Messages from a hospitable community for spiritual wanderers.
Many of us have been in a state of spiritual slumber for the past year. During this time of transition, God is inviting us to wake up. As we gradually go back into our offices, classrooms, and restaurants, make we not neglect our need to tend to our souls through private prayers and corporate community. Join us tomorrow as we discover the ways God is waking us up. We will definitely be going unfiltered and off-script with this one.
Ephesians 5:8-20
Who said the Promised Land would be problem free? Even though the Promised Land is better than the previous place, there will still be obstacles, struggles, and temptations. While this past year during Covid lockdown felt like we were wandering around aimlessly, entering into a "new normal" will bring upon a new set of problems. There are three promises God gives us that we need to be mindful of as we continue our journey to the next place.
Joshua 1:1-9
Are you haunted by something from your past? Perhaps you have a past trauma, mistake, or wound that seeps out in your conscious or subconscious behavior. There's a famous line in the critically acclaimed film "Magnolia" that says, "We may be through with the past, but the past isn't through with us." Often times, we allow our past to influence our thoughts, habits, and motives in more ways than we realize. But how does God treat us with our respective histories? Does God condemn or define us according to things we've done or things done to us in previous years? This intriguing interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman reveals quite a lot about God's grace, non-judgment, and compassion towards people with a questionable past. Likewise, how does God treat you with your own past?
John 4:1-26
There’s one lesson I learned recently as a hospital chaplain; nearly everyone believes in some form of spirituality. While patients come from different faiths and backgrounds, I’ve yet to meet someone who believes in merely the physical world. People may call it God, Higher Power, or Mother Nature, there is an undeniable longing deep in their hearts to connect with the Great Spirit of this universe. I literally encounter this everyday as a hospital chaplain with patients who are often ill, vulnerable, and very honest. It’s difficult to be an atheist while lying on a hospital bed.
This is precisely why God gave us the Holy Spirit. Our great Mother Spirit came into the lives of Jesus' followers 2,000 years ago to unite them, enable them, and fill them with joy. This is why She came at the day of Pentecost and this is why She enters into our lives now.
Acts 2:1-13
Do you know what it’s like to feel like the odd person out? You don’t necessarily have to a POC in order to have experienced this; maybe you’re a liberal in a family of conservatives; perhaps you’re a bookworm in a friend group of partygoers. In many ways, the POG (people of God) are called to live as exiles in this world. The values, lifestyles, attitudes, and worldview of the POG should stand out from the rest of the world. Live as light in darkness, bring life to dead places, carry justice to the nations, and set free the captives.
Daniel 1
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome? Imposter Syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. These past 13 months have thrust many into feeling like an imposter, insignificant, or indifferent. There have been many transitions in people's lives in the past year that can cause some to feel one of these three ways. By looking at the dialogue between the great prophet Moses and God, we see these three struggles of self playing out in real time. If you've ever gone through these struggles yourself, this message will uplift you.
Exodus 3 & 4
Liminal is the "in-between" space where many of us often feel stuck. This is precisely where we are as residents of this planet; while we taste goodness here and there, this world is far from "good." While we get glimpses of justice, we do not live in a completely just society. Ironically, Jesus is very familiar with liminal spaces. Before He began His ministry, He entered into a liminal space for forty days where He fasted, prayed, and was confronted with three temptations. These three temptations are the same ones we were confronted with this past year during lockdown, which was our form of liminal space.
Matthew 4:1-11
Do you know the opposite of faith is not doubt? If you really think about it, doubt is a necessary element in order for faith to exist. So what is the opposite of faith? Author Anne Lamott said it well in her book Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith; “The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.”
Rev. Lauren Blanco unpacks a well-known interaction between Jesus and Disciple Thomas as an honest, intimate, and surprising example of faith. If you’ve ever doubted God before, you need to listen to this message: Permission to Doubt.
John 20:19-31
