Filled With Messages

When we're struggling, afraid, hurting, it can be hard to make room for hope and joy (gifts of God). Doing so, though, can strengthen our resilience and help us find our way in the darkness. Listen in to hear more from this sermon based Luke 1:5-19.

We all know that how we talk to others matters. But how often do we think about how we talk to Jesus and God. Listen in to explore how to expand and improve our conversations with God.

There are a plethora of stories that tell us who we are. Much of the time, we choose to focus on the negative stories. But God wants us to lean into the stories that lead us to life.

Life is filled with scary situations, proverbial lions’ dens. Although it may seem that we are all alone, God is always with us, filling us with the courage to persevere.

All humans need encouragement to survive and thrive. Christians are repeatedly called throughout scripture to be the hype men of our family, friends, neighbors, schoolmates, co-workers, even strangers. Listen in to hear more about our call to be encouragers.

Life is better when we’re part of a team, but being part of a team can be a challenge. Today’s scripture shares some wisdom about best practices for teams.

When life is hard, it’s easy to feel defeated. Reframing difficult seasons as having work to do can help us give ourselves a little more grace as we journey through them.

Olympic athletes have incredible training regimens. While we might not need to be so intense, training and being goal oriented is a wise way to live. In today’s scripture passages, we’re encouraged to run, train, strain for the goals God places in our lives.

Joy can be so allusive some days. Life can be filled with so much tragedy and trouble that joy can seem inappropriate or inauthentic. But God gave us the gift of joy to help us through the stresses of life. Relaxing into it leads us to God’s peace, healing, and hope.

In the movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, one of Ferris’s goals is to help a friend who’s struggling. In today’s scripture passage, we hear the story of three different people who in their own unique ways helped someone who was in trouble. Their actions (and Ferris’s!) can give us some ideas about we can be a helper to those having a hard time.

How do we know someone’s character? How can we discern who to let into our hearts and lives? A story from 1 Samuel can give us some ideas.

It’s so hard to know when it’s time to get out of the way. In this message, we hear the story of someone from the Bible who struggled with doing just that. Hopefully by listening to his story, we can do so with more grace.

Most of us have a judgmental attitude at least from time to time. Today’s scripture text reminds us to be curious, not judgmental. In doing so, we follow in Christ’s footsteps.

Life is filled with boring, mundane, ordinary moments, even seasons. God’s grace is with us in those times as well as the extraordinary ones. How can we learn to be more attuned to God’s grace in all our days?

When we are experiencing ends in our lives, it’s normal to struggle, to find it hard to be hopeful. Jesus’ promise is that God will not leave us in the ends of our lives, but will bring beautiful new things out of them.

How we live and move and have our being in this world effects not just us and those closest to us. It affects the whole world. As Christians, we’re invited to follow Jesus’ model of being full of generosity, empathy, kindness. But how do we do this in a world that feels like it’s filled with more and more chaos and hatred? Listen in to hear more.

In scripture, we are repeatedly encouraged to walk in God’s love. What are some practices that help us do so?

Forgiveness is often hard and complex. At the same time, it’s something Christians think they should be able to do easily. How can we give ourselves grace when we are struggling to forgive?

One of the things Christians celebrate at Easter is that God is all about resurrection. Not only did God bring Jesus back to life, but God brings us back to life, too. Listen in to hear how God does this.

Just like us, Jesus had good days and bad days. The ways Jesus approached the hard days can help us better navigate them when they come our way.

Just like many of us, at times Jesus struggled with self-care. In looking at his example we are reminded of the importance of taking care of ourselves.

Boundaries are important parts of healthy relationships, but they can be tricky to manage. Jesus modeled healthy boundaries. Following his example can help us navigate their complexities.

Most of us are thirsty for genuine and meaningful connection. How can Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman help us build useful skills for connecting well with others?

When life’s storms are upon us, it can be hard to let go and have faith. But Jesus modeled napping in the midst of life’s storms. He encouraged us to trust God to take care of us while we get some much needed rest.

Growing older isn’t always fun. There are stages and seasons of life when the aging process is a challenge. Following Jesus’ example can help us weather these storms, maturing gracefully in mind, body, and heart throughout our days