With the coronavirus in view, but also any senseless suffering each of us might face, Kyle and Vince discuss the difference between a “Life as God’s Blueprint” understanding of believing in God and a “Life as a Battlefield” understanding of believing in God. The former is extremely common, but hurts many. The latter has helped them personally find powerful connection with God in the midst of hardship.
Read MoreReflecting on Ben Stiller’s character from The Royal Tenenbaums and on his own experiences of grief or being with others in grief, Vince leads us in a discussion of ways faith in Jesus can help us when we are mourning the loss of loved ones for our annual Remembrance Service.
Read MoreVince shares how he learned to swear in his prayer life, and we further discuss the amazing connection between prayer and a community that feels caring — to the people in it, and to anyone such a community comes into contact with. Passionate about making BLV a place that cares for everyone? Consider joining our Pastoral Care Core!
Read MoreInsisting that millennia-old stories can speak plainly to a modern day context is one of the major reasons many people find the Bible an obstacle. Take the story of Abraham & Isaac, for example: to modern readers, this is a troubling story about a God who almost had a child sacrificed. Its’ really hard to get beyond that. BUT, to its original audience, this story communicated something very different. Could that communicate something different to us modern readers too?
Read MoreIn individualistic and capitalistic America, it is particularly hard to live out a conviction to be the keepers of our brothers and sisters. Why? Partly because we see so much of life as transactional. But, maybe above all, because we hate to feel discomfort, and the level of injustice and suffering that many of our brothers and sisters in America experience should make us feel uncomfortable. Kyle coaches us on leaning into that discomfort, letting it humble us, and letting it activate us.
Read MoreFrom the ancient Jewish story of Cain & Abel, we get the powerful suggestion that part of being human is to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers — we are responsible for and to each other. But that is like the definition of “easier said than done”. Vince explores how the story of Cain & Abel addresses this: (1) posing the question “how will we respond to life’s disappointments and resentments?” and (2) showing us an encouraging, loving God who believes in us.
Read MoreSharing from his own life regrets and from the work of Dr. Mirsolav Volf, Kyle encourages us that the magnetic and powerful life Jesus leads us into is found in choosing embrace over exclusion, in choosing self-sacrifice over others-sacrifice, and in resisting the power our in-group loyalty tests have over us.
Read MoreBLV’s resident Spiritual Director gives us a crash course in hearing God’s voice by sharing from his life and unpacking three different historical perspectives on how to listen to God: Protestant, Catholic, and Charismatic.
Read MoreKyle continues our series unpacking the helpfulness of the Bible when it’s approached thoughtfully. This week: why we don’t read poetry like its prose, why we shouldn’t read the first 11 of chapters of Genesis like a history textbook, and how the various writings in the Bible come alive when we ask the right questions of them.
Read MoreConnection with people different from us is something we think matters immensely if we want the deep, full life Jesus modeled and taught. But how is that is even possible in today's world without ending up "standing for nothing"? We think it's by standing for the Respectful Conversation.
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