The Scriptures ask us to do a difficult thing — to live in a way that both honors every person’s individuality and intentionally integrates their lives in the larger body. This week we talk about that both/and and give time to consider what it might mean for us.
Easter is a paradox: death leads to life. Emptying ourselves leads to a filling — a renewal. It is only by descending that we are lifted up. Philippians 2:5-11
The last Sunday in Lent points us to the story of the prodigal sons and father (Luke 15) as a way to explore the common experiences of shame, guilt, humiliation and perfectionism.
We continue to expand our vocabulary of the heart by considering an all to common human behavior: comparison. Envy and jealousy — and two German words – schadenfreude and freudenfreude — are emotions and experiences connected to comparison. We see them in action in a story from Mark 10:35-45.
In the last few weeks, government agencies have revised their Covid guidelines. We have also seen a steep decline of cases and ICU hospitalizations in Kent County. Therefore, we too are adjusting our policies beginning this Sunday, March 13. In rooms with good ventilation and air filtration, masks will be optional. This includes the sanctuary […]
This week we expand our vocabulary of the heart by considering wonder and awe — what they are, what they feel like and what they often help lead us toward.
What’s the difference between joy and happiness? And what are the costs of choosing foreboding joy? We explore these parts of our heart while looking at a great story from Luke 15.
Teresa and Chris sit down to debrief our final week of conversation about where we are headed and how we might get there. As you’ll hear in this short podcast (just 11 minutes), we not only took away some important things from Sunday’s dialogue, but we’re also inviting everyone to continue the conversation in some […]
In the Scriptures, the word “heart” is spoken of hundreds of times. And while it is a word used to describe a number of aspects of the human life, it always points inward. As one biblical dictionary puts it, the heart is the fountain and seat of our emotions, thoughts, passions, ambitions and endeavors. The […]
Join us for Ash Wednesday 12:00-12:30pm OR 7:30-8:00pm At the building or on YouTube As we begin Lent, we are setting aside space to ask, “What would it mean for me to live wholeheartedly?” This 30 minute gathering is a chance to pause, breathe and set our intention for the 40 days ahead. We look […]
Teresa and Chris share a summary of Sunday’s conversation on “Grow”, including what stood out to them and what we will be paying attention as we move forward.
For the next three weeks we won’t be releasing a podcast from Sunday since most of the morning is being spent in small groups, discussing various questions about our core values. But – we will be releasing these DEBRIEF podcasts — short summaries and take-aways from the morning.
During this series, we’ll also be sharing these brief podcasts which summarize Sunday’s main ideas. This week we also reflect on the survey folks filled out during worship. If you didn’t get the chance to complete the survey, you can do so by heading here.
We’re taking the month of February to map our future together. Any good map shows you three things: where you are, where you are going, and some options for how to get there. Sundays in February will center around these three things. To begin, we took a look at a story from John 4 – […]
If you’re joining us online on February 13, 20 or 27, please use this Zoom link (click here) and read the description below. Making a map requires at least two points: where you are and where you intend to go. With all that has happened in the last two+ years, we’re taking the month of […]
Our final week in the Detour series considers the regret that can come when things don’t go according to plan. What do we do with that regret? Is it possible that regret can be a ‘call to courage and a path toward wisdom?’ (Brene Brown, Atlas of the Heart).
With the latest numbers improving and fewer isolations and positive cases within the Branch community, worship this Sunday (2.6.22) will be available both in-person at the building and online on YouTube (please note the change; here is a link). Here are a few reminders about Sunday: We will be meeting at 9:30am! As we have […]
One of the emotions we encounter when life gets detoured is disappointment. And while we may be able to move beyond some disappointment fairly easily, some disappointment carries deep pain, confusion and even shame. We consider this emotion — and what is behind it — this week as we also consider stories found in Mark […]
As challenging and disorienting as disruptions and detours are, this week we consider what opportunities detours might offer us as we take a look at the story of Saul’s detour in Acts 9.
On Sunday, January 30th, we will be meeting entirely online, using Zoom (same time: 9:30am). Here is the link for Sunday: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85627759920 We’ve made this decision based on four factors: Our local health care system is severely strained, and positivity rates are at an all-time high. A growing number of people in our own community […]
