The busyness of the holiday season can overrun the sense of the sacred. The irony is that dedicating time to connect with God gets pushed aside to spend time creating the best Christmas ever. Let’s begin Advent by emphasizing the gift of living in the moment and discovering how to be people of hope.
Balance in Chaos
Anxiety and worry are a normal part of life. We may not be able to eliminate them. But we can learn how to realign our thoughts and focus more on productive thinking. Discover how small changes can make a big difference.
Reasons to Rest
Rest is valuable. As Christians, God even tells us that rest is supposed to be part of our daily lives. What would happen if we intentionally disconnected from work, social media and things that distract our brains? What if we focused instead on family, friends and faith?
Busyness Epidemic
We live in a culture of busyness, which impacts our spiritual, mental and physical well-being. Do we prioritize the urgent over the important? Two women in the bible help us examine this question.
Restore
We have explored remembering, releasing and reimagining. We conclude by focusing on restoration. Ultimately, practicing faithful stewardship heals us as individuals and helps us restore relationships with one another.
Reimagine
God calls us to reimagine a world where our social and economic systems do not disparage or impoverish but provide for and benefit everyone. This week, we revisit a scripture that begs for reinterpretation from the harmful ways it has been used. Considering that story, we are called to reimagine our money stories.
Release
This week, we practice releasing shame, anxiety, guilt, greed or anything that keeps us from freedom and wholeness. We liberate the elements of our money story that prevent us from fully living into God’s story.
Remember
We begin by looking back at our spoken and unspoken money stories. How have those stories impacted our practices of generosity? Remember God’s steadfast relationship with us throughout time and trials. Even in stories of desperation and deep betrayal, God’s provision and grace gift us.
Reach
Evangelism – it’s not a bad word! Jesus calls us to practice evangelism relentlessly, singularly and unapologetically. We live in a world hungry for a better way to live, work and play together without fear of each other. Jesus is a way to live as our best selves and invite others to join us.
Love
One reason the church exists is to be in partnership and grace with the surrounding community. How can we extend love to our community? How can we love where we are planted?