Renew: Who are you becoming? (10.14.18)
How do we become wise navigators of this complex, nuanced world? Listen here as we take a walk through the gospel of Luke, learning from how Jesus navigated the world around him.
Entries by Teresa
The Parables of Jesus
Many of the parables of Jesus are well known, even making their way into popular culture. We have “Good Samaritan” laws, and Hallmark continues to turn out stories about a “prodigal” son or daughter who’s finally come home (or so I’ve heard). But as is often the way with Jesus, there is more to explore […]
Renew: Who are you becoming? (10.7.18)
This week, we looked at Luke 9:1-6, where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples, giving them power and authority to do some pretty amazing things. We know that God has given us that same power and authority. God invites us to be people who reimagine, risk and rest in God’s provision.
Renew: Who are you becoming? (9.30.18)
A renewed self means that we look and act more and more like Jesus. This week, we we talked about how Jesus compels us to be people who show up. What does that look like? We’ll explore that together. Listen here.
Renew: Who are you becoming? (9.23.18)
We continued our series on renewal this Sunday. This week we talked about incarnational living and how that involves listening, stopping and emptying.
Renew: Who are you becoming? (9.16.18)
In the second week of this series, we look at Matthew 9:9-13. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus tells the religious leaders to go and learn what this means. It’s a phrase they had memorized from the book of Hosea, but were they living it out? Where in our lives do we show mercy? Do […]
Renew: who are you becoming? (9.9.18)
What does it look like to join God’s work of renewal in the world? Listen here for the first sermon in a new series on renewal. And join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 for the next few weeks as we continue to talk about renewal.
Combined Worship (9.2.18)
It was our great pleasure to worship with the congregation of Comunidad Cristiana de Grand Rapids this Sunday. Chris (Branch Pastor) and Rodrigo (CCGR Pastor), with the aid of a very talented translator, brought us the sermon together. Listen here as they taught us about judgement, Romans 2:1-4.
Forgotten Stories: Mary Magdalene (8.19.18)
Our series on Forgotten Stories of the Bible continued this week as Sarah Lundberg taught us about Mary Magdalene. Listen here for some details that we don’t often here about this woman’s story.
Forgotten Stories: Philemon (8.12.18)
This week, Jeff Verkaik helped us learn from the short and often forgotten story of Philemon. What can we learn from this man and his relationships with Paul and Onesimus? Paul’s letter to Philemon used words that bring unity and not division. Listen here and learn how he did that and how we might learn […]
Forgotten Stories: Priscilla (8.5.18)
What can we learn from Priscilla’s story? There is so much to learn from her brief appearance in the Bible. Listen here as we discover the relationships Priscilla fostered and how she invested in her priorities. And if we’re willing to dig just a little deeper, we find that Priscilla’s story is like so many […]
Forgotten Stories: Philip (7.29.18)
History offers us a number of heroes. The Bible is no different. Characters like Moses, Ruth and Paul dominate the skyline, and for good reason. Their lives (both the good and bad) are instructive. Through them we see how God interacts with us. But most of the characters in the Bible, and most of the people in […]
The Psalms: The Whole Earth is Full of Your Glory (7.8.18)
Psalm 104 and Psalm 8 remind of that God’s glory can be seen in all of creation. We are reflections of God’s glory, a picture of God’s creativity!
Summer at The Branch
Summer. There’s no better time to put your feet up and enjoy time with friends, new and old. Join us as we connect over good food and conversation at some pretty amazing places. Bring a friend. Everyone’s invited. Every Tuesday, 6:30p: StoryTime in the Park Join us for FREE BOOKS for all children 15 years […]
The Psalms: The Intersection of Time (7.1.18)
This week, in our Psalms series, we looked at Psalm 77. The Psalmist wasn’t afraid to ask hard questions, but he also was able to look back to remember a specific time when God was faithful. The Psalms remind us to look back at what God’s done, so that we can claim that God will […]
The Psalms: An Invitation to Be Fully Human (6.17.18)
The Psalms invite us into a life that is truthful and transparent with God. This can make us feel uneasy – can we say these things? Won’t God get mad? Are we being unfaithful if we do? Listen here for week 2 of our series on The Psalms.
The Psalms: An Invitation (6.10.18)
We started a new sermon series this week, The Psalms. We will speak, sing and practice many of the Psalms and hopefully let them permeate our hearts and lives, as they certainly influenced Jesus’ life, identity and ministry. Each week, we’ll be given suggested Psalms to read, pray & meditate on. Here are this week’s […]
Inhabit: Stories (6.3.18)
To wrap up our Inhabit series, we invited 2 couples to share stories about life in their neighborhoods, how they’ve built relationships, and how they’ve influenced the flavor of their neighborhood.
Recycling Needed!!!
We need your recycling! Two of the classes at CREATE will take your garbage and turn them into priceless masterpieces. Some call it upcycling, we call it art. Here’s the list of specific things that our two classes need: Toilet paper rolls Plastic bottle caps (all sizes) Metal jar lids of all sizes (like from […]
Inhabit: Taste of Place (5.27.18)
What can the taste of honey teach us about our neighborhoods? And how does that help shape how we can live incarnationally in our places? Listen here.
