#265 Church Stereotypes: Pews and Prejudices

#270 Hot Pants, Jesus & the Uninvited Miracle

Scripture  It wasn’t long after this when Jesus entered a city called Nain. Again all of His disciples accompanied Him, along with a huge crowd. 12 He was coming near the gate of the city as a corpse was being carried out. This man was the only child and support of his widowed mother, and she was accompanied by a large funeral crowd. 13 As soon as the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her. Jesus: Don’t weep. 14 Then He came to the stretcher, and those carrying it stood still. Jesus: Young man, listen! Get up! 15 The dead man immediately sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother, Luke 7:11-15 (The Voice) The Gist We take a look at the deeper meanings found within the Luke 7 story - what it says about us and what it says about Jesus that His compassion gifted this widow an uninvited and unrequested miracle.  Every other healing in the gospels involves some form of approach - someone coming to Jesus, reaching for Him or His cloak, crying out, or sending word. But here, in this story, Jesus crosses the distance on His own initiative.  Jesus: Notices the one, is often moved before He acts, comes to us, and restores us.  The direction you are walking doesn't determine whether Jesus can find you! This unrequested miracle strips away every transactional framework we quietly attach to God's goodness. We can subtly believe (without saying it) that miracles flow to the spiritually prepared, those who have prayed enough and just right, believed enough, and positioned themselves correctly.  This story of the widow dismantles ALL of that!   Digging Deeper Is there a place in your life where you have accepted a loss as final - something you have given up on or stopped asking about because the procession is underway? What would it look like or mean to let Jesus meet you there - not because you pursued Him, but because He sees you and is moved?

#269 - Does God Really Trust You?! Closing the Gap - Part Three

Scripture Paul, an emissary of Jesus the Anointed commissioned by order of God our Savior and Jesus the Anointed, our living and certain hope), to you, Timothy, my true son in the faith.  Here’s a statement worthy of trust: Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them all. 1 Timothy 1:1-1, 15 (The Voice) The Gist In Part Three of this series, we discuss the gap between how we see ourselves and how God sees us.  We take a look at: How we see ourselves and why we see ourselves that way How God sees us and why Why our hearts resist what God speaks over us and  What closing the gap between the two actually looks like in our daily lives.  The gap isn't between who we really are and who we should be - The gap is between our filtered self-perception and His unfiltered eternal knowledge of us.  Digging Deeper Whose voice first told me I was less than? How old was I - and am I still living under that assessment as though it were authoritative? When I picture myself, what do I see first - my failures and limitations, or the image of God in which I was made? What does that tell me about whose mirror I am standing in front of most often? God names Gideon "mighty warrior" before Gideon had done a single brave thing. What might God be naming in me that I have not yet grown into, and am I resisting that name? The gap often closes not in a moment of revelation, but in a long practice of returning - returning to truth when the old voices speak. What anchors, practices, or words from Scripture could become my returning places when the gap widens again?

#268 - Does God Really Trust You?! Biggest Spiritual Trap - Part Two

Scripture But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (The Voice) The Gist In Part Two of this series, we dive into one of the most spiritually sophisticated heart blocks/traps there is: unworthiness mistaken as humility.  True humility says: "I am not the source." Unworthiness disguised as humility says: "I should not be here at all/" We discuss: why it's difficult to catch, the fears and obstacles that hide underneath it, and what God is actually looking for when it comes to humility and us trusting Him to work in our weakness and insecurities.  Digging Deeper When I say "I'm not worthy of this," am I expressing genuine dependence on God - or am I protecting myself from the risk of stepping forward? Am I confusing the feeling of inadequacy with a word from God? Who told me I was too small for this? If a beloved friend looked at me in the eyes and said, "I trust you with this," would I argue with them or receive it? Why do I argue with God? There is a difference between "God loves me anyway" and "God trusts me with this." Which is harder to hold? What does that reveal?

#267 Does God Really Trust You? - Part One

Scripture Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. 2 Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. Paul urges those who read and hear his letter to respond to the good news by offering their bodies—eyes, ears, mouths, hands, feet—to God as a “living sacrifice.” Paul knows well enough that sacrifices end in death, not life. But the sacrifice of Jesus changes everything. His resurrection steals life from death and makes it possible for those who trust in Him to become a sacrifice and yet live. But how do we live? We do not live as before, wrapping ourselves in the world and its bankrupt values. We live in constant renewal and transformation of our minds. 3 Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as being more important than you are; devote your minds to sound judgment since God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith.  Romans 12:1-3 (The Voice) The Gist Allison drops a doozy of a question on us from her scripture meditation.  Is it easier for you to believe in God's love for you than the trust/faith He has in you?   God's Love for you - is something you receive that flows to us and costs nothing but surrender.  God's trust/faith in you - this means God looks at us, fully knowing us - and says, "I'm sending her." It requires us to agree with His assessment of what He's placed inside us.  Heart Blocks to trusting in His love and trust: Unworthiness mistaken for identity, fear of visibility, past experiences used against us for future promises, and the gap between how we see ourselves and how God sees us.  Digging Deeper Unworthiness as identity — Where have I mistaken the feeling of unworthiness for the truth of who I am, and what would shift in me if I agreed with God’s assessment instead of my own? Fear of visibility — What part of being “seen” feels unsafe to me, and how might God be inviting me to trust that His gaze is protective rather than exposing? Past experiences as barriers — Which past experiences am I still allowing to predict my future with God, and what would it look like to let His promises speak louder than my memories? Gap between God’s view and mine — Where do I most resist believing what God says about me, and what fear sits underneath that resistance? Agreeing with His sending — If God looks at me fully and says, “I’m sending her,” what keeps me from saying yes to His confidence in me?

#266 Celebrating Failure

Scripture Moses (to God): 11 Who am I to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel’s children out of Egypt? Eternal One: 12 Do not fear, Moses. I will be with you every step of the way, and this will be the sign to you that I am the One who has sent you: after you have led them out of Egypt, you will return to this mountain and worship God. Moses: 13 Let’s say I go to the people of Israel and tell them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to rescue you,” and then they reply, “What is His name?” What should I tell them then? Eternal One: 14 I AM WHO I AM. This is what you should tell the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to rescue you.” Exodus 3:11-14 (The Voice) The Gist Today, we discuss the in's and out's of failure and how to learn to celebrate it.  Digging Deeper What if success is not the outcome but the willingness to try? What act of bravery did this failure require that I haven’t acknowledged yet? What did this failure teach me that success never could have? How does celebrating failure loosen the grip of needing to be impressive? What can I genuinely thank this failure for? How might God be using this failure to redirect, refine, or free me? What does this failure remind me about where my identity truly rests?