Filled With Messages

At times we have to leave the people, places, and things that feel like home. Learning to trust God always goes with us helps us make it through the anxiety and fear when we have to do so.

Some days it’s really hard to believe Jesus was raised from the dead or that his resurrection matters today. On those days, how do we keep trusting God?

We often expect God to show up with trumpet fanfare, in miracles, in the equivalent of Easter Sunday mornings. But more often God shows up disguised as our everyday lives.

All of us struggle with worries and anxiety at times. Jesus did, too. Listen in to hear more about the healthy coping mechanisms Jesus employed in the most anxious week of his life.

Some days it’s easy to have hope and trust God’s presence in our lives. Other days, it’s a struggle just to get out of bed. No matter what we’re experiencing, God had good news for each and all of us.

So often our questions are ladened with assumptions about others. Jesus invites us to consider why we ask the questions we ask and to have compassion and empathy for others.

Our emotions are gifts from God which help us understand our deepest needs, but sometimes we struggle to listen to what they’re really saying. God invites us to look plumb the depths of our emotions and share what we find with others and with God.

Change is part of life, yet we often fight it. How can we learn to listen and lean into change when it comes? How can we learn to trust God is with us and will bless us through the change?

There are so many people, places, and things clamoring for our attention. How do we discern to whom we should listen?

Sometimes God asks us to obey and at other times we are called to disobey. Learning to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading can help us know which way to go.

Sometimes God shows us that the ways of our ancestors were wrong and invites us to new ways. Making the change is hard work, but God will be with us every step of the way.

God sometimes sends us hope and healing in very surprising ways. Can we open ourselves to receive God’s love and care from wherever it comes?

God has given us each so many talents. Will we follow a child’s lead and use them to bless others, especially children?

We tend to think of courageous people as those on the frontlines or those who run into burning buildings. Certainly they are. But God calls all of us - even little children - to live with courage every day.

When Joseph decided to divorce Mary, he was making an acceptable choice. But God had a better way and invited Joseph to choose it instead.

Sometimes fear is overwhelming and anxiety weighs so heavily. In those time, God invites us to let our fear be what it is and also to rest in his presence with us.

There are a lot of genealogies in the Bible and often skip over them. However, some of them (in particular, Jesus’ family trees) contain good news and grace for us. Listen in to hear more.

Jesus often invites us to see the world through new lenses. In Luke 6, he even goes so far as to asks us to love our enemies.

We all know the adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Yet many of us do judge others based on their outward appearances. God invites us to look at peoples’ hearts instead.

No one likes those who act self-righteously. And most people would agree that humility is a good thing. But there are some humility traps. Listen in to hear more about how we can avoid the traps of both self-righteousness and humility.

When is it time to stop praying for a miracle? In today’s scripture text, Jesus encourages us to not lose heart, but keep on praying.

Many of us find great comfort in our pets, perhaps partly because they are a stable presence in our chaotic world. Scripture uses scenes from the animal kingdom to remind us we can have hope that God is still at work in this world.

God brings the heat on injustice, provides shelter from the storms of life, and invites us to join him in this work.

Time is often challenging for us. The good seasons of life seem to go by too fast and the difficult seasons seem to last too long. God sees our struggle with time, has empathy for us, and invites us to learn to be present in each moment.

God is always kneading, stretching, growing us. The process isn’t always fun, but God always does it with love.