Vince & Keziah tell on themselves to surface various nuggets and insights on conflict resolution that have helped them over their 15 years of marriage, and highlight what a difference-maker it is to actually living those things out when you feel seen by a God of Love. (Image by jean wimmerlin on Unsplash)
Read MoreHealth, wealth, and prosperity messaging is not just that of celebrity televangelists like Joel Osteen. More subtle examples are in nearly any church that teaches or models praying for others, and in secular settings like the self-help industry. What does it look like to give up those subtle messages and find the reassurance they promise in more reliable beliefs?
Read MoreInspired by Discord comments and personally shared reflections from our first two messages on belonging, Hayley and Vince expand on various themes.
Read MoreYou are not alone if you find it inconsistent, problematic, or shaming the way Jesus’ crucifixion is presented as “substitution” in the vast majority of American churches (as though God needs someone to be punished, and Jesus “substitutes” himself for us, who really deserve the punishment). As we begin Holy Week this Lent, we offer some ways to shift your consideration of Jesus’ crucifixion away from “substitution” and toward two other things: “solidarity”, and “breaking cycles of revenge”.
Read MoreIn so many ways, life is found in tensions. In holding together two things that seem to be opposed to one another, but actually need one another. One that strikes us lately is the tension between humility and self-worth: Being quick to admit we’re wrong or that we need help, but also boldly believing we are NOT our worst mistakes or victimizations; we are fundamentally worthy of love from God and from other people. Kyle and Vince talk about how to hold the tension.
Read MoreLife is full of uncertainty, and we feel that all the more in the midst of a global pandemic. In our experience, spirituality helps with uncertainty in a profound way, but it isn’t by providing certainty in response. So how does it help? Vince and Kyle discuss…
Read MoreVince wants to rescue prayer from the “obligation zone” in people’s brains and put it in its right place in the “rest zone” in people’s brains. He shares from his own life a number of prayers that help him, and then Kyle shares why prayer is the key ingredient to this summer’s vision for BLV on being a “community of care”.
Read MorePeople who try their hardest don't always get rewarded. And people who seem to cut corners or take advantage of others sometimes do get rewarded. Is life meaningless? Or do we need to double down and be perfect in order to succeed? The Wisdom writings of the Bible (particularly the books of Proverbs & Ecclesiastes) can offer us balance, nuance, and a starting point for meaningful experiences of prayer when we feel overwhelmed by such questions.
Read MoreAn obscure passage in the Old Testament book of Proverbs has lots to say about what happens when people of privilege (royalty in that day, white males in our day) are blind to the way that privilege affords them options that the rest of the world doesn't have. Bringing to a close our series on what we can improve on as a church, Kyle acknowledges the reality of white, male privilege in our community.
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