NewChurch Live

5/16/21

There are many paths to “the best life,” and only one that ultimately becomes ours. Along the way we have to balance the demands of that individual pursuit with our connections to our families, communities, churches and the world. The path becomes clearer if we can learn to listen for “the sound of the genuine” in ourselves and others, which we all have the capacity to recognize from God.

5/9/21

It should bring a knowing smile to recognize that we can make ourselves miserable any time, any place.  Much of that unhappiness grows when we fail to differentiate between living A good life, as God defines it, and living THE good life, as culture defines it. When we focus on attaining THE good life, experience shows that we may never be satisfied because the rules change over time, along with our perspective. Usually we can find more contentment in the long run by just doing the right thing.

5/2/21

While it may not sound that exciting, humility actually has immense potential. It's the key to allowing God to bring us into heaven, and is the only truly accurate way to see life. Join Curtis Childs for a discussion about the benefits of bringing humility into our daily routine.

4/25/21

We can often fall into extremes in our relationships with other people where we either put them on a pedestal to be worshiped, or on the stand to be judged. Neither of these options is good for either them or us, but looking for the wider vistas in the space between these extremes expands the territory of our kindness.

To move into that space, we need to choose community over anger as we reclaim "us".

4/18/21

Sin is not exclusively about weak people who give in, but far more about strong people who refuse to be bothered. How do we allow ourselves to be “bothered” by a chance to do good?

4/11/21

Our lives can be guided either by our phobias or our philias; our fears or our connections. People hunger for connection, and this week we will take a look at where God is guiding us in that very direction.

4/4/21

Join in as we celebrate Easter Sunday with a highly interactive, family service to inspire us to move the joy we feel into the lives we live. In this way, life can begin again right here!

3/28/21

In the face of impending crisis and violence, Jesus remained throughout the Easter story both saddened and at peace, aware of what was occurring, yet consistently choosing a higher path that leads to a “calm, quiet sea.”

3/21/21

One author beautifully noted how we will all experience “the grace of exhaustion,” or “the sacrament of stuck.” Those are, paradoxically, the places of exhaustion or feeling stuck where miracles often happen. The experience entails a journey through a truth telling that leads to the hope that is core to the Easter message. Bring your “stuckness” with you and we’ll try to appreciate it together!

3/14/21

Blessing it all is NOT easy. The Easter story is filled with very human stories of both blessing and betrayal, of light and dark, of heaven and hell.

As we launch our four-part Easter series, we will explore how to hold those extremes in more life-giving ways. Winter gives way to spring....