What is God Like? – Week 5 (8.21.22)
Both the Old and New Testaments use the same word for Spirit and wind. Elliot helps us reflect on this as a valuable metaphor to teach us about what God is like.
Entries by Chris
What is God Like? [Current Series]
What is God Like? That’s a very big question, one that people from places all around the world have wondered about since the beginning of time. So begins the children’s book, What is God Like, by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner. From there, the authors describe 16 different metaphors (similes, technically) that tell […]
In the Beginning… Week 3 (6.19.22)
The beginning of our story (Genesis 1 and 2) is a story of utmost goodness. So is the end of our story (Revelation 21 and 22). Between these bookends comes God’s call to care for, tend to, serve and guard the created world so that it might be good, whole and complete.
In the Beginning… Week 2 (6.12.22)
Our second week in Genesis 1 invites us to consider how deeply connected we are to the creation and how God’s ‘first language’ can draw us more deeply into relationship with the Creator.
In the Beginning… Week 1 (6.5.22)
The beginning of a story matters, and Genesis is a beginning of profound goodness. This tells us something fundamentally important about the Creator and about ourselves.
Wholehearted (together) – Week 11 (5.22.22)
Our final week in this series considers the overall goal: deeper and more meaningful connections with those in our lives. Which begs the question, what exactly does it mean to be connected and how do we connect? Jesus shows us a compelling way (Mark 10:46-52).
Summer at the Branch – 2022
Summer Sunday Gatherings We’re headed back to Garfield Park for most Sundays this summer (the last Sunday of each month we’ll meet at the building)! Bring a chair to sit in. Our BranchKids program will be available each Sunday we’re in the park (except for July 3). We will continue to stream on YouTube regardless […]
Wholehearted (together) – Week 10 (5/15/22)
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.
Wholehearted – Easter Morning
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
Wholehearted – Week 6 (4.10.22)
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.
Wholehearted – Week 5 (3.27.22)
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.
Updated Covid Policies
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 […]
Wholehearted – Week 4 (3.20.22)
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.
Wholehearted – Week 3 (3.13.22)
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.
DEBRIEF – Mapping Our Future – Week 4 (3.3.22)
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 […]
WholeHearted – A Lenten Series
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 […]
Ash Wednesday
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 […]
DEBRIEF: Mapping Our Future – Week 3 (2.22.22)
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.
DEBRIEF – Mapping Our Future – Week 2 (2.15.22)
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.
DEBRIEF: Mapping Our Future, Week 1
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.
