Radical Empathy: Behold

Catching Our Breath

In this week's message, Reverend Liz Walker shares a compassionate and encouraging word for all those dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed during these anxious times. Between a global pandemic, political division, and the everyday weight of fear, grief, and shame, many of us are quietly struggling — and most of us aren't talking about it. Drawing from John 20, Reverend Walker reminds us that even the disciples found themselves locked behind closed doors, paralyzed by fear and forgetting who they were. But Jesus walked in anyway, met them right where they were, and breathed peace into the room. That same peace is available to us today — not by pretending everything is fine, but by learning to slow down, breathe, and listen with our hearts. Catching our breath, she teaches, is where healing begins.

Courageous Integrity

In this message, we are encouraged to walk out in courageous integrity. Courageous integrity is critiquing your own tribe and holding them accountable, while actively looking for what is good, admirable, or true in those you disagree with. The reason why all of us struggle with integrity is that we need something that provides us with structure and allows us to feel good about our lives. The structure comes from the load-bearing beam or spec in our eyes. What are the load bearing beams that hold up your identity? Our load makes us fragmented in our lives. We are one way in our family life and a different way in our online life. This lacks integrity: being our whole, best self in every part of our life. The good news is that God can grow our integrity. Practice spending time in God’s presence, persevering on the maintenance of our integrity, and directly praying to God for strength to increase and maintain our integrity.

Breaking The Power of Labels

In this week's message, Pastor Hurmon continues our focus on the practices that help us live in the Jesus Way, breaking the power of labels by teaching us to see ourselves and others through grace, truth, story, and redemption. Inspired by the surprising biblical story of Mary Magdalene, we are asked to reflect on our own experience of the shameful labels that have affected our lives — and to remember that through Jesus' saving grace and love, those labels do not get the final word. The broken become restored, the unlovable become loved, the ashamed become forgiven, the invisible become seen, the rejected become chosen, and the failure becomes redeemed. When we practice seeing others the way Jesus sees them, we open the door for real transformation — in them, and in ourselves.

Radical Empathy: Behold

In this special Mother's Day message, we are encouraged to practice radical empathy. Radical empathy is learning to behold people in the full context of their story. Sometimes we feel that our mothers fall short. It is important to behold your mother in the full view of her struggle to live out her purpose, her unspeakable pain and her unfolding story. We must remember that Jesus did not allow his unimaginable pain to blind him to his mom’s pain. This week, let us pray to see and appreciate our mothers with fresh eyes.

The Power of Kindness

In this message, we discuss the power of kindness in a world where being mean and retributive is becoming normalized and celebrated. In a world that increasingly sees kindness as weak, we see kindness shown through patience and radical forgiveness to others as a way to show strength. Kindness is something that we extend to those who are easy to love, but also to those who are difficult to love. In addition, we are called to show kindness through radical forgiveness and patience. When we engage people at the level of story, we practice the power of kindness and show the love of God. We take the time to know, love and value others, and we search for ways to practice it in our lives, living our own lives after the example Jesus showed of being a counterpoint to the darkness of his day.