This Is WholeLife

SERIES - Simply Gospel: It’s Simply The Only Way    Any time change takes place, there is a natural, and sometimes personal, resistance to it—not only because of the pain of change but also because of the fear. The idea that our self-preservation (or more often our self-interests) will not be met can bring a fair amount of discouragement. We all would like to have an...

SERIES - Simply Gospel: Simply Profound    There is something profoundly wonderful about experiencing or tasting something the way it was originally intended. In the Bible, we read the story of Cain and Abel and about the first murder that took place. Here, we see the plight of mankind played out in the first two children of Adam and Eve. Do we give in to our own way, or do we...

SERIES - Simply Gospel: Nothing Added    If you were given news of the best restaurant in town and then given burdensome conditions that were required in order to eat there, how would you respond? The news of this restaurant becomes a bit less enchanting. So, too, with the Gospel – when we add our own conditions to God’s simple truth, we not only dampen its appeal, but we also...

SERIES - WholeLife Discipleship: Discipling Others    What does modern discipleship look like? How do we do this during a pandemic? Should we all be proclaiming the good news to the world or starting arguments on social media? What ranks higher: teaching doctrine or loving people? Can we do both? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked: What are your thoughts about...

SERIES - WholeLife Discipleship: Discipling Like Jesus    “Follow Me.” These were Jesus’ words to his disciples. What did that mean? In his book I Am a Follower, Leonard Sweet says it’s not about leading, but about following. What was Jesus’ method for discipleship? What would happen in our families and community if we discipled like Jesus? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this w...

SERIES - WholeLife Discipleship: A WholeLife Disciple Christian discipleship doesn’t happen in a bubble. A disciple is part of a community. We are all a disciple of someone. Whose disciple are you, and what is the cost of being a disciple? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked: Why do we want to make being a disciple about more than just following Jesus? So, we would love to hea...

SERIES - Worshipping In Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: Look For The Helpers When Fred Rogers was a boy, and saw something on the news that scared him, his mother’s counsel to bring him comfort was, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” The year 2020 will always be known as the year of COVID 19. Quarantines, stay-at-home orders, masks, and anti-bacterial soaps. While...

SERIES - Worshipping In Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: I Like You Just The Way You Are When Fred Rogers was a boy, and saw something on the news that scared him, his mother’s counsel to bring him comfort was, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” The year 2020 will always be known as the year of COVID 19. Quarantines, stay-at-home orders, masks, and anti-bacterial so...

SERIES - Worshiping In Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel? In 1968, the Vietnam War was being fought; Bobby Kennedy had been shot. Mr. Rogers realized that children were aware of these events, but they had no place where it was safe to talk about these issues. We avoid those things we don’t understand and what we fear. On the program, King Friday builds a wall...

SERIES - #ThisIsWholeLife:  Living In The Now - Part IV This pandemic has pulled the curtain on the myth of independent living. We are beings created for community. How can we allow space to grieve what we have lost but still refocus and move forward? How is God calling us to fix our eyes on him and to partner with him in sharing hope and grace? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:...

SERIES - #ThisIsWholeLife: Living In The Now - Part III COVID is a crisis that touches us all. So is racial injustice. As we work toward a cure for the virus, how might honest conversations begin to heal and wipe out racial injustice? Maybe the first thing we all need to agree on is the necessity of surrendering to God. This week Andy sits down with WholeLife member Linda Ryan for a Q &a...

SERIES - #ThisIsWholeLife:  Living In The Now - Part II The current crisis has forced our lives into a “new normal.” Though some have found good things in the forced pause, change isn’t always welcome and can sometimes cause resentment. How does looking outside of ourselves and to the work and sacrifice of others change this perspective? How might we be conveyors of encouragement?  Sit d...

SERIES: #ThisIsWholeLife - Living In The Now - Part I What have we learned during this unique time in history? How is our response to this current situation with COVID affected by our relationship with God? Send us your questions, comments, and any answers or insights you may have on ways we can lean into God with confidence and ‘not let fear be a part of our experience’, by using one of the...

SERIES: What Really Matters - Pause To Love When God created us, we were never meant to be constant workers, or doers, or even creators. After six days of full-on production, God stops and, by ceasing from all that is done, quite ironically creates the perfect antidote for humanity's obsession to labor, to gratify, to obtain, and to literally wear down our own bodies. And God calls...

SERIES: What Matters Most - Hope In The Now Everything we’ve read and heard from the time we were small is now challenged by what we’ve been dubbing “The New Normal.”  How do we pick up the pieces and make sense of our lives when the pieces don’t seem to fit any longer? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked: What will you do to increase hope in someone this week? ...

The new Lifelong album "Everyday Heroes" is now available. This honest work tells a musical story of the unique time we find ourselves living in. This EP is a soul-refreshing reminder that we're better together when we bring peace, love, joy, and hope to those around us. Join Randy and special guest Richard Hickam as they dig a little deeper into the creative process and the people and places behi...

SERIES: What Matters Most - Finding Trust In Your Faith Community .  Acts 6:1-7 During a time of crisis and pain, faith communities should be those places of refuge where we find our greatest strength and stability. These types of communities can provide warmth, acceptance, and belonging. However, at other times they can be the very thing that causes us to feel alone, lost, and some...

Our world is in chaos following the death of yet another man of color at the hands of police. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed in the Powderhorn community of Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white American Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's...

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed in the Powderhorn community of Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white American Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. According to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 min...

Paul's Letter to the Orlandonians: Instructions For Christian Households These are some of the words of Paul that sometimes cause some challenges. They mirror his words in Ephesians. Wives to husbands, husbands to wives, children to parents, parents to children, slaves and their earthly masters, and earthly masters to the slaves. A different time and a different culture, but what principles are th...

Paul's Letter to the Orlandonians: How Does A Free New Lifer Live? Paul gives guidance on living as a new creature in Christ. We put away, put to death, the sinful earthly things in us—and live free of all that. Even to the removal of the normal distinctions of Jew and Gentile. And there’s a good bit of directive about relationships as a Free New Lifer! One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week ask...

We sometimes forget the controlling nature of the rules of those who wished to impose all the laws of Judaism on the early church. As followers of Christ, we are called to live in obedience to him, not in obedience to traditions—shadows that were pointing to the reality we now have in Christ. We are no longer bound by the rules of this world and can live in freedom. One of our #WholeLifeTakeA...

In Paul's letter, he agonizes over people he’s never even met. He wants to be sure people are told the simple truth of Christ, and Christ alone, and that this gospel is for everyone. One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked: Who would you be willing to agonize in prayer for their salvation? So, who can you pray for that doesn’t know Jesus?  Commit to praying for them dail...

The work of God in Christ makes peace for and with fallen humanity. Salvation is not our work, but that of God in Christ. One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:  When you read the Bible how hard is it to reconcile that God and Jesus are just alike?  Where is it most difficult to believe? So, in your bible reading, where do you find it most difficult to reconcile that God and Jes...

We may think of Paul’s conversation about his prayers for the Colossians as prayers for us. However, are the things he says and praises about the Colossians true about us? How will it impact us to think about the content of this prayer and what we might want for one another from God? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:  WholeLife Church’s mission is “Loving people into a lifelong frien...