This is one of the most true-feeling phrases we’ve come to discover in our experiences following Jesus and trying to put one foot in front of the other in life. Kyle shares about the life-change he’s experienced leaning into the way the Eastern Orthodox church has historically taught people how to pray and approach life, and how that’s different (in a good way) from what a Western American like him is used to.
Read MoreKyle — with help from an all-time great TED talk by educator Rita Pierson, and from his experience fighting for educational equity in nearby Evanston, Illinois — has personally discovered that Jesus’ strong words about those who put obstacles in the way of children are well-founded. So what are some ways we can be champions for the kids around us?
Read MoreHow is it that we can sometimes be surrounded by people and yet feel lonely? The fact is: connecting to others can be hard. That doesn’t make sense on paper, but feeling love or connection is not really explainable on paper, just like God isn’t really explainable on paper. And yet, Vince suggests, if we’re willing to consistently lean into the unexplainable-ness, we might find ourselves experiencing the connection with others we long for, and experiencing God’s Holy Spirit at the same time.
Read MoreWe all need to feel connection to other people. Even more than we need answers. Even more than we need resolutions to problems. But connecting can be hard. At BLV, a big way we try to help with that is through small groups. Learn about the small groups open for sign up during fall 2018, and let us help you connect!
Read MoreFrom the hero’s journey of Harry Potter to the natural world of seasons and plant life to how all people grow and experience life-change, the pattern of loss & renewal — or, on Jesus’ terms, death & resurrection — shows up again and again in life. Vince take us through examples from his own life, tells us about crying listening to a podcast about Harry Potter, and suggests ways we might find Jesus an incredible companion in the losses we’re experiencing right now.
Read MoreLife and the world is impossibly complex. It’s normal to try to simplify things to help ourselves feel less out of control. But that’s also how we get trite phrases like “every cloud has a silver lining”, which can often hurt people when thrown around without care or empathy. In religion, this is done to verses from the Bible all the time. But, as Kyle’s experience and learning has taught him, the Bible is actually quite the opposite of trite!
Read MoreBLV’s diversity in religious starting points is part of what makes us the community we are. It’s something we feel Jesus is behind. For this Sunday’s talk, small group leaders Anna & Isaac share stories from people in BLV about both the wonderful and the challenging in their religious backgrounds, and how BLV has become home.
Read MoreDoes Jesus on the Cross paint a picture of an angry, violent God who needs his wrath satisfied? Vince shares his journey away from that unsettling interpretation of Jesus on the Cross and toward a different interpretation that is the opposite of unsettling — one that is loving and inspiring and beautiful in the way it speaks to humanity in general and in the way it can speak to each of us personally.
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 MoreWe've come to feel super helped by the Bible. But when is it appropriate to apply something from the Bible to life today? And when is it inappropriate? How do we know one way or the other? Kyle takes us to a statement from Jesus that proves incredibly useful...
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