Mosaic Church Teachings

Happy Mothers Day? Honestly, we're not sure; it's a mixed bag. There's great need to rejoice and mourn with one another, especially in the church! But that's a hard harmony to sing together. In this teaching we look at a bouquet of scriptures that help us sing songs of God's goodness and blessing to one another as we remember who we truly are: daughters and sons of God. We also spent time reflecti...

What are you looking for in a church? Polished, organized, clean, comfortable? While these are common responses, they fly in the face of the wisdom of the Proverbs that teach us that it's only the unused stable that stays clean. But for real work to get done, we need strong oxen around ... and that brings mess! Healthy, successful churches are actually the ones where the real, messy work of minist...

Who's more important: children or adults? What about in the church? And what does God think? In this teaching we look at how Jesus surprised his disciples with a revolutionary valuing of young children in the Kingdom of God. We also look honestly at the ways adults can struggle to follow Jesus' teaching and example in this area and  ways we can take steps forward together. As we lean into New Grow...

Have you ever planted potatoes and harvested onions? Or sowed strawberries but reaped peaches? That'd be really weird! Because it's a solid foundational truth of our world: what you sow, you will reap. This applies in our inner lives just as much as in our gardens! In this teaching we look at God's perspective on our spiritual growth in this vein, and see how patient planting will certainly reap u...

We've all come through a hard winter -- both literally and figuratively! And now we're eager to feel the sun on our faces and lean into the new growth of spring. But like any good garden, growth takes careful cultivation. How are you going to cultivate new growth in the soil of your life and neighborhood this spring?  This Sunday, Tallgrass was excited to meet outside in the park to celebrate maki...

The great message of Easter is that the long prophesied Man of Sorrows is also the God of Hope! Jesus, the Risen King, is able to sympathize with us in our sorrows so that we might also share in His resurrection (the greatest hope of all!). If that's true, what might that mean for your life? This year, as much as ever, we need hope -- real, weighty, solid stuff that we can sink our teeth into, col...

What sorrow are you carrying today? It's been a hard winter. A very difficult last pandemic year. All of us have been affected in some way by grief. As we lean into Holy Week together this week, we consider Jesus, the long prophesied Man of Sorrows who was well acquainted with grief so that he could become our great High Priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses and sorrows. Jesus...

Where were you when you first realized Covid was going to be a "thing?" Tallgrass looks back exactly one year later at this difficult pandemic season and uses the analogy of springtime and gardens to talk about both where we've been and what we're hoping for. How can you relate to the Curious Garden? This online gathering began with this public portion and then concluded with an unpublished Zoom-O...

Neuroplasticity: one of the most hopeful words in the English language! We used to think that our brains were largely fixed, but now science is telling us what God's been saying in the Bible for thousands of years: you really can change your mind. In this teaching we explore the exciting intersections between modern science and the Gospel. And we'll learn from Philippians 4 about how we can rewire...

"How's your prayer life?" There is perhaps no more shame triggering question for many Christians! We struggle to pray. It can feel like a discipline, even a burden. We don't want to, yet we're also anxious people. There's a disconnect, especially for the Christian who believes God's word and his invitation to find joy and peace through prayer. In this teaching we lean into that disconnect and talk...

Anxiety seems to be the only reasonable response to the uncertain and unsafe world we find ourselves in. But is this reality? In our passage today, we hear the Apostle Paul teach us that actually gratitude is the only reasonable response to a life lived in the reality of Christ and the Gospel! When we give thanks, when we cultivate grateful hearts, we are are seeing and reacting most in line with...

What kind of people do you really struggle with? Someone who is unlike you in some way or another. Someone you strongly disagree with. Or are offended by. Maybe you're thinking of a specific face. Maybe a faceless group. The fact is, we're surrounded by "others!" In our Facebook feeds, workplaces, neighborhoods, and in our churches. No matter who "they" are, the call of Jesus is for his true follo...

What's two words you think of when you think about church? Do you think: Relational Harmony? Chances are these weren't the first two wards that popped into your mind. Many people have been hurt in connection with people who claim the name of Christ. But as we look at Philippians 4, we see Paul calling two believers who are currently in disagreement toward relational harmony. In fact, it's the harm...

Did Jesus really exist? And if so, did he really die on the cross and rise from the dead? And how can we know? These questions are at the heart of the Christian faith which is based not on blind leaps in spite of evidence, but a is a reasoned response based on evidence! In this teaching, we look at the data and see how you don't have to believe the Bible is divinely inspired or even reliable to fi...

Would you rather have imitation leather or genuine leather? How about imitation crab or real crab meat? Most of us would rather have the genuine article over the imitation. But what if the only way to become the genuine article is through imitation? That's how it is with Christians. The only way to become the real deal, is to imitate -- Godly examples and ultimately Christ Himself. In this teachin...

What do you really put your confidence in? We all put our confidence, our source of stability, strength, meaning, and identity in something external to us. It could be your job, your niceness, or the number of likes on your social media posts. The Apostle Paul put his confidence in his high-credentialed religiosity, until he met Christ. Then he considered everything else rubbish -- crap, compared...

What healthy habits do you want to lean into in 2021 to establish a new normal? During this special Zoom PJ Party Digital Gathering, we consider three potential keystone habits to step into together this next year: Word of the Year, Gratitude Journal, and Bible Reading Plan! We also enjoyed some time together sharing and singing. If you missed out (or your stream dropped on your travels) check it...

Contrary to what you've been told: Thanksgiving is NOT Canceled! The call and practice of thanks giving is deeply rooted in all who follow Christ... indeed it's the original orientation of every human heart. But ever since Adam and Eve rebelled in the Garden, our hearts are bent on canceled thanksgiving. The good news this holiday season is that God through Christ has moved heaven and earth to rec...

For many, the fear of death effectively chokes out our ability to live with joy and peace. But the Apostle Paul writes about something very different: an eternal perspective that enabled him to live with purpose and hope and to eagerly anticipate being present with Jesus when his work in this life is finished. His clarion call rings down through the centuries to you and I today: calling us to real...

When you're squeezed, what's inside comes out. For most of us, that includes an all-too-human mix of panic, anger, fear, bitterness, anxiety, despair, and self-preservation. All of us experience pain and trouble. But not all of us experience joy. Yet not only is joy possible, but it's God's desire for each of us. In Paul's letter to the Philippians we discover the secret to living with true joy ev...

What does it really mean to love one another from the heart? In this teaching we see how the Apostle Paul loved the Philippian believers genuinely and sacrificially and called them to the same kind of practical love for one another. We also get a modern day example of this kind of excellent love in a recent account from an aid worker in Central America during this Covid-19 crisis as he ministers t...

What would it take for you to really live in joy? A beach? The mountains? More money? That car? Fame? Quiet kids? It turns out that God has been right all along: as a famous Harvard study shows, only deep relationships can give and sustain a life of true joy. In this teaching, we dive into Philippians to see how the normative call for all believers to a lifestyle of discipleship is also the call t...

What does it look like to fight for joy in the midst of our busy lives? In this first teaching in a study of Philippians and in our new meeting location at the Boys & Girls Club, we dive into the reality of discipleship as a normative call for all believers. And we share a brand new initiative at Tallgrass Church called Discipleship 101 that will help us each take a next step of ministry and joy.

Tears mixed with dancing. Joy and pain. We live right in the middle of that tension -- especially in the church! In this final teaching of our Lifting Burdens series, we dove into a little-known story in the book of Ezra to see how the people of God lived in that tension. God is calling us to continue to build His temple today, though not one built with stones or wood, but made of people united wi...

Uncertainty can be a heavy burden. Especially when so much is up in the air during this pandemic season. With few sure places to plant our feet, it's easy to get exhausted! In this teaching we look at how Jesus invites us to move through uncertainty with hope by considering object lessons around us.