Conversations Beyond the Pew with the Rev

How do you not let things hold you back from a good life? Sunday, February 4, 2024 Matthew 19:13-30 Quote Henri Nouwen says: “To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer.”

How can you find more stability in your life? James 1:5-6 Quotes Ansel Adams: “In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” Albert Einstein: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing… Never lose a holy curiosity.”

How do you let go of expectations? Sunday, January 28, 2024 Genesis 17:1-22 Quote Marcus Aurelius: “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

How do you get through the hard times? James 1:2-4 Quotes: Marcus Aurelius: “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.” Virgil: “Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance.”

How do you recognize God's blessings when life is chaotic? Sunday, January 21, 2024 Genesis 1:9-31 Ryan Holiday: “Like a virus, calm spreads by contact. It spread through the air. We exude it, shedding our excess strength onto others, infecting them as they in turn infect others - not with a degrading, harmful agent, but one that builds strength and purpose. When everything is charged with fea...

How do you find motivation for a healthy life? How do you know your motivations are healthy? Sunday, January 7, 2024 Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-4 Quotes: Ryan Holiday: “What I’ve found in my research is that realism and self-honesty are the antidote to ego, hubris, and delusion.” Brené Brown: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the sourc...

How do you find healing in life? What does healing even mean when it isn’t about what we want? Sunday, December 31, 2023 Isaiah 61:1-4 Luke 2:22, 24-40

How do you stay focused on what matters? How do you not get distracted by things that aren’t worth your time? When you think of Christmas, what are the things you want to be focused upon? Sunday, December 24, 2023 Isaiah 52:1-6 Luke 2:4-16 Quote:William James: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

How do you deal with people who get on your nerves? Luke 19:7-9 Quotes Jackie Kennedy: “Whenever I was upset by something in the papers, Jack always told me to be more tolerant, like a horse flicking away flies in the summer.” Tyler Perry: “You can never be upset with the people who forced you into your dream or up higher.”

How do you enjoy Christmas when so much seems to get in the way? How do you have a meaningful Christmas when things aren’t exactly what you want? Sunday, December 17, 2023 Luke 1:41-75 William Arthur Ward: “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee said: “When you rise in the...

How do you not let stress impact holiday celebrations? How do you remain calm in stressful situations no matter the season? Sunday, December 10, 2023 Luke 1:5-40 Quote Ryan Holiday: “So much of the distress we feel comes from reacting instinctually instead of acting with conscientious deliberation. So much of what we get wrong comes from the same place. We’re reacting to shadows. We’re taking as c...

How do you keep going when you’re exhausted? How do you keep going when you’ve got nothing left to give? Sunday, December 3, 2023 Mark 8:1-25 Quotes: Vaclav Havel: “Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability...

How do you keep your fears in check when they feel overwhelming? Sunday, November 26, 2023 Luke 6:1-13, 17-23, 27-31 Quote In current language Howard Thurman: “A person’s conviction that one is God’s child automatically tends to shift the basis of one’s relationship with others. This person recognizes at once that to fear someone, whatever may be that one’s power over the person, is a basic denial...

How do you cope with holiday pressures? How do you deal with holiday expectations? How do you handle the family dynamics, the disappointments, or the complex emotions that come with this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas? Sunday, November 19, 2023 Deuteronomy 8:14, 16-18 Luke 7:31-50 Quotes Jelly Roll: “Need a Favor”“I only talk to God when I need a favorAnd I only pray when I ain’t got a praye...

Have you ever felt like life is stacked against you?  Have you ever tried to make the right decisions and things don’t work out like you want? How do you handle those situations that leave you disappointed and wanting something different? Sunday, November 12, 2023 Genesis 40:1-23 Quotes: Walter Brueggemann says: “The world of despair believes that there are no new gifts, no fresh generosity, no po...

Have you ever been mad at yourself? Have you ever struggled with liking yourself? How can you have more peace when you feel mad or are struggling with liking yourself? Sunday, October 22, 2023 Genesis 32:3, 6-7, 9, 11, 13, 24-28 Genesis 33:1-17a

Have you ever been frustrated by your expectations of yourself or others? How do you determine what are healthy expectations of self and others? Sunday, October 15, 2023 Mark 9:14-30, 33-41

What can help you ease worries about the future for yourself and others? How do you stay calm when the future is unknown? What will help you when situations seem stacked against you? Sunday, October 8, 2023 Select verses from: 1 Samuel 20:1-42

Do you find yourself too busy, anxious, or overwhelmed to enjoy life? Is your day more chaotic than you think it should be? What does it take to find peace, a calm in your current situation? Sunday, October 1, 2023 Genesis 1-3, 6-17, 20-31

Do you have regrets that bother you? Do you ever wish you could change your past? Do you ever feel like you’ve lost something in the past and wish you could get it back? Sunday, September 24, 2023 Exodus 4:1-20, 27-31

Do you ever lie awake at night worrying or feel stressed by situations during the day? Have you ever felt like your patience, your limits, your time, your peace is being tested by situations, people, maybe even God? Sunday, September 17, 2023 Jeremiah 30:3-7 Jeremiah 31:22-34

When do you ignore something or someone? Quote: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” - Albert Einstein Luke 10:5-6 Matthew 10:14

How do you move forward when relationships are complicated? How do you deal with difficult relationships in a healthy way? Do you want to cultivate more peace in your relationships? Sunday, September 10, 2023 Matthew 18:15-35

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the pain of the world and wondered how to respond? Have you ever been hurt and wondered if there are better ways of handling it? Sunday, September 3, 2023 Romans 13:8-14 Romans 14:1-4 Galatians 4:8-19

Have your fears ever impacted your confidence or what you are willing to do? Have you ever struggled to stand up to your fears? Is there a way to quiet the fears that threaten to consume you? Sunday, August 27, 2023 1 Samuel 17:33-58