The Practice Church Podcast

Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth by writing, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

In this series, we will be exploring how each of us are gifted to serve in God's kingdom. We will reflect on spiritual gifts. How do spiritual gifts enable us to join in the work of the Holy Spirit in the world? Guided by the two motifs: Prophet, Priest, and King and the 5-Fold Ministry Paul details in his letter to the Ephesians, we are invited to consider what spiritual gifts we identify with and how those gifts influence the way we join with the Spirit's kingdom work in the world today.

This week, Gail Donahue explores Paul's teaching on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Jason Hitchcock recounts the story of Pentecost and invites us to consider how we might communicate the Gospel to those whom God has prepared to encounter it.

For additional resources, visit our website.

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Bill Donahue examines the story for Jesus's ascension and explores what that event means for our world, our faith communities and our individual lives.

For additional resources, visit our website.

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Tim Gombis draws our attention to the end of the Gospel of Matthew and reexamines the final command that Jesus gives to his disciples.

For additional resources, visit our website.

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Nicole Howe explored the interaction between Jesus and Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. How might Jesus want to enter into our stories, healing our wounds and inviting us to 'love our way into love'?

For additional resources, visit our website.

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Joan Kelley led us through the story the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, exploring how Jesus meets us in the times when things do not go as 'we had hoped'. How might we encounter the Risen Christ as we look for him in our everyday lives?

For additional resources, visit our website.

If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet."

In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide. We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension?

This week, Rebecca Moss explored how our doubts can be an invitation to an authentic, resilient faith in Jesus. We looked at the story of Thomas, in the Gospel of John, and how Thomas's doubts and later profession of faith help us understand our own doubts and uncertainties as we live in the tension of the "already, but not yet" reality of God's kingdom. The life of faith is an invitational one, able to hold a space for our believing and our questioning and doubts.

For additional resources, visit our website.

If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This week we remember and celebrate Christ's victory over death when he rose from the tomb that first Easter morning.

This week, Jason led us through the story of Mary Magdalen at the tomb, encountering the risen Jesus. Mary, initially, does not recognize him because she had a limited picture of Jesus as the Messiah. Jason invited us to consider, what gets in our way of recognizing Jesus in our own lives?

When we encounter grief, pain, loss, unfulfilled expectations or when our days simply feel like we are "living on the verge of tears," Mary's story reminds us that God is very present with us. We are invited to look for Jesus in our grief, sorrow and disappointments.

If you are interested in the guides we shared in the gathering, you can find them here:

If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas about God are not "divine ideas." As much as we'd like to believe that our views of God are always biblical, we all bring assumptions and default beliefs to the table through our lived experience. Our culture, relationships, childhood hurts, and even our churches can all wrongly influence and shape our beliefs about who God is – often without us even realizing it. Rather than following the one, true God, we end up worshiping a God shaped by our own experiences.

In this series, we'll examine some common default views of God many of us carry – often unconsciously – and ask whether they tell the whole story. We'll invite God to shatter some of these false images to make way for a clearer view. And as we do, we'll pray to be reshaped into the kinds of people who don't project our fears onto God but rather reflect God's wisdom and ways into the world.

This week, we considered how we respond once we have recognized our default pictures of God. How can we move toward God so our pictures can be re-formed and grounded in a truer, more beautiful picture of who God actually is?

If you are interested in the guides we shared in the gathering, you can find them here:

If you would like to practice a reflection on our pictures of God here is one we did in Practice Tables

For additional resources, visit our website.

If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas about God are not "divine ideas." As much as we'd like to believe that our views of God are always biblical, we all bring assumptions and default beliefs to the table through our lived experience. Our culture, relationships, childhood hurts, and even our churches can all wrongly influence and shape our beliefs about who God is – often without us even realizing it. Rather than following the one, true God, we end up worshiping a God shaped by our own experiences.

In this series, we'll examine some common default views of God many of us carry – often unconsciously – and ask whether they tell the whole story. We'll invite God to shatter some of these false images to make way for a clearer view. And as we do, we'll pray to be reshaped into the kinds of people who don't project our fears onto God but rather reflect God's wisdom and ways into the world.

This week, we explored the role of expereinces, emotions, and explanations in our default pictures of God. How do they shape meaning in our lives and impact the way we relate to God?

If you would like to practice a reflection on our pictures of God here is one we did in Practice Tables

If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/