Words for the Beginning – Week 1 (12.1.24)
Week 1: You are A Blessing
Luke 1:26-38
How To Survive An Election
With the election two days away, we are feeling the fraught-ness of it all. How do we traverse this week in a way that is hopeful, grounded and kind?
Faith and Politics – Week 1 (10.13.24)
Week 1: Fear
Fear is often leveraged in politics. Campaigns try to play off of our fears and use our fears to pit us against each other. There is a better way.
It All Hangs on Love – Week 4 (10.6.24)
Teresa helps us consider the end product of a life of love — a picture of who we could be and how we might move through the world if love is our primary aim.
It All Hangs on Love – Week 3 (9.22.24)
We consider the often neglected and ignored command to love ourselves.
It All Hangs on Love – Week 2 (9.15.24)
Everything — everything — hangs on love – including loving our neighbor. What might that look like today?
It All Hangs on Love – Week 1 (9/8/24)
Everything important and consequential in this life hangs on love. And our capacity to express love is fundamentally tied to our willingness to receive it. Yes – we are called to love God, but equally, we are invited (and must heed that invitation) to receive and experience love. It sounds simple, but is not easy. What steps can we take to open ourselves up to the divine, endless love available to us?
Our Story – Week 7 (8/25/24)
We end our summer series by looking at one of the few stories found in all four of the New Testament Gospels. It’s typically called the feeding of the 5000, but the text tells us there were many more than that.
What do we learn from this story about the way we approach life’s problems and challenges?
Our Story – Deb Hitziger (8/18/24)
Deb shares her story – including what it is like to navigate a life filled with many moves, loss, and belonging.
The audio quality is lacking in parts; you can also view the live video on our YouTube page.
Our Story – Terra, Audri and Alayna (8/11/24)
Three of our recent graduates share some of their spiritual journey – what it has been like to grow up in the church, what their personal journey’s have been like and what they might hope for in the future as they move away from home and begin their adult lives.
Our Story – Dale Hulst (8/4/24)
Dale shares his recent adventure (in retirement) of starting a new company focused on building net-zero homes. What is a net-zero house? Dale will fill us in — and share something about how we remain hopeful in the midst of overwhelming challenges.
Our Story – CJ and Elizabeth (7.28.24)
CJ and Elizabeth share their experience of growing up in the church, falling in love, and coming out as an LGBTQ couple.
Podcasts for June
You may be wondering where June’s podcasts are.
In June we are engaged in Group Sundays, which do not include a sermon — hence, no podcasts in June 🙂
We’ll be back in July with stories from the lives and experiences of Branch folks.
If you want to learn more about Group Sundays, click here.
Vision Sunday
On 5/19 we took a good part of the morning to have a conversation about our vision – breaking into groups, debriefing each other, and collectively identifying what it could look like if we worked together to see our vision become a reality. Because of the unique nature of the morning, we do not have an audio recording; however, the entire morning can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
Transformation – Week 6 (5.12.24)
The spaces through which we are changed tend to be experiences of great love or great suffering. Peter’s life is an example of both.
Transformation – Week 5 (5.5.24)
It may seem like growing in our faith would mean that we would end up more certain. That may be true of some things (for example, God’s love for us). But an important part of transformation involves putting on humility; admitting that we don’t have all the answers (and may never have them); even embracing mystery.
Transformation – Week 4 (4.28.24)
God is always present.
And it is in the present moment – no where else – that we experience God (and, each other).
Growing, maturing, deepening our faith requires us, therefore, to be present – a very very difficult challenge for humans to believe and live.
Transformation – Week 3 (4.21.24)
The created world is a gift, teaching us things that are true about God and about ourselves. This week we consider what trees teach us about our growth and maturity.
Transformation – Week 2 (4.14.24)
Week 2: The end of the rope is a beginning.
The story of Jacob and Esau points us to a number of important truths about growth and transformation:
- life is not all upward and onward
- we all will reach the end of our rope
- but the end of our skills, knowledge and willpower holds immense potential for a new beginning.
Transformation – Week 1 (4.7.24)
We begin a new series in which we look at important principles related to our spiritual transformation (and transformation in general).
Week 1 considers the truth that in order to grow we must learn to embrace BOTH death AND resurrection.
