The Two Halves of Life (11.10.19)

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Paul’s conversion story in Acts 26 can teach us a lot about spiritual growth. What will we do when we’re faced with something that won’t change? Will we double down or will we surrender, creating space for God’s spirit to work in us? “Growth rarely happens when the ego runs the show.”

The Two Halves of Life (10.13.19)

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Today we began a new series in which we will take 7 weeks to consider the two halves of life. Together we’ll consider the journey the Scriptures show us is possible – an adventure we’re all meant to live. Listen here for the introduction to this series.

Refocus (10.2.19)

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Today we wrap up our “Refocus” series. Listen as we explore how empathy plays an important role in everything we do.

Refocus: Shape (9.22.19)

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Jesus lived his life with the intention of giving away his power and authority. Do we live the same way? As a church, we are wrestling with this too. How will we (1) shape the next generation by sharing life, (2) shape the next generation through intentional times of development, and (3) give away our authority and power?

Refocus: Embrace (9.15.19)

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When we watch how Jesus lived — the way we operated in the world, we begin to notice that he repeatedly demonstrated an openness to others, not dismissal; he extended belonging, not judgement and he offered embrace, not distance.

Refocus: Grow (9.8.19)

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It is so easy to lose sight of what matters most. That’s true for individuals and churches. For four weeks we’re refocusing on four things we’ve said matter deeply to us. First up: GROW. This call to “become like Christ in everything” (Ephesians 4:4) is where it all begins. By knowing our true selves we know God – and by knowing God, we know our true selves.

This is My Story: Racism (9.1.19)

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Chris continued his series on racism today. For the past 3 weeks, we have been having an honest and challenging discussion on racism. Listen here for the 3rd sermon in that series. Also, see below for a list of resources to step further into this conversation.

Watch: PBS: Slavery by Another Name, 13th, Brian Stevenson (google his name + HBO), Blackish, 12 Years a Slave

Read: White Awake by Daniel Hill, White Fragility by Robin Diangelo, Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson, Can I Get a Witness? Prophetic Voices of African American Women edited by Marcia Y. Riggs, Autobiographies of: Ida B. Wells (Crusade for Justice), Frederick Douglas, MLK, James Cone, Howard Thurman

Listen (podcasts): Code Switch – The Return of Race Science (July 10), Chicago’s Red Summer (July 17) and We’re Going to Start a Dialogue (Feb. 7); Revisionist History – Good Old Boys (July 11)

Follow: Christina Cleveland (@CSCleve), Ally Henny (@thearmchaircom), Austin Channing Brown (@austinchanning), Yasmin Yonis (@YasminYonis), Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill)

Resource for families: http://www.raceconscious.org/

This is My Story (8.18.19)

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We return to our “This is My story” series. For the next 3 weeks, Chris will share with us about his experience at Calvin Seminary, attending a week-long seminar on racism. We will hear stories of African Americans, whose stories we may not have heard before. And we will wrestle with the impact of ‘dis-remembering’ our history.

Atonement: Scapegoat Mechanism (8.11.19)

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Chris and Josh Vis ended this series talking about the Scapegoat Mechanism Theory of Atonement. Listen here to learn more about that and to find out why we’ve been digging into these different theories over the last 3 weeks.

Atonement: Penal Substitutionary Theory (8.4.19)

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We continue our look into different theories of the atonement. This week, we look at Penal Substitutionary Theory. This theory is one of the most prevalent theories in the evangelical church today. What does it mean? Listen here to find out.

Atonement: Christus Victor

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Listen here as we begin a new series, exploring the mystery and meaning of the Christ’s death and trying to find out together what it might mean for our lives. We are so glad to have Josh Vis join us for this series!

This is My Story: How Pain and Suffering Influences Our Lives (7.21.19)

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Bethany DeBlaay shares with us this week about a journey she has been on in the past year. Bethany is a psychotherapist who works particularly with people who have experienced trauma in their lives. Listen here as Bethany explores the places that pain and suffering show up in all of our lives.

This is My Story :: Brian :: Reimagining Faith (7.14.19)

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Today’s story is one that many people are familiar with. It’s the story of a person who grew up in the church and then started asking questions about faith as a young adult. Listen here as Brian Workman shares about the journey of his faith.

This is My Story :: CCGR and The Branch (7.7.19)

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Listen here for the bilingual stories of The Branch and of Comunidad Cristiana de Grand Rapids. We have the privilege of sharing a building and today, we had that great privilege of sharing in worship. What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God!

This is My Story :: CREATE (6.30.19)

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Today, we celebrate a wonderful week of CREATE. We told stories of the week that were stories of community and relationship building, and stories of showing great love. Listen here to celebrate with us what God is doing through a week of creativity.

This is My Story :: Jason :: The Global Church (6.23.19)

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As we continue our series of stories, Jason gives us a glimpse into what he sees happening in the Church across the world. Listen here for some stories that will challenge us, but also stories of great hope.

This is My Story :: Heather :: Heartside (6.16.19)

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As we continue our “Stories” series, Heather Karel shares with us about her work as a physician in Heartside. Heather gives us a beautiful example of missional living. Listen here as she tells stories of her work and how that has impacted other areas of her life.

This is My Story :: Sarah :: Ghana (6.9.19)

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“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7
This week, Sarah Lundberg shared with us about her recent trip to Ghana. She shared stories of seeing God at work in Ghana and how that has impacted her life here.

This is My Story :: Dave & Trina :: Neighborhood (6.2.19)

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“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

Each week in this series we’ll hear the story of someone at the Branch and how God is at work in their life. Their stories will not only give us perspective on our own, but in turn help shape how we live. This week, we hear a part of Dave & Trina’s story and how God is at work in their neighborhood.