This Is WholeLife

One of the results of social distancing is that we are more likely to become socially distant.  Just because you’re practicing social distancing it doesn’t mean you have to be socially distant.  We can still call people, text people, video chat people, engage more deeply with people that we're quarantined with and so on.  The trouble is sometimes, even when we’re not practicing social distancing,...

How do you move towards hope?  In our current world with all that is going on, there can easily be a move to cynicism. Christians are called to be people of faith and faith, exercised well, leads to hope – a change in direction from cynicism. How can we make sure to be people of hope? One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:  How confident are you that God can keep you through the days ahea...

We live in uncertain times, and life isn't always what we expect. Even during the turmoil currently invading our lives, is it possible to experience rest? Is a day to stop and put our trust wholly in God exactly what we need right now?  One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:  What do you think about Sabbath’s role to remind us that we are worth more than what we can produce? So what about...

It seems clear from the commandment that at least part of what “keeping Sabbath” means has to do with the day being “different” from the other days of the week. Six are designed for working, and one designed for rest. Paul says the law is good, and that we are not “under the law," so how does this relate to Sabbath?  One of our #WholeLifeTakeAways this week asked:  How has this time of “social dis...

Jesus broke the Sabbath taboos, but he also never sinned, which means he “kept the Sabbath holy.” How do blessings get turned into curses? The way Jesus related to the Sabbath was to return to its original intent: it was made for people—people weren’t made for it! It fits the New Testament idea that the law is meant to be descriptive of the life of a follower of Jesus, not a means to please or app...

It is often thought that the Sabbath is a Jewish construct beginning when the 10 Commandments were given on Mt. Sinai. It is important to remember that, whatever Sabbath would become in the culture of a fallen world, it preceded the fall. The Sabbath finds its roots in the story of creation, God’s story of what is ideal for his perfect creation in a sinless garden. How will this clear place of Sab...

This year’s Retreat speaker was Dr. Carla Gober Park. Carla is currently the Executive Director of Faith Community Strategy at AdventHealth in Florida and the Special Assistant to the President at AdventHealth University. Before moving to Florida, she was Assistant Vice President for Spiritual Life and Mission at Loma Linda University Health and director of a center for whole-person care. Carla ha...

Great Question 2020 - This annual series invites questions from young adults about Christian beliefs they would like explained more thoroughly. This week's question:  How can I keep from having doubt with such ambiguity in the Bible? This week our final #fhcTAKEAWAY, EVER… asked:   Does the fact that the Bible contains poetry, idioms, hyperbole, etc. diminish its authority? How would you answer th...

Great Question 2020 - This annual series invites questions from young adults about Christian beliefs they would like explained more thoroughly. This week's question:  How Does Conscience, Free Will, and Compliance To A Denomination Fit Together? This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked:   How hard is it for you to abandon rebellious independence and let God be God? How have you been able to let Go...

Great Question 2020 - This annual series invites questions from young adults about Christian beliefs they would like explained more thoroughly. This week's question: Is the Bible meant to speak to my culture today? This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked:   How has God revealed himself to you in nature, your family, the Bible, and through Jesus? This is a discussion that we should all be having a...

The Hospital Church Vision: “to be a church without walls fully engaged in serving the people of our community.” Wherever we are for our whole life, no matter who we are with, they are our community, and our whole lives are lived to serve. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked:   What will it take for you to be “all in” on our church’s Mission, Strategy, Values, Metrics, and Vision? This is a d...

When we segment our lives into the sacred and the secular, we end up using the wrong measures.  When we live an integrated whole life, then we can see the importance of measuring or having markers to let us know how we are connecting. Our church Metrics relate to our whole life. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked:   When will you do a self-reflection to mark your progress in becoming a lover...

Ours is a divided culture. We each see things from our own perspective. Too often there are values we live at home, different ones at work or school, and still a different set when we come together to worship.  The Hospital Church has four Values that we believe should oversee our lives 24/7: Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Grace. They are to be with us, enmeshed in our whole life. This week on...

The Hospital Church Strategy is a strategy for friends, family, and strangers, and it encompasses our whole life: Connect with people – Demonstrate compassion – Meet their needs – Win their confidence – and Invite them to join us in following Jesus. It doesn't fit in a box, and it can't be applied to just one part of our life.  This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked a very simple but profound qu...

We are stewards of the love of God that he has poured into our hearts. There is no place, no time, no persons who are not part of our whole life loving. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS got super-personal and asked us self-check ourselves:   What barriers to love are most attractive to you? Ethnicity-Economics-Social-Political-Religious-Gender-Sinfulness…. How will you self-evaluate and work to...

Whatever was in (2019) or might be in (2020), God’s loving, continuous call to us is:  "Be still and know that I am God.”   Javier Diaz is a member of the Hospital Church and serves as a Pastoral Ministries Field Associate for Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  You can follow him on twitter:  @javid21 This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS takes us to the bible in chapter and asks us to co...

God doesn’t just reach down into our world and snatch us out. He must be consistent with himself. Humanity has messed up and, in love, that circle of unbroken unity is willing to alter itself for all eternity. The Son will come—the incarnation of God, fully human and fully divine. We are torn by the loss of a loved one from our family, and it is all so very temporal. God is willing to forever be t...

It was a good, perfect, generous plan gone bad.  Here is a side of the story we may not easily associate with Christmas Joy. Have we ever considered the disappointment of God? There had been a battle in heaven. The accusations had been harsh—that God is an inappropriate glory hog, that he is arbitrary and selfish at his core, and that living within borders of his design is unnecessarily restrictiv...

A whole life of service to others reveals the life of Christ and the joy of Christmas. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked the question: Diversification is a “safe” investment strategy.  Why do you think God wants us all in with our whole life? Why do you think God wants us all in?  Let us hear your thoughts and we’ll share them on the next podcast!  Use one of the following: ■ Text/Voicemail...

Love is relational, and God has always existed in the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God of all abundance invites humanity to share in Trinity life. This amazing, generous, self-less open plan is where the story of Christmas Joy begins. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked the question:  How different is God’s love of knowing all the pain to come but still valuing the relati...

Where is the link between gratitude and generosity? It lies in a similar place as that space between having a great experience and telling someone about it. When we awaken to the enormity of the inexhaustible gift, we just may transform into a follower of Jesus known for our generosity. This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked the question:  Of all the people you know, who most needs you to practi...

The late 20th Century brought new sounds to old stories. The rise of different musical instruments and musical styles have confused many. Is God still moving through music today? How do we respond to new sounds that we don’t like? What kind of music does God like? Psalm 96, Psalm 98, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 As mentioned in this episode, you can find Robert J. Morgan’s book series; “Then Si...

Musical Stories of Faith: The Golden Age Most well-known hymns were written between roughly 1700 and 1900 AD. Charles Wesley and Fannie Crosby together wrote around 14,000 hymns. Hymn singing influenced both society and politics. Who were these writers, and what are some of the stories that shaped these timeless songs?  This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked the question:   What are the gifts yo...

Psalms is the most-read book of the Bible. It is one of the few shared by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. It’s the book most quoted by Jesus, and it’s the only book written to God instead of from God. The bulk of the psalms come from David - the shepherd, poet, warrior, exile, king, and ancestor of Jesus. What kinds of stories of faith are here, and why are they important today?   This week one of...

Do Not Judge Matthew 7:1 - Here is a text for our pluralistic culture.  Is this evidence that Jesus is on the side of our highest contemporary cultural norm of tolerance?  Is there ever a place for Christians to criticize or find fault with a person’s choices? This week one of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked the question:   Was Jesus “too easy” on “sinners”? What do you think?  Leave a voicemail or text b...