ABOUT SUNDAY’S THEME As we’re all aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has swept the world the past two years and has left millions dead. Yet there’s another surge not many people are talking about; the sharp rise in anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. This highlights a deep-seated problem within humanity; the lack of emotional, mental, and spiritual health. What happens when people are prevented from engaging in regular activities that regularly distract them from their loneliness, sadness, and internal fears? All of those feelings will eventually come out. This is precisely what we are witnessing right now. And this is precisely why Jesus came into the world. Jesus came in the midst of darkness, disparity, and desperation. Jesus came to give humanity hope, peace, and guidance. Jesus is our North Star.
Jumping to Joy
What happens when you skip over the good parts of a movie and jump to the end? You miss a lot of what the filmmaker intended for the viewer to experience. You have a limited view of the story. And you miss out on a lot of the benefits of the journey.
Often times when it comes to faith, people want to gloss over the hard parts or bail as soon as things get difficult. When we do this, we miss out on a lot of the ways God wants us to grow, mature, and experience life.
Three Enemies of Gratitude
We shared earlier three different ways of expressing gratitude and how it can help us become more grateful in our lives. But what are the great obstacles or enemies of gratitude? Since gratitude needs to be regularly practice, gratitude is a practice that needs to be intentional and exercised often. If we are not cognizant of the things that discourage gratitude, then we will inevitably drift into complacency and entitlement.
Grateful Generosity
ABOUT SUNDAY’S THEME
Did you know that a life of gratitude can lead to healthier relationships, longer lifespan, and generosity?
Even more prevalent is that gratitude begets generosity begets spiritual vitality.
How does grateful generosity manifest?
Anger and Gratitude
Can healthy spirituality and anger coexist? Also, can gratitude and anger coexist? When some people think of enlightened individuals, they think that anger cannot be part of that equation. But some of the most spiritual people in modern history were people who were angry about injustice; MLK, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, or Rosa Parks. Yet, remaining in a state of perpetual anger is not helpful either
Counter Cultural Gratitude
ABOUT SUNDAY’S THEME
Did you know the opposite of gratitude is actually entitlement? In fact, we live in a very entitled culture, especially in Los Angeles. Most Americans believe that we have what have in our lives as a result of our determination, talent, and hard work. While we can stop to enjoy life, how often do we really stop to express and acknowledge gratitude?
Heart of Hospitality
The mission statement for Perch is “a hospitable community for spiritual wanderers.” Hospitality is very important, not only to our church but to faith as a whole. In fact, the reason why we can even call ourselves the children of God is because God extended hospitality to us, welcoming us into his family by extending the invitation of unconditional love. This is why the spiritual practice of hospitality is so important yet often neglected. We will conclude October’s “Neighbors” series this Sunday by exploring hospitality.
Healthy Conflict
We all know that we all run into conflict with our neighbors, friends, and family sometimes. But did you know that conflict is necessary for healthy relationships? If Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, that means that conflict is a required step in order for peace to come to fruition. Being a peacemaker is very different from being a peacemaker.