6.7 Sacred Conversations + Honest Questions (wk1) God, Heaven, What Follows Death?

7.19 The Whisper of God (in a noisy world)

Lee Beard — Our modern world is "noisy," filled with constant distractions and information overload. In contrast, Isaiah 30:15 invites us into a "quietness" where we discover strength and guidance in God's whisper, drawing us closer to God's heart and voice.

7.12 Divine Therapy: The Church as a Safe Place to Talk About Mental Health

Mary Ann Green, a licensed professional counselor and registered dietitian, discusses the importance of addressing mental health within the church community. She highlights the prevalence of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, and emphasizes the need for the church to be a place of healing and support. In I Kings 19, the prophet Elijah, experiencing depression and burnout from his ministry, received divine therapy from God. God provided rest, nourishment, and a call to action, leading Elijah back to Mount Sinai for renewal and a gentle invitation to listen. Through repetition and a reminder of God’s presence, Elijah was encouraged to trust, find community, and complete his work.

6.28 Sacred Conversations + Honest Questions (wk4) Why The Horrendous Death Of Jesus?

Why wouldn’t God find or use a different option than a horrendous death for his Son? Jesus’ Death is best understood not as God demanding payment through violence, but as the consequence of Jesus’ radical life of love, forgiveness, and justice confronting the powers of his day, revealing the self-giving love of God. The cross and resurrection invite us to trust in God’s unconditional love, leave behind cycles of fear and sacrifice, and imagine a new way of living shaped by the grace revealed in Christ.

6.21 Sacred Conversations + Honest Questions (wk3) Reading The Bible Literally

The Bible is a diverse collection of writings that invites a lifetime of thoughtful study, requiring attention to genre, historical context, and the perspectives of its authors. Rather than reading it as a flat, static, dropped-out-of-heaven-from-God book, we are reading it more faithful when we make room for the human experience of the writers in its composition. Christians ultimately interpret Scripture through the lens of Jesus, asking how these stories speak to hope, love, suffering, forgiveness, and compassion. The goal of Scripture is not merely to preserve words, but to bring them to life in ways that reveal God’s love and shape our own stories in what it means to be fully human.

6.14 Sacred Conversations + Honest Questions (wk2) Politics & Peacemaking

This conversation explored how politics and faith can both serve the common good—politics by organizing our shared life and religion by bringing people together. Centered on the teaching of Jesus, George emphasized that while ideas and information matter, lasting transformation come through love and peacemaking that treats others with dignity. Peacemakers are people who enter life’s conflicts carrying "water for the fire," creatively holding tension, building bridges, and trusting that love has the power to change people and communities.