bend God’s will to ours”

So this episode may be a little different than others, since we are going to be looking more at our own personal relationship with God and how it should shape us.  I think that there is a point in all of our lives where we find ourselves struggling to have a consistent and productive devotional life.

What does that look like for you?Where do Bible reading plans fit?

So Why is it  to struggle to have a quiet time with God to be filled with the Spirit vs. checking off a to do list?

How do we overcome that struggle or encourage others to overcome that struggle?

As we continue to look at the struggle when church leaders fail, in this episode we look at the last 5 things from Christopher Ash's article as well as look at some things from James Carroll book, Collateral Damage.

We hear that someone, perhaps one we have known well, has fallen into financial sin (say, defrauding his church), 
or has been dishonest in his speaking or writing, 
or has committed sexual sin, 
or has had an outburst of aggressive and blasphemous anger. 
Or he has in some other way dishonored the gospel of the Lord Jesus and damaged the church. 

Historically denominations functioned not as the means of greater independence or division, but as concrete ways to protect peculiar emphases and traditions of the church in diverse places and times against government…basically serving as a voice against religious dominance.